This weekend, we bid farewell to October, the month that saw a winnowing of the huge pack of teams that showed promise as potential contenders through the first month of the season. We’ve still got a pretty large field of playoff contenders heading into the final month of the regular season, but some big matchups on deck this weekend could shake things up before the home stretch.
We’re here as always to help you identify the top games to keep your eye and your TV on this weekend, including a ranked Pac-12 showdown, a rivalry game for the top-ranked team in the nation and a high-stakes matchup between two coaches who might both already be on the hot seat.
5
Texas A&M vs. South Carolina (Saturday, Noon ET on ESPN)
Favorite: Texas A&M (-14)
This is your certified College Football Deviant Game of the Week. Not only are both teams here fighting for bowl eligibility, but also both head coaches are starting to feel some serious heat after taking big steps backward this year, despite having arguably the most talented rosters of their respective tenures.
Shane Beamer is still in just his third season at South Carolina, but this year has gone truly off the rails for the Gamecocks. And the fans may be starting to get impatient. Meanwhile in College Station, only one question remains: How mad does Jimbo Fisher have to make his big-money boosters before they decide they’re ready to stroke a very large check?
4
No. 1 Georgia vs. Florida (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS)
Favorite: Georgia (-14.5)
The Bulldogs have gone largely unchallenged in their quest for a third-straight national championship thus far, but their schedule definitely heats up down the final stretch, beginning with a rivalry game in Jacksonville against what has been a wildly inconsistent and unpredictable Florida team. The Gators are coming off back-to-back offensive explosions, albeit against Vanderbilt and South Carolina, and have the talent to force this Georgia defense to at least break a sweat.
3
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Kansas (Saturday, Noon ET on Fox)
Favorite: Oklahoma (-10)
The Sooners appeared to be cruising towards a return to the College Football Playoff when UCF suddenly showed up and gave them a jump scare last week. Did Oklahoma get caught sleeping by UCF, or were some previously undiscovering weaknesses exposed? Kansas certainly has the offense to find out.
2
No. 18 Louisville vs. No. 20 Duke (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Favorite: Louisville (-4)
The ACC is in for a thrilling race down the stretch to decide who will get the face Florida State in the conference championship game, and this could be one of the most crucial matchups along that journey. Louisville followed up a triumphant upset of Notre Dame with a shocking loss to Pitt and now must emotionally recover in time to face Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, who continues to recover from the injury that knocked him out late against Notre Dame.
1
No. 13 Utah vs. No. 8 Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox)
Favorite: Oregon (-6.5)
The Pac-12 continues to provide us with absolutely colossal matchups week in and week out in its final season of existence. Utah is radiating with a crimson glow of power, having reached its peak Utah form against USC last weekend. Despite its crushing loss to Washington, Oregon still very much feels it has everything to play for, up to and including a national championship, and winning on the road in Utah would certainly help it make that case.
