Despite only two ranked matchups, there's still plenty on the line in Week 13

The haters will tell you that the Week 13 slate is more like the Weak 13 slate, that this weekend won't come close to matching the firepower of last week, nor next week. And, honestly, the haters are right in this case. We have two ranked-on-ranked matchups on Saturday, and the ABC prime time game is notable in that it may be the most irrelevant game to air in what's quickly become the sport's premier television window.

But though Week 13 is lacking at the top, there's still plenty on the line. In fact, I count

-- Thirty teams playing for the right to extend their seasons into December
-- Twenty-three teams with real conference championship hopes 
-- And 10 teams that are looking to win their way into an College Football Playoff bid

Consider this your final scene-setter before college football's near two-month long grand finale, beginning next weekend with Rivalry Week. 

Additional Games:

-- Louisiana at Arkansas State (7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN): Arkansas State needs to win out, plus help from Southern Miss and Troy to win the Sun Belt West. First and foremost, though, the Red Wolves require one more win for bowl eligibility, and Louisiana needs to win out to reach the postseason.

-- Florida State at NC State (8 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN): Both teams enter the game at 5-5, so loser enters a win-or-else game next week against their in-state rival.

-- Hawaii at UNLV (10:30 p.m. ET Friday, FS1): It's a de facto Mountain West eliminator game. The Rainbow Warriors and Rebels are both 4-2 in MW play, two of the five(!!) 4-2 teams nipping at 5-1 San Diego State's heels. 

-- Rutgers at No. 1 Ohio State (noon ET, Fox): Look, kids, it's yet another Big Ten game where Ohio State is a 31.5-point favorite. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are maybes to play, so we'll see if Julian Sayin can earn his place in the Heisman discussion this week.

-- Samford at No. 3 Texas A&M (noon ET, SEC Network+): A&M was always going to win this game regardless, but Chris Hatcher's departure earlier this month means Samford will become the fifth opponent to fire their head coach before or after playing the Aggies. That has to be a college football record. 

-- No. 22 Missouri at No. 8 Oklahoma (noon ET, ABC): Is Oklahoma the luckiest team in college football, or have the Sooners mastered the art of allowing their defense and special teams to lead the way while the offense does just enough to not screw it up? What if it's both?

-- No. 13 Miami at Virginia Tech (noon ET, ESPN): With James Franklin on hand, Virginia Tech will try to spoil Miami's season. The Hurricanes are currently three spots higher than anyone else in the ACC, yet on the outside looking in of both the ACC and CFP races. 

-- Minnesota at Northwestern (noon ET, BTN): Northwestern needs one more win to avoid missing a bowl game for the fifth time in their last seven seasons. The Wildcats have lost three of their last four to Illinois, so home against Minnesota could be their last, best shot.

-- Louisville at SMU (noon ET, ESPN2): Look, one can poke holes in any 7-3 team's resume, but it's kinda ridiculous that Louisville and SMU are both unranked while Missouri and Tennessee both are. Both of these teams have wins over Miami, while neither Mizzou nor Tennessee have a single win over an above .500 Power 4 team. If they were in the SEC, the Miami/Louisville/SMU results would be proof that all three teams are good and worthy of ranking, but since they're in the ACC, it's interpreted the opposite way. And since Louisville and SMU aren't ranked, that pushes Miami's ranking down and Alabama and Notre Dame's upward. Anyway, SMU is 5-1 in ACC play, well in the thick of the ACC title race.

-- Kansas at Iowa State (noon ET, FS1): At 5-5, Kansas needs one more win to avoid missing its second straight bowl.

-- Tulsa at Army (noon ET, CBS Sports Network): At 5-4, Army still has three more chances to extend its streak of non-losing seasons to six.

-- Washington State at James Madison (1 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Washington State is among the cadre of 5-5 teams fighting to extend its season, but JMU is playing for more. The Dukes are, ahem, duking it out with the American for a College Football Playoff bid, and Saturday will be an important data point if North Texas wins the AAC; UNT beat Wazzu 59-10 back in September.

-- Baylor at Arizona (1 p.m. ET, TNT): Baylor is 5-5, so Dave Aranda needs one more win to save his job. Or he needs to win out. Or there's nothing he can do at this point to win his way to 2026. With AD Mack Rhoades on leave, who can say for sure?

-- Old Dominion at Georgia Southern (1 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Clay Helton has reached a bowl game in all three seasons in Statesboro thus far, and he needs one more win to make it four.

-- Mercer at Auburn (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network+): Mercer will likely pull its starters early ahead of its FCS playoff run, while Auburn needs two more wins to reach a bowl game. 

-- Nevada at Wyoming (2 p.m. ET): Wyoming needs to win out to reach a bowl game. The Cowboys have already increased their win total from Year 1 under Jay Sawvel, but Craig Bohl took them bowling six times in his last eight seasons.

-- Ball State at Toledo (2 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Ball State must win out to reach a bowl in Mike Uremovich's first season. 

-- Marshall at App State (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+): App State is playing a win-or-stay home game at 4-6, while 5-5 Marshall needs one more win to extend its season.

-- UConn at Florida Atlantic (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Is this the championship game we nearly got in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, or is it a win-or-stay home game for FAU in Zach Kittley's first season? Friend, it's both.

-- Liberty at Louisiana Tech (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Liberty hasn't finished a regular season below .500 since 2005, but at 4-6 Jamey Chadwell's team must win out to avoid that fate. Sonny Cumbie's Bulldogs are 5-5, so a win would be the program's high point since 2019.

-- New Mexico State at UTEP (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+): The I-10 Rivalry is the biggest thing 3-7 New Mexico State and 2-8 UTEP will play for this year. UTEP leads the series 60-39-2 and is 11-4 since 2009, including a 42-35 win in Las Cruces last year.

-- South Florida at UAB (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+): South Florida is probably the most talented team in the American, but at 4-2 the Bulls need serious help to win the conference. 

-- No. 15 USC at No. 7 Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Let's start here -- USC has won one (1) outright conference championship since 2008, and that hope of ending that drought dies without a win here (and help from Ohio State or Indiana). More immediately, this is a full-on elimination game for both squads. USC is 8-2, and Oregon is a weak 9-1, without a win over a currently-ranked team and without an opportunity to pick one up after Saturday. Oregon has the nation's eighth-ranked rushing offense at 233.6 yards per game and 6.33 a carry, but the Ducks were limited to just 81 yards on 2.7 a carry in their loss to Indiana. USC has allowed 4.7 a carry or more in their last four games.

-- Syracuse at No. 9 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC): We've written about Texas A&M's SEC slate previously, so it's only fair to do the same for Notre Dame's "conference" schedule. The Irish have beaten Purdue (0-8 in the Big Ten), Arkansas (0-6 in the SEC), Boston College (0-7 in the ACC), NC State (2-4 in the ACC), and now faces Syracuse (1-6 in the ACC). Next week they get Stanford (2-5 in the ACC, one of those wins over BC). Notre Dame has also defeated Navy, USC, Pitt and Boise State, who are all in contention for their respective conference tites.

-- Kentucky at No. 14 Vanderbilt (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Kentucky needs one more win to reach their ninth bowl game in 10 years, while Vanderbilt must win to keep its faint Playoff hopes alive. 

-- Arkansas at No. 17 Texas (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC): Speaking of faint Playoff hopes, the concept of a 9-3 Texas seems divorced from the reality of a 9-3 Texas. The Longhorns pass defense has been the worst in the country in the past month, and the Hogs would love to get their first SEC win over their oldest rival. Texas leads this series 57-23; this is the Hogs' third trip to Austin since leaving the Southwest Conference in 1991.

-- Duke at North Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network): Duke is 5-5, but also still in the ACC title race with a 4-2 league record. UNC is in its postseason, entering the game with a 4-6 record. UNC leads this rivalry 63-42-4 and has won five of six, but Duke won last year's game 21-20 in Durham. 

-- Jacksonville State at FIU (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network): Jacksonville State can clinch a C-USA Championship berth with a win plus a Western Kentucky loss, while FIU needs one more win to extend its season into December.

-- Southern Miss at South Alabama (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Southern Miss leads the Sun Belt West at 5-1, and Charles Huff can clinch his own return to the Sun Belt Championship with a win plus a Troy loss. 

-- East Carolina at UTSA (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+): East Carolina is still in the AAC title hunt at 5-1, while Jeff Traylor's team needs one more win to reach its sixth straight bowl game.

-- No. 24 Tulane at Temple (3:45 p.m. ET, ESPNU): Tulane leads the race for an AAC championship bid by virtue of their No. 24 CFP ranking, while Temple must beat either CFP No. 24 Tulane or AP No. 22 North Texas to reach a bowl game in KC Keeler's first season.

-- Kansas State at No. 12 Utah (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2): Excluding 2020, Kansas State has missed one bowl game since 2010, but that moves to two without one more victory. Meanwhile, can Utah slide into a CFP at-large bid without a marquee win? Probably not, but the Utes need a win to find out.

-- No. 18 Michigan at Maryland (4 p.m. ET, BTN): Michigan returns to the Big Ten Championship for the fourth time in five years with two more wins, plus a USC win over Oregon and then a Washington win over Oregon. Michigan hasn't lost The Game Before The Game since 2017.  

-- TCU at No. 23 Houston (4 p.m. ET, Fox): Houston needs losses by BYU (two of 'em, in fact), Utah, Arizona State, and Cincinnati to reach their first Big 12 Championship. Yes, I'm telling you there's a chance.

-- Oklahoma State at UCF (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+): To reach a bowl game, UCF has to win at home against Oklahoma State (yup) and on the road over BYU (gulp) to reach a bowl in Scott Frost's first 2.0 season in Orlando. Oklahoma State has two more opportunities to avoid its second straight 0-9 Big 12 season.

-- Georgia State at Troy (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Troy can force a Sun Belt West championship game with a win over 1-9 Georgia State. 

-- Coastal Carolina at South Carolina (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network): This week, Shane Beamer pledged that this time next year we'll be talking about South Carolina as a player to win the national championship. Right now, South Carolina is 3-7 and looking to avoid losing to Coastal for the first time ever (they've only played twice previously, both USC blowouts). 

-- Furman at Clemson (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW): Clemson began the year at No. 4, and now they're trying to clinch bowl eligibility on Nov. 22 on The CW. 

-- ULM at Texas State (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+): Fresh off a stunning 41-14 win over Southern Miss, Texas State has to beat ULM and South Alabama to reach its third bowl game in as many seasons under GJ Kinne.

-- Pitt at No. 16 Georgia Tech (7 p.m. ET, ESPN): Well, Pitt should be well prepared for this one. The Panthers were shredded against Notre Dame in a manner well beyond the final score, so we'll see if they come out purring after last week. Georgia Tech needed all 60 minutes to beat Boston College last week, so both teams should be highly motivated to improve on last week's effort. Georgia Tech clinches its first ACC Championship berth since 2014 with a win, while Pitt needs a win and a loss by SMU or Virginia.

-- Nebraska at Penn State (7 p.m. ET, NBC): They'd probably turn it down, but Penn State needs to win out to earn the option to decline a bowl bid. 2020 excluded, Penn State hasn't finished below .500 since 2004.

-- New Mexico at Air Force (7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network): New Mexico is in the hunt for the Mountain West title at 4-2; only the Lobos and Nevada have never appeared in the 12-year-old game.

-- Colorado State at Boise State (7 p.m. ET, FS1): On the flip side of that spectrum you have Boise State, who at 4-2 as well is looking to return to the MW Championship for the fourth straight year and conference-leading ninth time overall.

-- No. 20 Tennessee at Florida (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC): With 7-3 Tennessee taking on 3-7 Florida, this might be the least meaningful ABC prime time game... ever. Kirk Herbstreit is flying from Eugene to Gainesville to call this one. 

-- No. 21 Illinois at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m. ET, BTN): Illinois isn't going to the Playoff or the Big Ten Championship, but Bret Bielema's team can still book back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. And for the record, this isn't Bielema's first return to Camp Randall since his 2012 departure; he won 34-10 with the Illini in 2022. 

-- Cal at Stanford (7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network): Cal has won the Big Game four straight times, and a win here extends the Bears' streak to their longest since taking five straight from 2002-06. And Cal has never beaten Stanford six straight times.

-- North Texas at Rice (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU): North Texas appears to be running second behind No. 24 Tulane for an AAC title bid, so that's good news. Rice is 5-5 and needs one more win to reach a bowl game in Scott Abel's first season, and one can't say the Owls aren't going for it in terms of getting students into Rice Stadium on Saturday night.

-- No. 11 BYU at Cincinnati (8 p.m. ET, Fox): There are admittedly bigger things at stake, but Kalani Sitake can lead BYU to its fourth 10-win season in his last six tries with one more victory.

-- No. 25 Arizona State at Colorado (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2): The big news in Tempe is that Sam Leavitt's camp has already let it be known he'll likely hit the portal after this season. Lesser publicized is that the Sun Devils are still in the hunt to defend their Big 12 championship and, theoretically at least, compete for a national championship.

-- Washington at UCLA (10:30 p.m. ET, NBC): The Big Ten is still pushing its 24-team CFP nonsense, which would could have as many as eight Big Ten teams compete in play-in teams for a shot at one of the league's automatic bids. This means that UCLA, 3-7 on the year but "only" 3-4 in B1G play, would still be alive in the hunt for the national championship. No. Just... no.

-- Utah State at Fresno State (10:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network): Fresno State, at 4-2 in Mountain West play, needs to keep winning to reach its sixth MW Championship, and first since 2022. At 5-5 on the season, Utah State must win one more game to avoid its second straight empty December.

-- San Jose State at San Diego State (10:30 p.m. ET, FS1): San Diego State is in the driver's seat for an MW Championship bid at 5-1 in league play, but they're not home free even with a win here.