The race for the final conference championship games is nearing its finish. Below Division 1, this is the last week of the season for most teams as they begin the push for their respective playoffs. Let’s jump in. Also, the FBS rankings below are based on the CFP rankings this time.
Thursday
There are two games on tonight, but I only have things to say about the first one.
7:00 p.m. on ESPN: Memphis at South Florida
Memphis needs to win this to keep their American Conference Championship Game hopes alive, while
USF is still trying to figure out how to do any sort of offense. If Charles Huff can get to the title game, he might get poached to another job and become the first FBS coach to helm four teams in four years.
8:00 p.m. on ESPN2: 62nd Battle on the Bayou (ULL at ULM)
Friday
There are four games tonight in D1. I will talk about the FBS games.
6:00 p.m. on ESPN: Florida State at Pitt
Neither of these teams are that good, but FSU needs to win two of their next three games to get to bowl eligibility. It’s unlikely they take a bowl bid if they earn one, but it’d feel slightly better than a losing season.
8:00 p.m. on Fox: Illinois at #4 UCLA
This should be an easy UCLA win thanks to Illinois being in a funk. They’re three wins away from locking up a spot in the B1G Championship Game and playing for a chance at their first conference title since 1998. What an incredible first year.
9:00 p.m. on ESPN+: Southern Utah at Portland State
9:15 p.m. on ESPN: #14 Houston at Colorado
Being ranked 14th in the CFP’s latest poll gives Houston hope at making the tournament without needing to go to Arlington. A win at Colorado is obviously a requirement for such a miracle, and they’ve had their moments of competence.
Saturday morning
You’ll have to wait until later for the ranked teams to really kick into gear, but there are still good games worth watching at 11 a.m.
Fox: Northwestern at #20 Ohio State
Oh no, Ohio State is having a bad season. Bad means three losses for these people. Have no sympathy and laugh at them. I hope Northwestern goes in there and runs CFL plays on them en route to a massive victory. Fun fact, Northwestern hasn’t won in Columbus since 1971 and has only won two of their last 40 match-ups in this series.
ABC: Duke at #7 Miami (FL)
This game will feature perhaps the best player in college football, and it’s not a Hurricane. Duke sophomore RB Nate Sheppard, a graduate of Mandeville High School in Louisiana, is a Maxwell Award finalist and one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has a nation-high 21 total TDs, a school-record 17 rushing TDs, and over 1500 all-purpose yards. Miami should win, but if he shines, he might win the Heisman.
ESPN: #13 Wake Forest at SMU
Playoff Wake Forest would be amazing, and a win in this game gets the Demon Deacons one step closer. SMU has finally started losing the games they were trying to lose earlier in the season. Now teams have figured out how to do more than just hang around. Wake Forest doesn’t play that game; they just wreck you.
TNT/truTV: Cincinnati at Iowa State
First of all, yes there are games on these networks. This game is the best I could find for this spot. Iowa State RB Aiden Flora is a star who’s put up some big numbers during the season. Cincinnati is a team that definitely exists. I picked this because the other options were pretty bad (Auburn-Mississippi State, Syracuse-NC State, Wisconsin-Maryland).
Saturday afternoon
I’m including a bonus game in here because I’m going to it and get to talk about it. It’s one of two games kicking off at a time other than 2:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. on YouTube: OUAZ (Ottawa University-Arizona) at #10 Louisiana Christian
Louisiana Christian is located in Pineville, Louisiana, a city right next to Alexandria that was LSU’s first home. Their football team, the Wildcats, play in the NAIA’s Sooner Athletic Conference and are undefeated in NAIA play. They’re 1-1 against D1 teams with a win over Northwestern State and a loss to Southern. This game is the de-facto SAC championship game since OUAZ is the only other team in the conference with one loss. The winner gets the conference’s automatic bid to the NAIA tournament, while the loser dooms their fate to the selection committee. It should be fun.
ABC: #22 Missouri at #1 Georgia
I still don’t know how Auburn pulled off the upset that they did, but it’s clear that Georgia won’t let that happen again. Commiserations to Mizzou on being this week’s victim.
CBS: #18 USC at #9 Indiana
The CFP committee shocked many when they dropped Indiana down after their bye week. Apparently their strength of record dropped that week, too, and that’s a sensible enough explanation. The best way to undo that is to win this game. USC has a path to the B1G CCG if things break their way, and a win here gives them a much better chance. It’s been an odd season for the Trojans, but a strong finish would be big.
Fox: Baylor at #10 BYU
BYU keeps their Playoff hopes alive despite the Holy War loss. Bear Bachmeier got picked apart by getting baited into bad throws. If that rears its ugly head again, the Bears can pull off a shocker.
3:15 p.m. on SECN: #19 Ole Miss at Oklahoma
Is Jason Witten a good play caller or was Florida very bad? We may not get a definitive answer this week since Ole Miss has had troubles this year. An Ole Miss loss does more than kill their playoff hopes. As I mentioned, the Rebels have struggled on defense despite Pete Golding being a defensive guy. Another poor performance could begin calls for a change.
Saturday evening
While LSU and Texas are battling, here are five other games worth watching. Well, not exactly during, but some of these games don’t fit anywhere else.
5:15 p.m. on ESPN: Florida at #11 Kentucky
Yes, this is a weird timeslot. Anyway, Kentucky got blown off ol’ Rocky Top last week, but they remained ranked in the top 12. That gives them an idea that there’s room to stay in the playoff picture if they win and other teams don’t. There is no excuse for losing this game.
6:30 p.m. on Fox: #2 Utah at #23 Arizona
Utah is legit this year, but they have to contend with a good Arizona team. I don’t think this game will be a problem for Utah like the BYU game was since they have a size advantage, but nothing has been certain this season.
6:30 p.m. on NBC: Purdue at #15 Iowa
Purdue is still not doing great, though they’ve turned a corner into being merely “bad” as opposed to the “dreadful” they were the past couple years. Iowa can still find their way into the playoff if things break their way, but they must win here.
6:45 p.m. on SECN: #17 South Carolina at Arkansas
I swear, this is the exact kind of game South Carolina loves to blow when they have any sort of hope. Arkansas is shockingly bad this year by the expectations they had entering 2026, but this SEC season has seen its fair share of stupid upsets.
8:30 p.m. on ESPN: #12 Texas Tech at #25 Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State’s offense is a potential problem for Texas Tech. Anything that dynamic can be an issue if the Red Raiders don’t stop it. The good news for the Red Raiders is basically everything else. It’s a must win to have a glimmer of a playoff chance.
Robert Kekaula Memorial Shift
There are the four games kicking off at or after 9:00 p.m. Enjoy them.
9:00 p.m. on FS1: Wyoming at UTEP
Wyoming is surprisingly good this year. They’re already bowl eligible, they beat UNLV into dust, and they’ve far surpassed all preseason expectations. UTEP is not any of those things. Expect a bad game.
9:30 p.m. on ESPN2: #21 Idaho State at #12 Montana
Idaho State is coming off a close OT loss to #2 Montana State and desperately needs this win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bengals have only been to the FCS playoffs twice: 1981 (won the natty) and 1983. That’s it. Montana is trying to keep a hold on a top 16 seed and earn the right to host a playoff game. It’s gonna be in the low 40s, it’s gonna be loud, and it’s gonna be fun.
9:30 p.m. on CBSSN: Colorado State at Washington State
Colorado State doesn’t have a defense. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth reminding you that they cannot stop most teams and that they give up about 40 points a game. Wazzu doesn’t have a great offense, and that still doesn’t matter here.
10:00 p.m. on The CW: North Dakota State at Hawaii
Mahalo America! NDSU should plaster a hapless Hawaii side. In fact, it’s been surprising just how bad Hawaii’s been considering their solid 2025 season. Whatever happens, it’ll be interesting to see if you can survive the Hawaii Test once again.
Tuesday
5:00 p.m. on ESPN2: Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan
6:00 p.m. on ESPNU: Miami (OH) at Kent State
6:00 p.m. on CBSSN: Ball State at Ohio
Wednesday
6:00 p.m. on CBSSN: Akron at UMass
6:30 p.m. on ESPNU: Central Michigan at Buffalo
