Eight of the top 10 teams in The Associated Press poll either have the day off or should win their games easily Saturday. The outliers are No. 6 Oregon and No. 8 Oklahoma, who face challenges as they try to stay in the thick of the race for College Football Playoff at-large bids.
The action kicked off at noon Eastern when Oklahoma hosted No. 23 Missouri. The Sooners got the job done and kept alive their playoff hopes with a 17-6 win.
The Ducks host
No. 16 Southern California at 3:30 p.m. Eastern in their first meeting as members of the Big Ten Conference. The old Pac-12 rivals haven't met in a Top 25 matchup since 2015.
Other Top 25 games of note include No. 11 BYU's trip to Cincinnati in the Big 12's game of the day and No. 15 Georgia Tech 's outing against Pittsburgh. No. 24 Tulane heads to Temple as the front-runner for the Group of Five's automatic CFP bid.
— No. 8 Oklahoma took care of business on Saturday, knocking off Missouri 17-6 and inching closer to an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff. Quarterback John Mateer threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma's defense picked off quarterback Beau Pribula twice, who was in his first game back after dislocating his ankle in late October, and held standout running back Ahmad Hardy to 57 rushing yards.
— In a series of Week 13 “cupcakes,” No. 3 Texas A&M defeated Samford 48-0 and No. 4 Georgia rolled past Charlotte 35-3. Both teams are still favorites for a first-round bye in the playoff, a spot Georgia reached last week after a 35-10 rout of Texas.
— No. 1 Ohio State overcame a slow start and kept its unbeaten record intact on Saturday with a 42-9 victory over Rutgers. The Buckeyes went on a 28-6 run in the second half.
— The slide continued for a Louisville team once on its way to the ACC championship game. The Cardinals lost their third straight, dropping 38-6 to an SMU team on the rise.
— Missouri is at risk of falling out of the rankings after a loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. The 17-6 loss marked the Tigers' fourth of the season.
— No. 16 Southern California (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 15 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (9-1, 6-1, No. 7). Though both have narrow paths to the Big Ten championship game, this really is a knockout game for the CFP for USC and probably for Oregon. BetMGM Sportsbook: Oregon by 9 1/2.
— No. 11 BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 11 CFP) at Cincinnati (7-3, 5-2). BYU bounced back quite well from its loss at Texas Tech, hammering TCU at home. The Cougars go on the road for another challenging game against a Bearcats team that was ranked a week ago. BetMGM Sportsbook: BYU by 2 1/2.
— Kentucky (5-5, 2-5 SEC) at No. 12 Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2, No. 14 CFP). Commodores go for their first nine-win season since 2013 and fifth overall. Kentucky comes in on a three-game winning streak, its longest in two years. BetMGM Sportsbook: Vanderbilt by 9 1/2.
— Pittsburgh (7-3, 5-1 ACC) at No. 15 Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1, No. 16 CFP). The CFP selection committee made it clear the Yellow Jackets are hurt by their strength of schedule. This is a chance for a quality win. Pittsburgh clings to ACC title game hopes. BetMGM Sportsbook: Georgia Tech by 2 1/2.
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