The work week is nearing an end, and the weekend has arrived. College football is back in full swing tonight and all day tomorrow. There are 4 ranked on ranked matchups this weekend, but there are quite a few games that could have major CFB Playoff implications as we get closer and closer to Selection Sunday.
Let's get the Aggies out of the way to start. The Marcel Reed chants will be deafening tomorrow as the Aggies host South Carolina (Southern California will always be the real USC). It will be a very chilling sight to watch.
A win would virtually lock up a playoff spot for the Aggies and get them even closer to a spot in the SEC title game. A loss won't knock out the Aggies but will make things a lot harder for them down the stretch.
Playoff implications for Week 12's biggest games: Favorites could fall and upstarts could emerge
Two games could have potential playoff implications tonight. Louisville hosts Clemson, where the Cardinals will need a win to keep chance at an ACC title game berth alive. Out west, Oregon hosts Minnesota tonight.
The Ducks need this win badly. If they go into their final two games against USC and Washington with 2 losses, the road to the playoff will be bumpy. Watch out for the Gophers and the Tigers— both teams have shown flashes but have been largely inconsistent this season.
Notre Dame and Pittsburgh face off tomorrow in a ranked-on-ranked matchup. The fighting Irish are desperate for another good win on their resume. A loss for wither team would likely ruin each other's chances at a potential playoff spot with Notre Dame needing an at-large bid and Pittsburgh needing to make, and win, the ACC title game.
In the SEC, there are two games that could have major Playoff implications. Oklahoma goes on the road against Alabama and Texas goes on the road against Georgia. Both Texas and Oklahoma will likely need wins to stay alive for a playoff bid since a 3-loss team has not made the playoffs before and would need a lot of help to have that precedent be changed.
In BIG 10 country, the two games to be on the lookout for are USC hosting Iowa and Michigan vs Northwestern. Both Michigan and USC are still alive for a potential playoff spot, but each will need to win out to do so.
Both of these games are classic look-ahead spots as USC plays Oregon next weekend, and Michigan plays Ohio State the weekend after. Watch out for both the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats tomorrow. Iowa has shown they can hang with the top of the conference, and Northwestern also has a good enough team to potentially shock the country tomorrow.
Two Big 12 games to lookout for tomorrow are Cincinnati hosting Arizona and BYU hosting TCU. Cincinnati would need to win out to make the playoffs. This is a classic trap game for them as BYU is coming to town next weekend. BYU could potentially miss out on the BIG 12 title game with a loss to TCU tomorrow or Cincinnati next week. If they can make the BIG 12 title game, there is a slim chance that they still make the playoffs despite 2 losses to Texas Tech.
Last (and definitely the least), the ACC has 2 interesting games to check out tomorrow. Duke hosts Virginia in an ACC title game eliminator. Both teams would need to win the conference title to make it in the playoffs.
Miami also hosts NC State tomorrow. The Hurricanes would need to win out to potentially have a shot at the ACC title game, or a slim chance at an at-large bid. The Wolfpack have been no strangers to upsets this year, beating both Virgina and Georgia Tech. Can they eliminate Miami tomorrow?
There are lots of fun games to look forward to around the nation this week. Check back on Sunday for another look at what the CFB Playoff field looks like after tomorrow.