Week 14’s top 10 college football matchups: Texas-Texas A&M tops rivalry with playoff stakes

Thanksgiving Week has blessed us with rivalry games – old and renewed – with endless conference tiebreaker and College Football Playoff scenarios, including Michigan at Ohio State, a top-15 Palmetto Bowl and the return of Texas vs. Texas A&M.

Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 14, starting with honorable mentions and counting down.

Honorable Mention: Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State (Friday), Minnesota at Wisconsin (Friday), Miami-OH at Bowling Green (Friday), Mississippi State at No. 14 Ole Miss (Fri.), Liberty at Sam Houston (Fri.) Fri.), Georgia Tech at No. 7, Georgia (Fri.), Nebraska at Iowa (Fri.), Louisville at Kentucky, Maryland at no. 4 Penn State, Purdue at no. 10 Indiana, Washington at no. 1 Oregon

(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

10. Cal (6-5) at no. 9 SMU (10-1), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

SMU has already clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, but the Mustangs still need a win to keep their major playoff hopes alive, hovering just above Clemson and the slew of three-loss SEC teams in the latest rankings. A win would also complete an undefeated inaugural season in ACC play, an impressive feat considering how Cincinnati, Houston and UCF have done since making a similar jump from the AAC to the power-conference level. It would also match last season’s 11-win total, with a chance for head coach Rhett Lashlee to then tie SMU’s all-time single-season mark of 12 wins set in 1935.

Line: SMU -13.5

9. Auburn (5-6) at no. 13 Alabama (8-3), 3:30 p.m., ABC

Not dead yet. Alabama, despite suffering its third loss, is still on the bubble. If the selection committee ends up looking for an excuse to keep the Tide in the field, it will require them to win in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, coming off their most lopsided regular-season loss in two decades. The Bama faithful are still reeling from the stunning 24-3 loss to Oklahoma, and regardless of whether their CFP hopes are completely sunk, first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer is desperate to avoid losing to a mediocre but dangerous Auburn team that just beat Texas out. A&M in quadruple overtime.

Line: Alabama -11.5

8. No. 8 Tennessee (9-2) at Vanderbilt (6-5), noon, ABC

This could be a playoff elimination game for the Vols. Tennessee has no chance to reach the SEC Championship Game, and a loss would likely drop the program out of the 12-team field, but win and the Vols should be in the mix. That’s no mean feat on the road against a decent Vanderbilt team, in a league where we’ve just seen three top-15 teams lose on the road to unranked opponents. But Tennessee’s top-five defense nationally (4.3 yards per play allowed) should be able to bottle up a Commodores offense that hasn’t scored more than 24 points since its early October upset of Alabama.

Line: Tennessee -11

7. No. 16 Arizona State (9-2) at Arizona (4-7), 3:30 p.m., Fox

The first Territorial Cup rivalry in the Big 12 era has more than bragging rights at stake. No team in the Big 12 controls its own destiny, but a win by Arizona State puts it in a very good position to secure a spot in next week’s conference championship game, with a Playoff spot likely up for grabs. There is only a single, multiple tiebreaker scenario that would keep the Sun Devils out of the conference title game with a win against their in-state rivals. Getting to that championship would cap a turnaround season for ASU and second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham after the program went 3-9 in 2023 and was picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll.

Line: Arizona State -9

6. No. 6 Miami (10-1) at Syracuse (8-3), 3:30 p.m., ESPN

The selection committee has shown it’s willing to forgive a loss in terms of rankings, and the Hurricanes have benefited from being on the right side of all but one of their close calls. Miami moved up two spots in this week’s rankings, less because of its blowout of Wake Forest and more because of the carnage elsewhere. The Canes still need a win against Syracuse — the quietest eight-win team in the country? — to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship against SMU, but if they can get there, they’ll have a solid case for an at-large playoff berth, even with a loss.

Line: Miami -10.5

5. No. 24 Kansas State (8-3) at No. 18 Iowa State (9-2), 7:30 p.m., Fox

The rivalry known as Farmageddon is one of the oldest in college football and has been played every year since 1917 – 107 straight seasons. Last year’s rendition featured a memorable snow-covered upset of the Cyclones on the road. This season is arguably the most important home game in Iowa State football history. Similar to Arizona State, a win puts Iowa State in line to reach the Big 12 championship, with most of the tiebreakers favoring the Sun Devils and Cyclones. Iowa State, which has never had more than nine wins in a season, could set a program record and have a chance to claim its first conference title since 1912, when it was a member of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Line: Iowa State -2.5

4. No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1) at USC (6-5), 3:30 p.m., CBS

See above for the point about the committee forgiving a loss. Notre Dame has the worst loss of anyone in the Top 25, but that’s old news, especially with how dominant the Irish have been lately. All of the “quality” wins have lost some luster as well, including the season opener over Texas A&M, but the lack of another loss so far makes up for it in the eyes of the committee. Now the Irish are in line to host a home playoff game if they can survive a rivalry road trip against USC, which for all its warts has been good at home in the Coliseum with its only loss coming by three points in overtime to Pen Condition. If Notre Dame can improve on that result, it could leapfrog the No. 4 Nittany Lions in next week’s Playoff rankings.

Line: Notre Dame -7.5

3. Michigan (6-5) at Ohio State no. 2 (10-1), noon, Fox

In practice, Ohio State needs a win to secure its spot in the Big Ten title game against Oregon, but The Game obviously goes much deeper than that. These Buckeyes are on a mission to exorcise a number of demons, the most important of which is beating Michigan for the first time in four years. This isn’t the same struggling Michigan program that has outlasted Ohio State in the past three meetings, but in many ways it puts more pressure on the Buckeyes. Michigan, which still has a solid defense, will rise to this game, and Ohio State cannot afford to lose, even if it is safe in the playoff with a loss. It may be a down year for Michigan, and Ohio State may have higher hopes, but this game remains the deal show.

Line: Ohio State -19.5

2. No. 15 South Carolina (8-3) at no. 12 Clemson (9-2), noon, ESPN

There are a few layers to the Palmetto Bowl. It is an even rivalry game between top-15 teams. Clemson is still alive in the ACC championship hunt and needs a loss by Miami, but there’s also a burgeoning subplot about whether the winner of this game has a chance to slide into an at-large playoff berth. A more prosaic SEC has helped bolster a three-loss South Carolina with close losses to LSU and Alabama; a win over Clemson and maybe some losses elsewhere would give the Gamecocks an argument. On the other hand, Clemson — the first team out of the latest 12-team bracket — is hoping its two losses and a quality win over South Carolina can vault the Tigers into an at-large berth, even if it misses out on the ACC championship. Would the committee dare put Clemson over a two-loss SMU or Miami team falling in the conference title game?

Line: Clemson -2.5

1. no. 3 Texas (10-1) at no. 20 Texas A&M (8-3), 7:30 p.m., ABC

I suppose conference realignment isn’t all bad. It revived this game after a 12-season hiatus and brought back a bitter rivalry in the state with decades of backstory and ill will. And while the game is no longer on Thanksgiving Day, it’s as good as SEC and college football fans could want, with a top-20 matchup to decide who will play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. For A&M, a win keeps its playoff hopes alive and sends the Aggies to their first conference title game since winning the Big 12 in 1998. For Texas, a playoff berth is all but guaranteed, but it’s a chance to walk into College Station and end A&M’s season on a bitter note, with a chance for the Longhorns to establish themselves as SEC champions in their inaugural season.

Line: Texas -5.5

(Photo of Texas A&M receiver Jahdae Walker: Michael Chang/Getty Images)