I think Ohio State's playoff chances went up slightly this past weekend. They won at Indiana, and that win is a huge resume booster that will allow them to lose at least one more game and still get into the top 12. However, Julian Sayin is now going to be out for "several weeks" according to head coach Ryan Day. They have the week off to figure out their new reality, but there are still some games that affect the Buckeyes and the playoff race this weekend.
(6) Indiana vs Michigan
Indiana's 22-game win streak was snapped at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes last week. The Hoosiers Big Ten title hopes might be out the window, but they should be fine in terms of getting to the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row since hiring Curt Cignetti.
The big question for the Hoosiers is whether or not they would be able to sustain a second loss and still get into the top 12. This game in Ann Arbor is one of their tougher games remaining, as they go against Tommy Carr, making his first career start at quarterback for the Wolverines.
(8) Texas Tech vs Cincinnati
This has the potential to be a game with a lot of tension. We all remember the events of this past offseason, when Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby got paid a lot of money to transfer in-conference to Texas Tech. Cincinnati filed a lawsuit against Sorsby for leaving the school while he had an NIL contract with them.
Then reports came out that Sorsby had been gambling on games, and Texas Tech desperately tried to keep him eligible. There were even reports that Texas Tech would try to find Cincinnati liable for not reporting what they knew about Sorsby.
Here we are now. The two teams will play a football game at Nippert Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Brenden Sorsby isn't playing, but the Red Raiders are undefeated and looking to repeat as Big 12 champions, while Cincinnati's schedule is ramping up, and Scott Satterfield is likely coaching for his job.
(18) LSU vs Auburn
We have a College Football Playoff elimination game here. A third loss would likely be too much to overcome for either of these teams. While LSU and Auburn both have some big games left and plenty of opportunities to get big ones, they cannot afford to lose again and safely make the top 12.
(11) Tennessee vs South Carolina
The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off a win over Alabama, which was the biggest win for the program since the last time they beat the Crimson Tide in 2024. Just because they got that win doesn't mean things get easy now in Knoxville, as they are road underdogs this Saturday in Columbia.
A loss here could sink the Volunteers, as they still have to play Kentucky and LSU, although both of those games are at home. Their loss to Texas keeps looking worse by the week, and they will not have a strong enough resume to get in with three losses. This game at South Carolina isn't a must-win necessarily, but it's a game that they really do not want to lose.
(15) Iowa vs Minnesota
The battle for the Floyd of Rosedale is one of the bigger games of this weekend. Iowa is a legitimately good team with a real chance of making the College Football Playoff, but how many times have we seen a team drop a road game against a rival to end those hopes?
Minnesota is certainly capable of doing just that. A Hawkeyes win would put them one step closer to their first playoff appearance, while it would hand Minnesota its third loss. A Golden Gophers win may sink Iowa's playoff hopes, and it would make Minnesota's trip to Bloomington next weekend a whole lot more interesting.
(7) Ole Miss vs (19) Texas
For every day that goes by, it becomes even more and more frustrating that Ohio State lost to this Texas team. After back-to-back losses against unranked opponents, the Longhorns are giving backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. some reps with the first team in practice this week in case they need to bench Arch Manning.
The Longhorns might have enough on their resume to sneak into the playoff with three losses, but taking that third loss before Halloween and having their backs against the wall is certainly not an ideal circumstance. It's a tall task for the Longhorns, as they have Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss coming into DKR with one of the nation's top offenses.
A win in Austin on Saturday night would be huge for the Rebels, as it would give them some more room for error with a tough schedule still remaining, including a visit from Georgia in two weeks.
(16) USC vs Wisconsin
This game could have been a lot more interesting had Wisconsin been able to win in Pasadena last week, but this Saturday night in Madison still has a chance to be a great watch. These are the kinds of games that the Trojans have struggled with since their move to the Big Ten.
Long travel, a chilly fall Midwestern night, a home date with Ohio State coming up, and a chilly Badger defense on the other side. If things are truly going in the right direction for Lincoln Riley, they will come out of there with a win and have a huge opportunity against the Buckeyes next weekend with a backup quarterback. A win in that game would put them in an incredible position to make the CFP, but they've got to get out of Madison first.
(14) Houston vs (10) Utah
The biggest game of the week kicks off at 10:15 pm in Ohio, as we have the first matchup of top 15 teams in the Big 12 since last November. Houston is ranked in the top 15 for the first time since 2016. Last week they picked up a win over Oklahoma State, which was their biggest since joining the Big 12.
This week they have a chance to get an even bigger win in Salt Lake City. Everyone has assumed since early in the season that the top 3 in the Big 12 were clear-cut with BYU, Texas Tech, and Utah. If Houston can deliver the first loss in the Morgan Scalley era, we will be having different conversations about the state of the Big 12.
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