Top 10 College Football Games of Week 14: Texas-Texas A&M leads rivalry games with playoff berths

Thanksgiving week blessed us with rivalry games – old and renewed – with endless conference tiebreakers and College Football Playoff scenarios, including Michigan vs. Ohio State, a top-15 Palmetto Bowl and the return of Texas vs Texas A&M.

Let’s rank the ten best games of Week 14, starting with honorable mentions and then counting down.

Honorable Mention: Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State (Fr.), Minnesota at Wisconsin (Fr.), Miami-OH at Bowling Green (Fr.), Mississippi State at No. 14 Ole Miss (Fr.), Liberty at Sam Houston ( Fri.), Georgia Tech at No. 7 Georgia (Fr.), Nebraska at Iowa (Fr.), Louisville at Kentucky, Maryland at No. 4 Penn State, Purdue at No. 10 Indiana, Washington at No. 1 Oregon

(All points spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kick-off times are Easter and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

10. Cal (6-5) at No. 9 SMU (10-1), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

SMU has already secured a spot in the ACC Championship Game, but the Mustangs still need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. In the current rankings, they are just above Clemson and the many three-loss SEC teams. A win would also complete an undefeated inaugural season in ACC play, an impressive feat considering how Cincinnati, Houston and UCF have performed since making a similar jump from the AAC to the power conference level. It would also match last season’s total of 11 wins, with a chance for head coach Rhett Lashlee to then match SMU’s record of 12 wins set in 1935 in a single season.

Line: SMU -13.5

9. Auburn (5-6) at No. 13 Alabama (8-3), 3:30 p.m., ABC

Not dead yet. Alabama is still in the bubble despite its third loss. Ultimately, if the selection committee is looking for an excuse to keep the Tide in the field, it will require them to get a win in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, putting behind them the most lopsided regular-season loss in two decades. The Bama faithful are still reeling from their stunning 24-3 loss to Oklahoma, and regardless of whether their CFP hopes are completely dashed, first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer is desperate to avoid a loss to a mediocre, but to avoid dangerous Auburn team that just beat Texas A&M in quadruple overtime.

Line: Alabama -11.5

8. No. 8 Tennessee (9-2) at Vanderbilt (6-5), noon, ABC

This could be a playoff elimination game for the Vols. Tennessee has no chance of reaching the SEC Championship Game and a loss would likely eliminate the program from the 12-team field, but a win and the Vols should be in it. That’s no walk in the park against a decent Vanderbilt team on the road in a league where we just saw three top-15 teams lose on the road to unranked opponents. But Tennessee’s top-five defense nationally (4.3 yards per play allowed) should be able to stop a Commodores offense that hasn’t scored more than 24 points since beating Alabama in early October.

Line: Tennessee -11

7. No. 16 Arizona State (9-2) at Arizona (4-7), 3:30 p.m., Fox

The first Territory Cup rivalry of the Big 12 era is about more than just bragging rights. No team in the Big 12 controls its own destiny, but a win by Arizona State puts it in a very good position to secure a spot in next week’s conference championship, with a playoff spot likely up for grabs. There is only a single, multi-part tiebreaker scenario that would keep the Sun Devils out of the conference title game with a win against their in-state rivals. Reaching that championship would mark quite a season turnaround for ASU and second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham after the program went 3-9 in 2023 and was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason media poll .

Line: Arizona State -9

6. No. 6 Miami (10-1) at Syracuse (8-3), 3:30 p.m., ESPN

The selection committee have shown they are willing to forgive defeat in terms of the rankings and the Hurricanes have benefited from being on the right side for all but one of their close chances. Miami moved up two spots in this week’s rankings, less because of the destruction at Wake Forest and more because of the carnage elsewhere. Do the Canes need another win against Syracuse – the quietest eight-win team in the country? – to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship against SMU, but if they do it, they’ll have a strong case for a playoff spot even if they lose.

Line: Miami -10.5

5. No. 24 Kansas State (8-3) and No. 18 Iowa State (9-2), 7:30 p.m., Fox

The rivalry known as Farmageddon is one of the oldest in college football, having been played every year since 1917 – 107 consecutive seasons. Last year’s performance featured a memorable snowy cyclone riot on the street. This season is arguably the most important home game in Iowa State football history. Similar to Arizona State, Iowa State is well on its way to the Big 12 Championship with a win, with most tiebreakers favoring the Sun Devils and Cyclones. Iowa State, which has never won more than nine wins in a season, could set a program record and have a chance to win its first conference title since 1912, when it was a member of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Line: Iowa State -2.5

4. No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1) at USC (6-5), 3:30 p.m., CBS

See above for the point about the committee forgiving defeat. Notre Dame has the worst loss of any Top 25, but that’s old news, especially considering how dominant the Irish have been of late. All of the “high-quality” wins have also lost some of their luster, including the season opener against Texas A&M, but the lack of a second loss is outweighed in the committee’s eyes so far. Now the Irish are on the verge of hosting a home playoff game if they survive a road trip against USC, which, for all its weaknesses, was good at home in the Coliseum, losing by just three points in overtime to Penn State. If Notre Dame can surpass that result, it could leapfrog the No. 4 Nittany Lions in next week’s playoff rankings.

Line: Notre Dame -7.5

3. Michigan (6-5) at No. 2 Ohio State (10-1), Noon, Fox

Practically speaking, Ohio State needs a win to secure its spot in the Big Ten title game against Oregon, but The Game obviously runs much deeper. These Buckeyes are on a mission to exorcise a number of demons, most notably defeating Michigan for the first time in four years. This isn’t the same contending Michigan program that beat Ohio State in the last three meetings, but it puts more pressure on the Buckeyes in many ways. Michigan, which still has a solid defense, will be in contention for this matchup, and Ohio State can’t afford to lose, even if a loss puts them firmly in the playoffs. It may be a down year for Michigan, and Ohio State may have bigger ambitions, but this game remains a deadline viewing.

Line: Ohio State -19.5

2. No. 15 South Carolina (8-3) at No. 12 Clemson (9-2), noon, ESPN

The Palmetto Bowl consists of several layers. It’s an even rivalry game between the top 15 teams. Clemson is still in the hunt for the ACC Championship and needs a loss to Miami, but there’s also a budding subplot about whether the winner of this game has a chance to clinch a playoff spot. A more prosaic SEC has helped bolster South Carolina’s three-game losing streak with close losses to LSU and Alabama; A win over Clemson and perhaps a few losses elsewhere would give the Gamecocks a case. On the other hand, Clemson – the first team to be eliminated in the final 12-team round – is hoping its two losses and a quality win over South Carolina could give the Tigers an at-large berth even if they win the ACC miss the championship. Would the committee dare put Clemson against a two-loss SMU or Miami team that falls in the conference title game?

Line: Clemson -2.5

1. No. 3 Texas (10-1) at No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3), 7:30 p.m., ABC

I suspect that the realignment of the conference is not all bad. It revived that game after a 12-year hiatus and brought back a bitter interstate rivalry with decades of backstory and ill will. And while the game will no longer take place on Thanksgiving Day, it will be as SEC and college football fans could hope for, with a top-20 showdown to determine who in the SEC championship game against Georgia. For A&M, a win keeps its playoff hopes alive and sends the Aggies to their first conference title game since winning the Big 12 in 1998. For Texas, a playoff spot is all but guaranteed, but it’s a chance to come and land in College Station A&M’s season is a bitter one, with the Longhorns having a chance to establish themselves as SEC champions in their first season.

Line: Texas -5.5

(Photo of Texas A&M receiver Jahdae Walker: Michael Chang / Getty Images)