Key battles may set up league title slots
No. 6 Southern Cal at No. 16 UCLA
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Why watch: Last week’s results in the Pac-12 Conference complicated matters a bit, but the two headliner games this week might still turn out to be de facto semifinals with the winners set to square off for the title in early December. The potential for total chaos does exist, including one scenario that would result in a five-way tie at the top of the conference, but the Trojans could remove that from the equation and punch their own ticket with a win here in Pasadena, California. A victory for the Bruins wouldn’t guarantee them a spot in the final, but a loss would eliminate them. UCLA isn’t likely to be slow out of the gate this time, but the Bruins’ inability to contain Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura doesn’t bode well with Trojans QB Caleb Williams coming to the Rose Bowl. USC did lose RB Travis Dye to a season-ending leg injury in last Friday’s romp past Colorado, so it will be up to Austin Jones to provide ground support for Williams. The UCLA veteran backfield tandem of QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet can certainly keep up the scoring pace, but the USC defense compensates for giving up yards with takeaways.
No. 10 Utah at No. 13 Oregon
Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch: The winner of this all-important Saturday nightcap will still have to win one more time next week to lock up a Pac-12 championship game spot. That will not in any way reduce the intensity level, however, as neither team wants to be on the short end and be left hoping for leaguewide craziness. The main concern during the week for Ducks fans has been the status of QB Bo Nix, who missed some key snaps in the loss to Washington last weekend. He was on the field for the final series, but it remains to be seen if there will be any lingering impact. Whether or not Nix is a full go, the matchup between standout Oregon WR Troy Franklin and Utah CB Clark Phillips III will be worth watching. The Utes, meanwhile, did not have to work nearly as hard last time out in an easy jaunt past Stanford, but QB Cameron Rising will find the sledding significantly tougher against DE Brandon Dorlus and the Oregon front.
No. 4 TCU at Baylor
Saturday, noon ET, Fox
Why watch: Last weekend’s victory against Texas in Austin assured the Horned Frogs a place in the Big 12 Conference championship game in December and might have been their biggest remaining obstacle to an undefeated regular season. The Bears could still have something to say about Texas Christian University’s bid for perfection, though Baylor was surprisingly noncompetitive last week on this same field against Kansas State. Texas Christian’s triumph over the Longhorns was spurred by a strong defensive performance led by LB Johnny Hodges. That could be bad news for Baylor, as QB Blake Shapen and the Bears offense must find answers quickly. Nevertheless, LB Dillon Doyle and his friends on the Baylor defensive unit will do their best to keep Horned Frogs signal-caller Max Duggan and RB Kendre Miller in check.
Illinois at No. 3 Michigan
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
Why watch: With the long-awaited showdown with Ohio State on deck, the Wolverines’ final home contest had all the makings of a classic trap game. While that still might be the case, the Fighting Illini enter on a two-game skid that has endangered their chances of winning the Big Ten West Division. Illinois does still boast the nation’s second stingiest defense, featuring LB Isaac Darkangelo and DL Jer’Zhan Newton, that could make Wolverines QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum earn their yards. But Michigan’s defense is the one that gives up even fewer yards than that of Illinois. Illini RB Chase Brown is exceptional, but he might still find it difficult to get by Michigan LBs Junior Colson and Michael Bennett without some air cover from QB Tommy DeVito.
No. 5 Tennessee at South Carolina
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch: Tennessee can’t win the Southeastern Conference, so all the Volunteers can do is keep winning impressively as they did in last week’s home finale against Missouri and hope the playoff committee likes their at-large resume. The bowl-eligible Gamecocks have an opportunity to shake up the playoff picture as the traditional season finale against Clemson will follow this final conference clash with Tennessee. The Gamecocks have not fared especially well against top-tier competition, having been nearly shut out by Georgia in September and with a fake punt providing the lone bright spot in last week’s loss at Florida. But QB Spencer Rattler may be able to find targets against the Vols secondary, which is not the team’s strong suit.