Welcome to your Week 13 rooting guide! At this point in the season, there isn’t too much more “chaos” to have as many teams have been eliminated from having any chance, but if a few of the top teams fall, things could get interesting.
Washington vs Washington State
In the Apple Cup to decide the Pac 12 North, the fifth-ranked Huskies take on their in-state rivals. It has been awhile since this game has had this much meaning, but Washington’s playoff fate could be decided within the next two days. A loss by Washington could effectively eliminate the Pac 12 from the playoff, but a win paired with a Colorado win could potentially set up a play-in game for the playoff.
Colorado vs. Utah
I’ve been rooting for Utah to make a run all season, but after last week’s loss and Colorado’s impressive showing, I have to root for the Buffs here. They could potentially have an outside shot of a playoff berth if they can beat one top 25 team in Utah and a top 5 team in Washington. They would need some help from the teams in front of them, but Colorado could become the ultimate Cinderella.
Ohio State vs Michigan
Michigan coming out of this game victorious would essentially clinch them a spot in the playoff and that’s no fun, so I’m going to pull for Ohio State. With a Buckeye win and a win of their own, Penn State would be vaulted into the Big Ten Championship with a shot at the playoff. It is at this point where we would really see how much conference championships mean to the committee.
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin; Nebraska vs. Iowa
A pair of games for you here. If Nebraska can defeat Iowa Friday and then Minnesota beats Wisconsin, we could have a Nebraska-Penn State title game, just like everyone guessed. However, if Wisconsin and Nebraska both lose, there would be a four way tie for the division, which would still have Wisconsin winning. The upside to this though is that another loss would eliminate Wisconsin from playoff contention and then become a chaos advocate in the conference title game.
Auburn vs Alabama
This one seems pretty obvious, although I’m not sure a loss would hurt Bama at all right here. Alabama would have to also lose to Florida in the SEC Championship and we all know Saban won’t lose two in a row. I believe Auburn’s defense is good enough to shut down Alabama’s offense and Auburn’s option-based offense could cause some trouble for the Crimson Tide.