#Gamecocks are a 4.5-point road dog (opening line) at #Clemson
Other fans, like those who root for Ole Miss and Nebraska, are ready to put last weekend behind them and move on to next week’s games.
The early Vegas lines for this week are out already, so let’s take a quick glance at some featured games in each conference and what the oddsmakers think will happen during “Rivalry Week.”
Note: Nonconference games are listed under the home team’s conference or under non “Power Five” at the bottom if it’s a game featuring another conference or an independent.
(Odds provided by vegasinsider.com)
VEGAS ODDS – RIVALRY WEEK
ACC
Florida at Florida State (-10): The Seminoles are trying to stay perfect on the season, while the Gators try to send coach Will Muschamp out in style. Florida State is one of the top four teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, but they have two one-loss teams ahead of them and their resume seems to take more and more of a beating each week. The ‘Noles need to survive and advance in this one and hope the Gators aren’t so fired up they pull the upset.
South Carolina at Clemson (-4.5): The Gamecocks got their sixth win on Saturday to become bowl eligible. It has been a disappointing season for Steve Spurrier’s crew, but a win over the Tigers would put a nice bow on the regular season for South Carolina. Clemson is 8-3 and coach Dabo Swinney would like nothing more than to end South Carolina’s regular season with a loss. Listening to the verbal jabs back and forth all week is one of the best parts of this rivalry.
Kentucky at Louisville (-14): Kentucky started the season off on fire but has cooled considerably as the year has progressed. Louisville is in the top 25 and has won the Governor’s Cup the last three seasons. Bobby Petrino’s crew would love to make it four in a row, while Mark Stoops bunch needs a win in this big rivalry game to become bowl eligible. After starting 5-1, UK has lost five in a row.
BIG 12
TCU (-7) at Texas: This Thursday night matchup has big implications for the College Football Playoff. The Horned Frogs were No. 5 last week but were off on Saturday, so they didn’t get a chance to impress the selection committee. The good and bad news for TCU is Texas has been playing much better of late. Because of that a road win over the Longhorns will mean much more now than earlier this season. Of course, it will be more difficult to win now, too, but if the Frogs lose they will have nobody to blame but themselves for being on the outside looking in at the final four.
Baylor (-21.5) at Texas Tech: The Bears are behind TCU in the playoff rankings despite beating the Horned Frogs head-to-head. Baylor’s nonconference schedule is often cited as one of the reason the selection committee isn’t ranking them higher, but this Big 12 game isn’t exactly doing their strength of schedule any favors. Tech is a bad team, and even a big win over the Red Raiders might not help Baylor much in the eyes of the committee. The Bears need to win this one and beat Kansas State on Dec. 6 to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders are a disappointing 4-7 and it looks likely they will fall to 4-8 after this one.
Kansas at Kansas State (-28): The Wildcats will be a bit more careful this week, knowing the Jayhawks gave TCU a big scare. That said, Kansas fell back to Earth last week against Oklahoma – allowing a single-game record 427 rushing yards to OU tailback Samaje Perine. K-State is 8-2 and can give coach Bill Snyder a 10-win season if they win this game and beat Baylor in the season finale. The Wildcats play the Bears at Baylor, but don’t count out K-State pulling the upset.
BIG TEN
Minnesota at Wisconsin: The Gophers and Badgers will tussle to determine which team will take on Ohio State in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten championship since 1967, so Jerry Kill and Co. have a lot to play for in this one. The bad news for Minnesota is star running back and “Mr. 40% of the Offense” David Cobb sat out the end of the Nebraska game with a hamstring injury. It’s unclear right now if Cobb will be able to play against the Badgers. Wisconsin hung on to beat Iowa on Saturday, thanks to another big day from Melvin Gordon. Gordon has pushed his way into Heisman Trophy contention, and having big games on big stages the next two weeks would help his candidacy tremendously.
Michigan at Ohio State (-20): This is a great rivalry, but the programs are heading in different directions right now. The Buckeyes need an impressive win to try and move up in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Wolverines need a win just to become bowl eligible. Ohio State struggled against Indiana in the first half last week, and it’s unclear how much not earning many “style points” will hurt them in this week’s rankings. It appears that Brady Hoke is on the way out at Michigan. Would an upset win over the Buckeyes save his job?
Michigan State (-12) at Penn State: Ohio State has already won the East division, so the Spartans and Lions are just playing for conference seeding and bowl position. Michigan State is 9-2, so getting to 10 wins in the regular season is an excellent benchmark. The Spartans have had a great deal of success in recent seasons, including a conference title and Rose Bowl win last season, so this seems like a bit of a disappointment but it’s still an outstanding season. Penn State is already bowl eligible, so the extra practices will really help James Franklin’s young and inexperience squad. Penn State would love to win this one at home, but Michigan State is too tough on both sides of the ball to make that likely.
Nebraska at Iowa (-1): Neither one of these teams can win the division, so this game is for pride and bowl positioning. Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah clearly isn’t himself after injuring his knee a few weeks ago, and wide receiver Kenny Bell missed most of Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. A banged up Huskers squad faces a tough road test against an angry Iowa squad that played Wisconsin tough last week. Playing on Friday instead of Saturday won’t help Nebraska’s injury situation with one less day to heal.
PAC-12
Oregon (-17.5) at Oregon State: The Ducks are sitting in the top two of the College Football Playoff rankings, and the rival Beavers would love nothing more than to upset the Ducks and knock them out of the four-team playoff. Oregon State is also 5-6, which means a win over rival Oregon would also make them bowl eligible. Oregon has enough impressive wins to remain in the top four, but a loss would knock them out of the final four and eliminate their playoff chances. The Beavers ended the playoff hopes of Arizona State a few weeks ago, so the Ducks better be on alert.
Stanford at UCLA (-4.5): The Bruins are coming off a surprisingly easy win over USC, and Stanford took care of business against Cal, 38-17. After consecutive losses to Utah and Oregon the Bruins were a bit of a disappointment. Now, at 9-2 after reeling off five consecutive wins, the Bruins are in the top 10 and climbing. This game is set for Friday, so you’ll have a few good games to watch while you’re eating leftovers.
Arizona State at Arizona: A few weeks ago this Friday night afternoon looked like it could have playoff implications for the Sun Devils, but a loss to Oregon State two weeks ago changed that. It’s still a big game for in-state bragging rights, recruiting purposes and bowl positioning in the Pac-12. A signature win here for either one of these coaches could make them more attractive to programs like Florida and others that might be in the market to make a change.
Notre Dame at USC (-7): The Fighting Irish and Trojans come into this game off losses, so one of the teams will get a nice win to conclude the regular season. The Irish have lost three in a row and four out of five since falling to Florida State in overtime. USC has had some heartbreaking losses this season, and a home defeat at the hands of the Irish would add to the disappointment of recent weeks. Finishing 8-4 instead of 7-5 is a bid deal for both of these teams – and their passionate fans.
Utah (-10) at Colorado: The Utes are on a skid, having lost three of their last four games. At 7-4 they can still play in a good bowl game, but they will have to take care of business against a bad Colorado team. The Buffs are just 2-9 and have lost seven in a row. Even though this game is at home, don’t expect Colorado to pull off an upset in this one.
SEC
Auburn at Alabama (-8): The Iron Bowl. Enough said. Alabama sits atop the College Football Playoff rankings and the Crimson Tide needs to win this one to stay on top of the rankings. Bama will represent the SEC West in the conference title game if they win this one, and victories over Auburn and the East Division winner should keep the Crimson Tide at No. 1 in the playoff standings. The Tigers were in the top four earlier this season, but losses to Texas A&M and Georgia have caused Auburn to tumble in the polls. Gus Malzahn’s team won one of the most memorable games ever in the series last season, so Alabama will be looking for a bit of revenge.
Mississippi State at Ole Miss (pick): The Egg Bowl is always a huge deal in Mississippi, but folks around the nation will be watching more closely this season because of the playoff. Mississippi State was in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings last week, and they could need another impressive win to maintain their hold on the final spot in the bracket. If Alabama wins, Mississippi State won’t have a conference title game to play in, which could cause the committee to move a team like Ohio State into the fourth spot if the Buckeyes finish the season on a roll. The Rebels were in the playoff bracket about a month ago, but losses in three of their last four games have cause them to fall out of the picture.
Georgia Tech at Georgia (-14.5): The Bulldogs are hoping Missouri loses so they can represent the SEC East in the conference championship game, but this game won’t impact the SEC standings at all. The rivalry game between these two is purely for bragging rights, and gives the Yellow Jackets a good tuneup as they prepare to play Florida State in the ACC title game next weekend.
Arkansas at Missouri: If the Tigers win, they will represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game. If Mizzou loses, Georgia will represent the East in Atlanta. Arkansas is one of the hottest teams in the country right now, winning its last two games against LSU and Ole Miss by a combined score of 47-0. This is a Friday afternoon game, and could be a defensive struggle.
LSU (-2) at Texas A&M: Hard to believe this now, but neither of these teams are ranked in the top 25. Earlier this year this would have been a head-to-head matchup between top-10 teams. The teams aren’t ranked, but it should be a good game and give you something to enjoy while you are digesting your turkey on Thursday night.
Other fans, like those who root for Ole Miss and Nebraska, are ready to put last weekend behind them and move on to next week’s games.
The early Vegas lines for this week are out already, so let’s take a quick glance at some featured games in each conference and what the oddsmakers think will happen during “Rivalry Week.”
Note: Nonconference games are listed under the home team’s conference or under non “Power Five” at the bottom if it’s a game featuring another conference or an independent.
(Odds provided by vegasinsider.com)
VEGAS ODDS – RIVALRY WEEK
ACC
Florida at Florida State (-10): The Seminoles are trying to stay perfect on the season, while the Gators try to send coach Will Muschamp out in style. Florida State is one of the top four teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, but they have two one-loss teams ahead of them and their resume seems to take more and more of a beating each week. The ‘Noles need to survive and advance in this one and hope the Gators aren’t so fired up they pull the upset.
South Carolina at Clemson (-4.5): The Gamecocks got their sixth win on Saturday to become bowl eligible. It has been a disappointing season for Steve Spurrier’s crew, but a win over the Tigers would put a nice bow on the regular season for South Carolina. Clemson is 8-3 and coach Dabo Swinney would like nothing more than to end South Carolina’s regular season with a loss. Listening to the verbal jabs back and forth all week is one of the best parts of this rivalry.
Kentucky at Louisville (-14): Kentucky started the season off on fire but has cooled considerably as the year has progressed. Louisville is in the top 25 and has won the Governor’s Cup the last three seasons. Bobby Petrino’s crew would love to make it four in a row, while Mark Stoops bunch needs a win in this big rivalry game to become bowl eligible. After starting 5-1, UK has lost five in a row.
BIG 12
TCU (-7) at Texas: This Thursday night matchup has big implications for the College Football Playoff. The Horned Frogs were No. 5 last week but were off on Saturday, so they didn’t get a chance to impress the selection committee. The good and bad news for TCU is Texas has been playing much better of late. Because of that a road win over the Longhorns will mean much more now than earlier this season. Of course, it will be more difficult to win now, too, but if the Frogs lose they will have nobody to blame but themselves for being on the outside looking in at the final four.
Baylor (-21.5) at Texas Tech: The Bears are behind TCU in the playoff rankings despite beating the Horned Frogs head-to-head. Baylor’s nonconference schedule is often cited as one of the reason the selection committee isn’t ranking them higher, but this Big 12 game isn’t exactly doing their strength of schedule any favors. Tech is a bad team, and even a big win over the Red Raiders might not help Baylor much in the eyes of the committee. The Bears need to win this one and beat Kansas State on Dec. 6 to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders are a disappointing 4-7 and it looks likely they will fall to 4-8 after this one.
Kansas at Kansas State (-28): The Wildcats will be a bit more careful this week, knowing the Jayhawks gave TCU a big scare. That said, Kansas fell back to Earth last week against Oklahoma – allowing a single-game record 427 rushing yards to OU tailback Samaje Perine. K-State is 8-2 and can give coach Bill Snyder a 10-win season if they win this game and beat Baylor in the season finale. The Wildcats play the Bears at Baylor, but don’t count out K-State pulling the upset.
BIG TEN
Minnesota at Wisconsin: The Gophers and Badgers will tussle to determine which team will take on Ohio State in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten championship since 1967, so Jerry Kill and Co. have a lot to play for in this one. The bad news for Minnesota is star running back and “Mr. 40% of the Offense” David Cobb sat out the end of the Nebraska game with a hamstring injury. It’s unclear right now if Cobb will be able to play against the Badgers. Wisconsin hung on to beat Iowa on Saturday, thanks to another big day from Melvin Gordon. Gordon has pushed his way into Heisman Trophy contention, and having big games on big stages the next two weeks would help his candidacy tremendously.
Michigan at Ohio State (-20): This is a great rivalry, but the programs are heading in different directions right now. The Buckeyes need an impressive win to try and move up in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Wolverines need a win just to become bowl eligible. Ohio State struggled against Indiana in the first half last week, and it’s unclear how much not earning many “style points” will hurt them in this week’s rankings. It appears that Brady Hoke is on the way out at Michigan. Would an upset win over the Buckeyes save his job?
Michigan State (-12) at Penn State: Ohio State has already won the East division, so the Spartans and Lions are just playing for conference seeding and bowl position. Michigan State is 9-2, so getting to 10 wins in the regular season is an excellent benchmark. The Spartans have had a great deal of success in recent seasons, including a conference title and Rose Bowl win last season, so this seems like a bit of a disappointment but it’s still an outstanding season. Penn State is already bowl eligible, so the extra practices will really help James Franklin’s young and inexperience squad. Penn State would love to win this one at home, but Michigan State is too tough on both sides of the ball to make that likely.
Nebraska at Iowa (-1): Neither one of these teams can win the division, so this game is for pride and bowl positioning. Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah clearly isn’t himself after injuring his knee a few weeks ago, and wide receiver Kenny Bell missed most of Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. A banged up Huskers squad faces a tough road test against an angry Iowa squad that played Wisconsin tough last week. Playing on Friday instead of Saturday won’t help Nebraska’s injury situation with one less day to heal.
PAC-12
Oregon (-17.5) at Oregon State: The Ducks are sitting in the top two of the College Football Playoff rankings, and the rival Beavers would love nothing more than to upset the Ducks and knock them out of the four-team playoff. Oregon State is also 5-6, which means a win over rival Oregon would also make them bowl eligible. Oregon has enough impressive wins to remain in the top four, but a loss would knock them out of the final four and eliminate their playoff chances. The Beavers ended the playoff hopes of Arizona State a few weeks ago, so the Ducks better be on alert.
Stanford at UCLA (-4.5): The Bruins are coming off a surprisingly easy win over USC, and Stanford took care of business against Cal, 38-17. After consecutive losses to Utah and Oregon the Bruins were a bit of a disappointment. Now, at 9-2 after reeling off five consecutive wins, the Bruins are in the top 10 and climbing. This game is set for Friday, so you’ll have a few good games to watch while you’re eating leftovers.
Arizona State at Arizona: A few weeks ago this Friday night afternoon looked like it could have playoff implications for the Sun Devils, but a loss to Oregon State two weeks ago changed that. It’s still a big game for in-state bragging rights, recruiting purposes and bowl positioning in the Pac-12. A signature win here for either one of these coaches could make them more attractive to programs like Florida and others that might be in the market to make a change.
Notre Dame at USC (-7): The Fighting Irish and Trojans come into this game off losses, so one of the teams will get a nice win to conclude the regular season. The Irish have lost three in a row and four out of five since falling to Florida State in overtime. USC has had some heartbreaking losses this season, and a home defeat at the hands of the Irish would add to the disappointment of recent weeks. Finishing 8-4 instead of 7-5 is a bid deal for both of these teams – and their passionate fans.
Utah (-10) at Colorado: The Utes are on a skid, having lost three of their last four games. At 7-4 they can still play in a good bowl game, but they will have to take care of business against a bad Colorado team. The Buffs are just 2-9 and have lost seven in a row. Even though this game is at home, don’t expect Colorado to pull off an upset in this one.
SEC
Auburn at Alabama (-8): The Iron Bowl. Enough said. Alabama sits atop the College Football Playoff rankings and the Crimson Tide needs to win this one to stay on top of the rankings. Bama will represent the SEC West in the conference title game if they win this one, and victories over Auburn and the East Division winner should keep the Crimson Tide at No. 1 in the playoff standings. The Tigers were in the top four earlier this season, but losses to Texas A&M and Georgia have caused Auburn to tumble in the polls. Gus Malzahn’s team won one of the most memorable games ever in the series last season, so Alabama will be looking for a bit of revenge.
Mississippi State at Ole Miss (pick): The Egg Bowl is always a huge deal in Mississippi, but folks around the nation will be watching more closely this season because of the playoff. Mississippi State was in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings last week, and they could need another impressive win to maintain their hold on the final spot in the bracket. If Alabama wins, Mississippi State won’t have a conference title game to play in, which could cause the committee to move a team like Ohio State into the fourth spot if the Buckeyes finish the season on a roll. The Rebels were in the playoff bracket about a month ago, but losses in three of their last four games have cause them to fall out of the picture.
Georgia Tech at Georgia (-14.5): The Bulldogs are hoping Missouri loses so they can represent the SEC East in the conference championship game, but this game won’t impact the SEC standings at all. The rivalry game between these two is purely for bragging rights, and gives the Yellow Jackets a good tuneup as they prepare to play Florida State in the ACC title game next weekend.
Arkansas at Missouri: If the Tigers win, they will represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game. If Mizzou loses, Georgia will represent the East in Atlanta. Arkansas is one of the hottest teams in the country right now, winning its last two games against LSU and Ole Miss by a combined score of 47-0. This is a Friday afternoon game, and could be a defensive struggle.
LSU (-2) at Texas A&M: Hard to believe this now, but neither of these teams are ranked in the top 25. Earlier this year this would have been a head-to-head matchup between top-10 teams. The teams aren’t ranked, but it should be a good game and give you something to enjoy while you are digesting your turkey on Thursday night.
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