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Upstart Indiana improved to 10-0 with a victory over Michigan in Week 11, and after a bye in Week 12, they are now set to face their toughest test of the season by a wide margin on the road against Ohio State.
A loss could push the Hoosiers to the fringe of the playoff picture given their lack of quality wins, while a win would line them up for a meeting with Oregon in the Big Ten championship game with a shot at a first-round bye up for grabs in the playoffs.
The Buckeyes only loss this season came to No. 1 Oregon, and they have looked every bit the part of a national championship contender in their own right this season. This will be an opportunity to flex their muscles and cement the fact that they are one of the nation’s elite.
Outside of that huge Big Ten clash, the other big matchup of ranked opponents will pit Group of Five playoff hopeful Army against a one-loss Notre Dame team trying to stay comfortably in the playoff field.
The SEC shifts out of the spotlight for at least one week with no marquee matchup on deck, though Alabama (at Oklahoma), Ole Miss (at Florida), Texas A&M (at Auburn) and Missouri (at Mississippi State) will all be playing on the road. There is a good chance at least one of those ranked teams will suffer an upset, as road games in the SEC are always tough, no matter the opponent.
A tough road test for BYU against Arizona State is the most compelling matchup in the Big 12 in Week 13, and with six teams still realistically in the running for a spot in the conference championship game when Week 12 action began, there is still a lot to be sorted out up and down the standings.
A loss by previously undefeated Miami in Week 12 opened the door in the ACC, and while the Hurricanes still sit second in the conference standings behind undefeated SMU, there is now a potential path for Pitt or Louisville who both have two losses in conference play. Those two will go head-to-head in Week 13, in what amounts to an elimination game for the loser.
The Group of Five slate is headlined by UNLV at San Jose State and Western Kentucky at Liberty, though everyone is still chasing Boise State for the automatic bid in the playoff field. The Broncos will be on the road against Wyoming next weekend.
The de-facto Pac-12 title game will also be played on Saturday between Washington State and Oregon State, as the two teams left standing in the gutted conference go head-to-head after spending the “conference” season facing off against Mountain West foes.
If you’re looking for some gaudy individual performances, Tennessee (vs. UTEP), Georgia (vs. UMass), Clemson (vs. The Citadel) and South Carolina (vs. Wofford) all have cupcake games on the horizon in Week 13.
See you all next weekend!
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