Another Big Ten top-5 showdown plus plenty of Big 12 fun in Week 13

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The readers have spoken! Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon should be the third, mystery flavor at this year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl. Frosted Blueberry and Frosted Boston Creme Donut were second and third.

Now we’re just counting down the days to December 28.

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Schedule for week 13

Friday night light

We are one week away from an exciting series of Black Friday college football games. But this week there’s a game involving a ranked team to keep an eye on (if you can stay awake). All times are ET:

• CFP no. 24 UNLV (8-2) at San Jose State (6-4) (10 p.m., FS1). The Rebels stayed close to Group of 5 Playoff favorite Boise State in October before falling 29-24. They’re in third place in the Mountain West, which means there’s a chance we’ll see that game again for the league title if Colorado State falls out of second place.

Setting up your Saturday

Here’s a heat map for every ranked match this Saturday. As always, the darker the highlight = the higher the intrigue (there’s a lot this week!).

Dinner

• Most important match: no. 5 Indiana (10-0) at no. 2 Ohio State (9-1). The Hoosiers’ time to prove they belong has come. First-year coach Curt Cignetti has made IU this season’s most surprising contender, but how much success is tied to a schedule that has yet to include a ranked opponent? We will find out on Saturday in Columbus. The Buckeyes will need to establish the run game against IU’s top-ranked rush defense, while Indiana’s key will be to take advantage of Ohio State’s depleted offensive line (OSU starting center Seth McLaughlin will not play after injuring his Achilles in practice).
• Most Underrated Game: No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2) at Florida (5-5). The Gators knocked LSU out of the CFP Top 25 by upsetting the Tigers 27-16 last week. Next up on their end-of-season gauntlet is an Ole Miss team coming off a bye week that beat Georgia the last time it was out. The Rebels rank first in the SEC in scoring offense and second in scoring defense. Florida needs one more win to reach bowl eligibility, but realistically that could look more attainable on next week’s road trip to Tallahassee. After all, Florida State’s disaster season hasn’t gotten any better. The Seminoles are 1-9.

Afternoon

• Most important match: no. 14 BYU (9-1) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2) AND no. 16 Colorado (8-2) at Kansas (4-6). The afternoon window is all about the Big 12. Arizona State has won five of its last six and hosts a BYU team that just lost to Kansas and dropped eight spots in the rankings as a result. The Jayhawks host Colorado after staging upsets the past two weeks. The spread on both of these games is +/- 3 points (Arizona State and Colorado are favored). We are looking forward to something fun!
• Most Underrated Game: Kentucky (4-6) at No. 3 Texas (9-1). The Longhorns have looked human in three of their last four games. Meanwhile, Kentucky, which upset Ole Miss earlier this season, has since fallen to Vanderbilt, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee. Kentucky’s offensive line will have to protect QB Brock Vandagriff, who has been sacked 23 times this season, against a Longhorns team that last week wreaked havoc on Arkansas’ Taylen Green (he was sacked six times). Texas could use a boost this week before he takes the field for his highly anticipated game against Texas A&M next week.

Night

• Most important match: no. 19 Army (9-0) vs. no. 6 Notre Dame (9-1). The Irish have been dominant since their first season upset of Northern Illinois, and QB Riley Leonard appears to be hitting his stride, throwing for more than 200 yards in four of the last five games. But Army has been waiting for this game to get into the Playoff mix. It is the first time since 1959 that the Black Knights are playing in a game where both teams are ranked. As for the game’s Yankee Stadium backdrop, the “Until Saturday” podcast team discussed the premise of playing football in baseball stadiums in today’s episode.
• Most underrated games: no. 15 Texas A&M (8-2) at Auburn (4-6). The Aggies haven’t gotten much attention in the CFP rankings each Tuesday, but they sit quietly in second place in the SEC and could be in contention for a conference title bid when they renew their rivalry with Texas next week. But first they have to get past a struggling Auburn team that has just one conference win against Kentucky.

Click here for a full week 13 schedule.

Need tickets? Go here. Stream the games on Fubo free.

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Quick snaps

When Wisconsin travels to Nebraska on Saturday (3:30 p.m., BTN), the teams will meet as 5-5 foes looking for bowl eligibility under second-year coaches who both fired their offensive coordinators this season. So who would you rather be: Luke Fickell or Matt Rhule?

Meanwhile Penn State and Minnesota will play for the Governor’s Victory Bell this weekend, which may be one of the least known rivalry trophies in college football (Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar can’t even remember the name).

Has the expanded common fisheries policy made more games “matter” down the stretch? Scott Dochterman examines the biggest piece of criticism against the expanded field.

Colorado two-way star and Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter coming into next year NFL Drafthe announced today.

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(Top photo Will Howard, right, and Quinshon Judkins: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)