No. 7 TCU at No. 20 West Virginia
Milan Puskar Stadium
Morgantown, West Virginia
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
ABC
The two newest members of the Big 12 will square off in their biggest matchup since joining the conference in 2012. TCU has played itself into playoff contention despite losing to Baylor a couple of weeks ago. The Horned Frogs broke the conference record for points scored in a conference game, hanging 82 on Texas Tech last week. Junior quarterback Trevone Boykin tossed seven touchdown passes in that game and currently has a 7-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. West Virginia is also no stranger to the end zone. The Mountaineers have scored 36.9 points per game this season, and senior receiver Kevin White has played well enough the past few weeks to break into the Heisman conversation with 1,047 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. There’s no telling how high the score could go in this one.
No. 3 Auburn at No. 4 Ole Miss
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Oxford, Mississippi
Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
ESPN
After Ole Miss’ loss to LSU last weekend, neither Auburn nor the Rebels come into this game undefeated, but the intrigue still remains. The winner of this game will remain in the conversation for a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff, but the loser will essentially be eliminated. The Tigers just survived another upset bid from South Carolina in their first game since losing to Mississippi State. Senior quarterback Nick Marshall has quietly put together a solid year with 1,103 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions in addition to seven rushing touchdowns. The Rebels, on the other hand, are looking to avoid going into a slump after a tough loss to LSU, in which the offense scored only seven points. Look for Ole Miss to rely on its defense, which leads the nation in points allowed, to keep them in this game. This should be another great SEC showdown, with a possible spot in the playoffs on the line.
No. 12 Arizona at No. 22 UCLA
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
Saturday, 9:30 p.m.
ESPN
Because of the great play in the SEC and Big 12, the Pac-12 has largely flown under the radar this season. Arizona is the perfect example of this, as the Wildcats have put together a pretty strong season but have yet to really garner any national attention. The Wildcats’ lone blemish is a two-point loss to USC on Oct. 11. However, they also have a big win over then-No. 2 Oregon in Eugene. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon has been the focal point of the offense thus far, with 2,430 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and only four interceptions. On the flip side, UCLA has quietly fallen off since being ranked seventh in the preseason AP poll. The Bruins just survived an upset bid from Colorado in double overtime last week, and redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley has struggled recently. The Pac-12 South is still wide open, and this matchup could determine who plays Oregon in the conference title game.
Stanford at No. 5 Oregon
Autzen Stadium
Eugene, Oregon
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
FOX
This is a matchup that has typically decided who represents the Pac-12 North in the conference title game, and, even with Stanford not being ranked, that will likely be the case again this season. Stanford has had a down year by its standards, having lost three games already this season — all of which came against ranked teams. Nonetheless, the Cardinal still sit in second place in the division — just one game behind Oregon. A big reason for some of their struggles has been the offense, which ranks 91st in the country at 25.8 points per game and has averaged only 11 points in their three losses. Oregon, on the other hand, continues to work towards a spot in the College Football Playoff despite having lost to Arizona. Junior quarterback Marcus Mariota looks like a Heisman front-runner with 2,238 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and only one interception. This game has historically produced exciting games, and this year’s edition will be no different.
