In college football,, nothing compares to Rivalry Week, and we have several showdowns this year that not only will determine bragging rights but have a massive impact on the race for the College Football Playoff. No. 3 Alabama will visit intra-state rival Auburn, No. 2 Ohio State will travel to Ann Arbor to play No. 5 Michigan and Bedlam between No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 7 Oklahoma State will serve as a playoff elimination game.
Individual awards will also be on the line. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ohio State signal-caller C.J. Stroud are the Heisman Trophy frontrunners heading into the weekend, and both have big stages to make an impact on the race. Other outside contenders could use the weekend as their closing arguments, too.
What should you pay attention to on Saturday? Here’s a viewer’s guide to help you navigate through the action.
All times Eastern
The big games
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Michigan — noon on Fox, fuboTV (Try for free): This will serve as the de facto Big Ten East championship game, a CFP elimination game and a rivalry game that will resonate for the next 364 days. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hasn’t topped Ohio State during his tenure, but this might be his best shot yet.
No. 3 Alabama at Auburn — 3:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports App: Alabama hasn’t won at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2015, but another failure on the Plains would be remarkable considering the directions both teams are headed. The Crimson Tide need to win to stay in the CFP race, while Auburn has lost three straight games and will give T.J. Finley his second start under center in pace of injured star Bo Nix.
No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 7 Oklahoma State — 7:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free): Both teams in Bedlam have CFP hopes on the line. The Cowboys would love nothing more than to beat the Sooners for the third time in 17 years and kill their national title hopes in the process. Oklahoma can force a Bedlam rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game with either a win or a loss combined with a Baylor loss to Texas Tech.
Other big games
No. 1 Georgia at Georgia Tech — noon on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free): Clean, Old Fashioned Hate will take place at Bobby Dodd Stadium, just one mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Alabama and Georgia will meet next week in the SEC Championship Game. It’ll be interesting to see if Georgia coach Kirby Smart cranks up the offense in case it needs a little bit more juice vs. the Crimson Tide.
No. 14 Wisconsin at Minnesota — 4 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (Try for free): If Wisconsin wins the oldest rivalry in college football and Paul Bunyan’s Axe, it wins the Big Ten West. If Minnesota prevails, either the Golden Gophers, Badgers or Iowa will play in Indianapolis based on what happens elsewhere. There will be a lot on the line on Saturday afternoon, including an actual axe, of course.
No. 6 Notre Dame at Stanford — 8 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (Try for free): The Fighting Irish are hanging around the CFP race and a stellar closing argument would be useful in case they need some style points before selection Sunday on Dec. 5. The offense has clicked lately, so an emphatic win is more likely now than it would have been last month.
Best of the rest
- Texas Tech at No. 8 Baylor — noon on FS1, fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 18 Wake Forest at Boston College — noon on ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 24 Houston at UConn — noon on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports App
- No. 22 UTSA at North Texas — 2 p.m. on ESPN+, fuboTV (Try for free)
- Oregon State at No. 11 Oregon — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free)
- Penn State at No. 12 Michigan State — 3:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free)
- Western Michigan at Marshall — 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports App
- No. 15 Texas A&M at LSU — 7 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 17 Pittsburgh at Syracuse — 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 23 Clemson at South Carolina — 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
- Nevada at Colorado State — 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports App
- No. 13 BYU at USC — 10:30 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free)
