Battle for survival in Big 12 on tap
This weekend has a lot to live up to after the start-to-finish drama of Week 11, but there’s plenty of weighty matchups that have major ramifications for the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowl games.
Here are the most intriguing questions for Week 12:
Is Oklahoma vs. Baylor a playoff elimination game?
The College Football Playoff committee clearly doesn’t respect the Bears’ 9-0 start, dropping Baylor to No. 13 in the latest rankings after another win. But Saturday night offers a chance for a signature victory that would go a long way toward proving that the Bears belong in the playoff conversation.
No. 10 Oklahoma enters Waco, Texas, with a head-scratching loss to Kansas State, forcing the Sooners to win out to have a realistic chance of getting a spot in the semifinals. Oklahoma has one of the nation’s best offenses, led by star quarterback Jalen Hurts, but the defense has taken a step back after showing improvement under new coordinator Alex Grinch, allowing at least 40 points in the past two games and nearly blowing a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter last week against Iowa State.
With LSU, Ohio State and Clemson looking like virtual locks to make the playoff field, the Big 12 champion will have to put its resume up against a potential 12-1 Pac-12 champion and 11-1 Alabama, among others, for the final spot. For Baylor to get in, they’ll probably need to go undefeated (and likely beating Oklahoma in a rematch in the Big 12 title game). For Oklahoma to get in, that probably requires winning out (and likely beating Baylor twice).
The loser of Saturday’s game can still win the Big 12, but a chance at a national title would all but fizzle out.
Will No. 12 Auburn cause some playoff chaos?
After a loss to South Carolina seemed to put Georgia’s playoff hopes on life support, the Bulldogs have won three straight and vaulted into the final playoff spot in the latest CFP rankings. Just in time for a date with one of the sport’s biggest agents of chaos.
Auburn’s history of stunning victories is well documented, with upsets so iconic that they have their own names — the “Kick Six” and the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare.” Will there be another one Saturday?
The Tigers have the talent — particularly on defense — to give the Bulldogs a hard time, especially considering how difficult it has been for Georgia to move the ball against mediocre defenses. But Auburn’s offense under true freshman quarterback Bo Nix has had its own troubles, which makes for a low-scoring, grind-it-out game Saturday that could go either way.
A Georgia loss wouldn’t knock the Dawgs out of the SEC title game (UGA owns the tiebreaker over Florida), but it would open the door for another team to jump into the final playoff spot.
And Saturday might just be the beginning. Two weeks later, Auburn hosts Alabama. Could we see two SEC playoff contenders fall victim to the Tigers’ chaotic ways?
Will No. 5 Alabama and No. 9 Penn State bounce back?
The Crimson Tide and Nittany Lions both nearly stormed back from big early deficits to win last weekend, but came up short. Those rallies might have kept their playoff hopes alive, though there’s plenty of work left to do.
That work starts this weekend. Alabama heads to Starkville to face a Mississippi State team that, while 4-5 this season, is capable of giving the Tide a battle, especially after Bama suffered such an emotional loss to LSU. It’s a similar situation for Penn State, which hosts a hungry 7-2 Indiana squad a week after the Nittany Lions saw their No. 4 playoff ranking and perfect season go up in smoke against Minnesota.
It will be a big coaching challenge for Nick Saban and James Franklin to get their teams ready and motivated, but that’s what they’re paid so highly to do. Fortunately, they both still have the goal of winning a national title to dangle as motivation.