What to watch: Week 13 college football viewing guide
Every week throughout the season we’ll give you a college football viewing guide by highlighting the five best games of the coming weekend. We will pick those five games against the spread and highlight some other matchups that caught our eye from a betting perspective.
Welcome to rivalry week, everybody!
We've reached the final weekend of the regular season and there's so much on the line. Teams are fighting for bowl eligibility (23 to be exact), conference championship game matchups are to be decided and the top teams in the country are fighting to reach the College Football Playoff.
On top of that, some of the most heated rivalries in the sport are on the schedule this weekend, highlighted by the much-anticipated showdown between Ohio State and Michigan in Ann Arbor.
We're in for an action-packed weekend.
(Note: All times ET, odds from BetMGM)
UTSA at No. 23 Tulane
Time: 3:30 p.m. (Fri) | TV: ABC | Line: Tulane -3.5 | Total: 52
A spot in the American Athletic Conference title game is on the line Friday in New Orleans. Tulane, UTSA and SMU are all 7-0 in AAC play, so the winner of the meeting between the Roadrunners and Mustangs will be assured a spot in the conference championship game. The loser will have to wait for Saturday’s SMU vs. Navy game to learn of its fate. SMU is in with a win, but tiebreaker scenarios come into play if Navy pulls off the upset.
Tulane won the AAC title and upset USC in the Cotton Bowl last year and has continued to play at a high level in 2023. After an early season loss to Ole Miss, the Green Wave have won nine straight and sit at 10-1 entering Friday’s game. However, four of Tulane’s last five wins have come by seven points or fewer. UTSA, on the other hand, has won seven straight with all but one of those wins coming by a double-digit margin. The Roadrunners are a veteran team playing with a lot of confidence and are hoping to capture the AAC crown in their first season in the conference.
Nick Bromberg: UTSA +3.5, Sam Cooper: UTSA +3.5
No. 16 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon
Time: 8:30 p.m. (Fri) | TV: Fox | Line: Oregon -13.5 | Total: 62.5
Oregon State’s hopes for a Pac-12 title may have been dashed by last week’s loss to Washington, but OSU can still play the role of spoiler for its biggest rival in the final meeting before Oregon departs for the Big Ten. Oregon is 10-1 and would clinch a spot in the Pac-12 title game with a win over the Beavers. That would then set up a showdown with Washington for both the Pac-12 championship and a possible playoff berth.
Oregon lost to UW back on Oct. 14 but has rattled off five consecutive victories since. Along the way, quarterback Bo Nix has emerged as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. But if the Beavers win Friday night in Eugene, Oregon’s CFP chances would go out the window and open the door for Arizona to take Oregon’s spot in the Pac-12 title game as long as the Wildcats take care of business on Saturday vs. Arizona State. There’s a lot on the line.
Nick: Oregon State +13.5, Sam: Oregon State +13.5
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan
Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: UM -3.5 | Total: 45.5
The entire season has been building toward this game. Once again, Ohio State and Michigan are undefeated entering their annual rivalry matchup with the Big Ten East on the line. The winner will face Iowa in the Big Ten title game and, barring a shocking upset at the hands of the Hawkeyes, advance to the College Football Playoff. The loser could be left out.
Last year, after Michigan trounced OSU for the second straight season (after OSU won 17 of the 19 meetings between 2001 and 2019), the Buckeyes managed to sneak into the CFP field as the No. 4 seed. But with three other Power Five teams currently undefeated, along with the looming threats of one-loss Oregon, Texas and Alabama, the loser’s CFP prospects may be bleak.
Throw in Michigan’s ongoing sign-stealing scandal — which will cause Jim Harbaugh to miss his third consecutive game — and we’re potentially in store for one of the most dramatic college football games in recent memory. Buckle up.
Nick: Ohio State +3.5, Sam: Michigan -3.5
No. 8 Alabama at Auburn
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Alabama -14.5 | Total: 49
After the dust settles from the Ohio State-Michigan game, we get to turn our attention to the never-boring Iron Bowl. Alabama has already clinched the SEC West to set up a championship game matchup with top-ranked Georgia. But before that, the Crimson Tide have to take a trip to The Plains to face their biggest rival, Auburn.
The Tigers are in their first season under Hugh Freeze and seemed to have rebounded from a tough start to SEC play. Auburn went 3-0 in non-conference games before dropping its first four SEC games. However, the Tigers rebounded with three consecutive wins before laying an egg at home vs. New Mexico State last week in an embarrassing 31-10 loss.
Was Auburn simply caught looking ahead? We’ll find out on Saturday as the Tigers hope to spoil Alabama’s hopes of returning to the CFP. Alabama has won nine consecutive games since the loss to Texas in Week 2, but there is no margin for error when it comes to the CFP race. Auburn has won two of the last three Iron Bowls played at Jordan-Hare Stadium and the 2021 edition was just a 24-22 Alabama win. Could we see a massive upset?
Nick: Alabama -14.5, Sam: Auburn +14.5
No. 5 Florida State at Florida
Time: 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: FSU -6.5 | Total: 50.5
Just as Florida State was on the verge of the final push toward a CFP berth, it was dealt a major blow when star quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a season-ending leg injury. Travis, a senior leader for the Seminoles, threw for 2,755 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven rushing TDs before the injury, which occurred last weekend vs. North Alabama. FSU improved to 11-0 with the win but now has to go into Gainesville and face Louisville in the ACC title game with backup Tate Rodemaker at QB.
Rodemaker is in his fourth season in the program but has had significant action in only four games. Now he has to go into a hostile road environment in a rivalry game with his team's CFP hopes on the line. It’s a tough spot. However, Florida will also be playing this game with a backup quarterback after starter Graham Mertz suffered a broken collarbone in last week’s heartbreaking loss at Missouri. It was the Gators’ fourth consecutive loss and now they need to upset FSU just to become bowl eligible with Max Brown making his first career start.
Nick: Florida +6.5, Sam: FSU -6.5
Head-to-head ATS: Nick: 30-30-2, Sam: 38-22-2
Week 13 best bets
TCU at No. 13 Oklahoma (-10.5): I think Oklahoma is a bit overvalued based on the 7-0 start that included a win over Texas. But the Sooners have covered the spread just once in their last five games and needed a 100-yard pick-six to beat a bad BYU team last week. With questions about the health of OU QB Dillon Gabriel and TCU needing to win this game to become bowl eligible, I'll take the points. Pick: TCU +10.5
Miami (-9) at Boston College: I have a hard time envisioning Miami being very motivated here for a frigid noon game in Boston the day after Thanksgiving, especially after putting forth good efforts in losses to Florida State and Louisville in the last two games. BC has lost its last two, but has extra rest and will be in a much better headspace for a game like this. Pick: BC +9
UTSA at No. 23 Tulane (-3.5): Tulane has barely been scraping by against some bad AAC teams while UTSA has been dominant in conference play. I think the Roadrunners win this game, so I'll gladly take these points. Pick: UTSA +3.5
Texas A&M at No. 14 LSU (-11): LSU is going to do whatever it can to boost Jayden Daniels' Heisman campaign. Texas A&M, a team with an interim head coach and a third-string quarterback, is the perfect opponent to be on the other end of the Daniels' offensive onslaught. Pick: LSU -11
Colorado at Utah (-21.5): Every team is motivated to play Deion Sanders and Colorado. Utah is a program with a lot of pride that will want to put on a show on Senior Day at home, especially after an ugly loss at Arizona last week. And if Shedeur Sanders can't play for the Buffs, this will get ugly. Pick: Utah -21.5
Washington State at No. 4 Washington (-16.5): Washington hasn't won a game by more than 10 points since Sept. 23. Coming off the big win over Oregon State and with a look ahead to the Pac-12 title game, this feels like a game where Washington State can put a scare into the Huskies. Pick: WSU +16.5
North Carolina (-3) at No. 22 NC State: The UNC defense is abysmal and Brennan Armstrong has been playing well since he was re-inserted into the starting lineup as NC State's QB. I trust Robert Anae to out-coach Gene Chizik and the NC State defense to do enough to keep Drake Maye in check. Pick: NC State +3
Last week: 3-3
Season to date: 42-32
