Most important remaining college football games

You could make the case that Week 1 is the best time of the college football season. You could make the case that the Collage Football Playoffs are the best time of the college football season. But there’s something about these final weeks of the regular-season slate — the weeks in which stakes reach their highest peak and when postseason hopes are dashed or realized — that feels more exciting than any other time. So buckle up because we’ve rounded up the games with the most on the line as the regular season comes to a close.

Week 12

No. 13 Syracuse vs No. 3 Notre Dame 

There’s no postseason prize more coveted than a Playoff berth (national title notwithstanding), and this is as close as the Irish have come in the Playoff era. With just two games remaining and one of them against a troubled USC squad, surging Syracuse is the only real threat to Notre Dame’s Playoff hopes. And the Orange are a real threat, indeed. At 8-2, Syracuse has already matched the program’s best season since 1998. Those two losses are “good” ones: a narrow four-point defeat at the hands of another Playoff contender in Clemson and an OT heartbreaker against a Pitt team that could very well be headed to the ACC title game. Syracuse is daring to hope for a New Year’s Six bowl at-large bid, a result that would have sounded laughable at the start of the season.

No. 22 Iowa State vs No. 19 Texas

Four squads remain in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, and both the Cyclones and the Longhorns would require a little help from other teams to make it there. But first, each needs this Week 12 win. The loser of this contest isn’t technically mathematically eliminated from the title game, but it would require a complicated confluence of events for either to get there. So this is a crucial contest for the conference and for two teams looking to improve the quality of their bowl prospects.

Cincinnati vs No. 12 UCF 

Did anyone see this coming? The Knights are in position for a second straight undefeated season, and at 9-1, the Bearcats are one of the surprises of the year. The winner of this unexpectedly exciting matchup goes straight to the AAC title game. And if the Knights come out on top, that means more fodder for the argument that they deserve real Playoff consideration — a debate that’s been raging among college football fans since UCF ran the table last season.

Week 13

No. 6 Oklahoma vs No. 9 West Virginia 

More Big 12 championship action here! Depending what happens in Week 12, this could be a preview of that conference contest. Barring some real strange shenanigans, at least one of these squads will be in the league title game…and both programs are hoping for much more. If a rankings shake-up occurs in the top five and the Sooners and Mountaineers still each have just one loss at game time, the winner will slide right into the Playoff conversation.

No. 25 Washington vs No. 8 Washington State 

After years of irrelevance, the Apple Cup has enjoyed a resurgence in recent seasons. Not only has it had a regular hand in determining the Pac-12 North champ, but also this year it could play a part in the Playoff picture. Sure, most people thought the Huskies would be the ones playing for their Playoff lives come week 13. But the one-loss Cougars, who didn’t even receive votes in the preseason AP poll, are a more intriguing contender. Wazzu certainly needs some help from the teams currently topping the rankings, but if the Cougs beat Week 12 opponent Arizona and win the Apple Cup, a New Year’s Six bowl looks like a foregone conclusion. That would be the best result for Washington State since its 2003 Rose Bowl appearance.

No. 24 Auburn vs No. 1 Alabama 

It won’t quite be the battle for a Playoff spot we thought it might be at the start of the season, but this year’s Iron Bowl is the only thing standing in the way of an undefeated season for the Crimson Tide (apologies to The Citadel). A loss to the Tigers probably won’t keep Alabama out of the Playoff but would impart much more intrigue into the seedings and matchups therein — not to mention giving any eventual Tide opponents a peek at what it takes to defeat the Fighting Sabans.

No. 4 Michigan vs No. 10 Ohio St. 

Is there anything better than a rivalry game that could determine a spot in the conference title game? How ‘bout a rivalry game that could determine a spot in the Playoff? This contest should be both. Northwestern has clinched the Big Ten West, setting the stage for this showdown to determine the Wildcats’ championship game opponent. Should Ohio State beat the Wolverines and the Wildcats (assuming they’ve already defeated Maryland in Week 12), they’re all but a lock for a New Year’s Six spot. Should Michigan beat the Buckeyes and the Wildcats (assuming they’ve already defeated Indiana in Week 12), they’re all but a lock for that Playoff spot.