After last week's massive, 7-ranked-matchup Saturday was mostly a dud, we're due for some fireworks this weekend.
Like the defending national champions watching their season end on their home field.
1. No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Remember when the college football chattering class left USC for dead after that Wisconsin loss? Definitely not me. A home win over a wounded Ohio State and then an off week have Lincoln Riley's team positioned to shoot up the rankings over the final month: they'll be in LA the rest of the month, with Maryland at home and then No. 4 UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
Indiana's off week was much less productive. The Hoosiers dropped five spots. IU has no ranked wins and the victories they do have -- Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska, Michigan and Minnesota -- all lost last week. The Hoosiers close with Washington and Purdue. Curt Cignetti would need some eagles on the back nine with nothing but par 3s ahead of him.
This is an elimination game for both sides.
2. No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC): Popular thinking is that the SEC's collective strength could send a 9-3 team to the CFP, and if so it would be Texas by virtue of their four ranked wins -- Ohio State, at Tennessee, Ole Miss, at Missouri.
But what if LSU winds up 9-3 with wins over Texas and at Tennessee? Ole Miss took on heavy shrapnel vs. Georgia last week, and now Mizzou has to play UGA while Ole Miss is no guarantee to win at Oklahoma.
Despite losing by 18 as 5.5-point favorites to Alabama last week, LSU is a slight but unanimous favorite in Vegas and the various advanced metrics. Each of the Tigers' six wins have come by at least 29 points, but they've yet to beat a ranked team. Texas is 4-0 against the current CFP Top 25, but haven't won a game by 29 or more since the opener.
Is Lane Kiffin's team a bunch of Paper Tigers, or are they due for a breakthrough performance?
3. No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox): A week after winning at current No. 3 Alabama, Georgia lost to unranked Auburn. A week after beating current No. 3 Alabama, Tennessee went on the road and lost to No. 17 South Carolina. A week after beating No. 5 Notre Dame, BYU went on the road and lost to unranked UCF. Now it's Utah's turn to continue or break the cycle.
This is the Utes' third ranked foe in four weeks, so one has to wonder how much Devon Dampier has in the tank after logging 20 carries against the Cougars, his most in a game in nearly two years. Arizona has losses to BYU and Texas Tech, but neither of those games were in Tucson. The Wildcats' defense hasn't traveled well, but they're a top-20 unit at home thus far (admittedly, against much lighter competition).
4. No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 25 Oklahoma State (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): The committee displayed tremendous respect for the Big 12 on Tuesday night, ranking six of its teams. Texas Tech could secure wins against three of the remaining five if victorious in Stillwater (of course, in beating Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders would knock the Cowboys from the rankings).
What Texas Tech's offense has done since the Cincinnati loss is amazing. The Red Raiders inserted the newly-eligible Tommy Castellanos and have completely re-made their playbook on the fly. After a working-out-the-kinks first half against Arizona, Tech put up 24 second-half points with three 70-plus yard touchdown drives, and then dropped 53 points and 638 yards on West Virginia. In those games, Castellanos went 29-of-51 for 506 yards with seven touchdowns and no picks, while rushing 42 times for 219 yards and a touchdown. Those are Heisman numbers.
Obvious caveat: Tech sprung its new attack on Arizona with no film, and West Virginia has the worst defense in the Power 4. Both games were also at home.
Oklahoma State's defense is 85th in yards per play, but Texas Tech's is 81st. Oklahoma State is undefeated at home, thanks to an offense that averages 557 yards at Boone Pickens Stadium.
This one is going to be a blast.
5. No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU (noon ET, ESPN): If one team currently out of the rankings has the room to make things interesting, it's SMU. The Mustangs get Wake on Saturday, and then visit No. 5 Notre Dame next week. The Mustangs have been dreadful on the road, but that's next week's problem.
Wake Forest, meanwhile, has an Indiana-like resume where their best win is a loss to Miami. SMU is 22-2 at home since 2023, the losses coming by three to BYU in 2024 and by three in double overtime in September 2025. Will the committee properly reward a Demon Deacons win on Saturday? They've got to get the win first.
6. North Texas at UTSA (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU): Boise State is clearly in the driver's seat for the G6 Playoff berth, but if the Broncos slip up, the contenders to replace them are New Mexico (8-1 with only an 8-point loss at Oklahoma) and North Texas, who sits at 5-0 in the top G6 conference.
UTSA was among that group at 7-1 with only a loss at Texas, but now they're lugging a 31-point loss to Florida Atlantic.
UNT-UTSA is an underrated rivalry. The Roadrunners had won four straight until North Texas hammered them 55-17 in Denton last year; but UNT is 1-6 all-time in the Alamodome.