2024 Games of the Slot: Week 14
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
This, my friends, is the best weekend of college football. It’s Rivalry Week, there’s a ton of playoff implications and there’s not one but two full days of games. Starting today, we’ve got two full days of college football action on tap.
With that said, there’s no time to waste. Let’s get into it! As always, all times are in Eastern.
Friday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Miami (Ohio) at Bowling Green (ESPNU)
We’ll kick off Black Friday with the biggest MACtion game thus far this season. It’s a do-or-die affair in the state of Ohio with the winner moving onto the MAC Championship.
Both teams are sitting at 7-4 and 6-1 in-conference. Miami comes in on a six game winning streak, while Bowling Green enters on a five-game winning streak.
Miami has a college football legacy quarterback in Brett Gabbert who hasn’t played the best this season, but the RedHawks have a great defense that’s allowing only 17.8 points per game. They’re not scoring at the best clip, but the RedHawks have increased their scoring a ton during the six-game winning streak and haven’t needed to score too much anyway.
Bowling Green’s been a Jekyll and Hyde team this season with near upsets over Penn State and Texas A&M. Plus, if you haven’t watched Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. play yet, you’re missing out on one of the nation’s most electric players. Move over Tyler Warren, Fannin is taking the Mackey. The only problem? Fannin is questionable for the game with a head injury.
Multi-Box Games: Oregon State at 10 Boise State (FOX); Minnesota at Wisconsin (CBS); Oklahoma State at 22 Colorado (ABC/ESPN+)
Oregon State has really pulled together down the stretch and could very well play spoiled to a banged up and slumping Boise State. The Broncos absolutely cannot get caught looking ahead. Minnesota and Wisconsin won’t be the ground-and-pound showdown that you’d expect, but both teams have been solid this season. This about as evenly matched as Big Ten games come. If you like highlights, Oklahoma State-Colorado is going to be your game. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are going to annihilate this Cowboy defense and Ollie Gordon II will make some of his own highlights.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Mississippi State at 16 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
For some God-forsaken reason, this year’s Egg Bowl is relegated to Black Friday instead of its standard Thanksgiving night timeslot. But that won’t diminish this gloriously toxic rivalry.
Let’s clear the air on one thing before we get into this: these teams are severely mismatched. Mississippi State is racing Purdue for the title of the worst Power Four team in the country. The Bulldogs are 2-9 in Jeff Lebby’s first season and haven’t showed many signs of life. Their defense is atrocious and there isn’t much to write home about on the offensive side of the ball.
Ole Miss is the clear favorite and are nursing a very narrow, outside shot at the playoffs. Lane Kiffin’s Rebels need to keep their eyes on the prize here and take care of the Bulldogs. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is a major piece of that puzzle with taking care of the football. The Rebels’ winning chances since Dart took over as quarterback take a dramatic tumble when he turns over the ball, as we saw last weekend.
Multi-Box Games: Liberty at Sam Houston (3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network); Stanford at San Jose State (4 p.m., CBS); Texas State at South Alabama (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
Let’s move past that to a great schematic game between Liberty and Sam Houston. The Flames’ triple option offense against a surprisingly stout Bearkat defense will be a solid watch. Stanford-San Jose State is a mismatched P4-G5 game that I’d pick the Spartans in. Stanford is still very much building under Troy Taylor, while San Jose State has serious proof of concept in Year 1 under Ken Niumatalolo. Let’s get back into the Sun Belt where Texas State and South Alabama have a chance to be perhaps the most entertaining game of the day. A lot of that hinges on what version of Texas State shows up. Is it the Bobcat team that kept up with Arizona State, or is it the one that almost lost to FCS Lamar?
Want to know how this all impacts the playoff race? Check out this week’s Bracketology post!
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Georgia Tech at 9 Georgia (7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
With a rivalry name like Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, you know this is going to be a great game.
Georgia Tech’s gameplan will be to win on the ground and in the trenches, which is easier said than done against Georgia. Their quarterback position is a major question mark with Haynes King playing sparingly while nursing a shoulder injury, but he’s contributed a ton in the rushing game alongside tailback Jamal Haynes. Freshman Aaron Philo will likely be the main passer for the Yellow Jackets, but that’s a freshman against the Georgia defense.
Georgia had a great get-right game against Tennessee, but we saw UMass establish a shockingly solid running attack against Georgia last weekend. That could be the blueprint for Georgia Tech. I think Kirby Smart and the Dawgs’ defensive staff can clean those up, but Georgia has been plagued by recurring mistakes like turnovers, losing in the trenches and allowing teams to run on them all season. I’m going to point to the Georgia offense to stay hot in this one. I think the defense has the juice to get stops against Georgia Tech, but Carson Beck has to hold onto the football for the Dawgs to avoid an upset here.
Multi-Box Games: Nebraska at Iowa (7:30 p.m., NBC); Utah at UCF (8 p.m., FOX)
Who knew Dana Holgorsen had so much left for the Nebraska offense? It won’t be the best game on paper, but with Iowa down to potentially its fifth quarterback and a resurrected Holgorsen leading the Cornhusker offense, there’s plenty of opportunities for fun. In the Big 12, both Utah and UCF have had disappointing seasons and a ton of quarterback injuries. Bowl eligibility is out of reach for both, so as they say, it’s the last game of the year. Can’t hold anything back.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 17 South Carolina at 13 Clemson (ESPN)
I can’t think of a bigger stakes Palmetto Bowl than this. We already went into the playoff implications, so let’s get into the game itself.
South Carolina is going to try to establish a punishing running game behind Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and LaNorris Sellers, who’s also progressed a ton as a passer. On the defensive side of the ball, edge rushers Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart should play well against a Clemson offensive line that I don’t have a ton of faith in. Since this is a Shane Beamer-coached team, I would be remiss to point out that special teams shenanigans are a given in this game. Expect something wild like a surprise onside, fake punt, or blocked kick that turns this game on its heels when you least expect it.
For Clemson, it’s all about stability and poise. The Tigers have been flip-flopping from great to solid all season and now is the time that Garrett Riley and Cade Klubnik need to get the needle firmly in the elite territory. That starts with the running game and quick passing game. Riley runs an RPO-heavy scheme that should make it so Stewart and Kennard won’t have enough time to bother Klubnik, but if the Clemson offense gets into play action and longer developing passes, look out for the Gamecock defense.
Multi-Box Games: Michigan at 2 Ohio State (FOX); Kansas at Baylor (ESPN2); 11 Tennessee at Vanderbilt (ABC/ESPN+)
It’s put up or shut up time again for Ryan Day’s Ohio State. A win here gets them to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. A loss all but ends the season and puts serious pressure on Day, while making the year for all Michigan fans. Kansas and Baylor are two teams that have looked a lot better as of late and this game has some surprising implications on the Big 12 race if there’s chaos ahead of them. I think it’ll be close and with two fun offenses, it’ll be an entertaining watch. Tennessee is all but locked into an at-large bid, but Vanderbilt has put good teams to the screws this season. Let’s see if Diego Pavia has any of that magic left in him for one last major upset to plunge the bubble into chaos.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 8 Miami at Syracuse (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Call me crazy, but this isn’t a cake walk for Miami.
There’s no question that the Hurricanes have one of the nation’s best offenses and a really good defense, but Syracuse is a different breed. Cam Ward and company are comfortable in a shootout, which is great. They’re going to need every point they can get. I really like how the Miami wide receiver corps match up against Syracuse’s secondary, so expect Ward to put up a gazillion yards and a ton of points.
This game’s true X-factor is Kyle McCord. At his best in this Syracuse offense, McCord can sling the ball and score points with the best of them. At his worst? Well, you saw that when the Orange came across Pittsburgh earlier this season. I’ve been high on Syracuse and McCord all season, so I think it’s possible he goes all-out to get an upset. We’ve seen crazier things this season for both teams. One thing’s clear, though: the Syracuse defense is not going to win this game for them. Those hopes rest fully on Kyle McCord’s right arm.
Multi-Box Games: 3 Notre Dame at USC (3:30 p.m., CBS); Auburn at 15 Alabama (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+); Arkansas at Missouri (3:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Unlike a lot of people, I like Jayden Maiava under center for USC, but Notre Dame’s defense has made mincemeat of everyone in their path. I think this game will be closer than most expect, but if USC can get hot, that’ll spell trouble for the Fighting Irish. Oh, and fun fact, my No. 3 ranked team has lost in each of the past five weeks. Do what you want with that information. The Iron Bowl always has tons of chaotic potential with all-time moments like the Kick Six, fourth and 31 and more. With both teams’ backs against the wall - Alabama in the Playoff race and Auburn in the “is Hugh Freeze really worth the trouble” game - I expect this to be a hard fought game that goes down to the wire. We’ll also check out a lesser known Battle Line rivalry between Arkansas and Missouri that should be good. I expect a lot of running here so if that’s your thing, tune in. Missouri has one last chance to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke and Arkansas is looking to play spoiler one last time this season.
Wondering where these rankings are coming from? Check out this week’s SID Sports Top 25 and Players of the Week!
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 6 Texas at 24 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
After 13 long years, the Lone Star Showdown is back and the stage couldn’t be bigger. The winner heads to the SEC Championship and is staring down a spot in the College Football Playoff. The loser is all but eliminated.
Texas hasn’t looked the part of a juggernaut this season. Part of that is because of healthy concerns to quarterback Quinn Ewers and a rash of season-ending injuries in the running back room, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of power in the trenches. Clearly, I still believe that Texas can compete with the best of the best, but they haven’t put that on tape this year. The Longhorns’ best win was an overtime thriller over a Vanderbilt team that’s sitting at 6-5 right now. They got exposed by Georgia in the other marquee matchup and Ewers hasn’t historically played the best in clutch spots like this.
Texas A&M has the recipe for success by handling the trenches, where I like the Aggie linemen much better than Texas’ unit. The quarterback situation in Bryan-College Station is a little strange, but Marcel Reed is the best guy there so he should be the starter. My biggest worry is if Texas A&M gets down early and has to start throwing, I don’t know if they have the ability to do that against Texas. Their passing attack ranks 86th in the nation, but a strict run-first philosophy and shuffling at the quarterback position can do that. If the Aggies can lean into a ball control strategy and get a good showing from Mike Elko’s defense, that would be the path to victory for A&M.
Multi-Box Games: 23 Kansas State at 14 Iowa State (7:30 p.m., FOX); Marshall at James Madison (8 p.m., ESPNU); Florida at Florida State (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Farmageddon rarely disappoints and this year’s Kansas State-Iowa State game is no different. We’ve got two great defenses here and offenses that are hit or miss. Which one shows up? And which coach between Chris Kleiman and Matt Campbell can scheme their offense to the best spot against a good opposing defense? We return to the Sun Belt for Marshall at James Madison where two great passing games will square off. Marshall has already locked up a spot in the Sun Belt Championship, but JMU has serious talent and may be the best team the Thundering Herd have faced in-conference. I expect plenty of points often here. We end with the Battle for the Seminole War Canoe, which may not be the best on paper. You know, because of Florida State? But weird things happen during rivalry games, especially when the underdog is hosting. I’m not going to say Mike Norvell is raising his team from the grave, but look for this one to be a sneaky entertaining Sicko game.
West Coast After Dark
Game of the Slot: Houston at 18 BYU (10:15 p.m., ESPN)
If you’re still up for this, good on you or I hope you’re on the West coast.
Houston has flipped the script on the season from total failure to a promising start under Willy Fritz. The Cougars - the Houston ones - are 4-7 so it’s not been all sunshine and rainbows, but they’ve won two of their last four and have wins over Kansas State and TCU on the docket. That’s not too bad. All they need to do is improve on the nation’s worst scoring offense (remember, Kent State has played another game) and things could look up, right?
Well, BYU probably isn’t the team you want to do that against, even if the Cougars - the BYU ones - are slipping as of late. I think BYU will suffocate the Houston offense, but crazier things have happened this season, especially to BYU. I’m mostly watching to see how Jake Retzlaff does and if he’s able to shake off the disappointment of the last two weeks to put in a good showing. With the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff still on the table, BYU will need to be at their best this week no matter what.
Multi-Box Game: Air Force at San Diego State (10:30 p.m., FS1)
Our only other late game is going to be a fun schematic game between triple option Air Force and up-tempo San Diego State. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss all the Aztec offensive drives. I think the time of possession battle here is going to be the wildest one of the season and that’s worth something, right?
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