Week 13 college football viewing guide (Video)

The penultimate week of the 2024 regular season has arrived.

There are three games between ranked teams over the weekend, with one of those contests being in the Big 12. No one will confuse the Big 12 with an elite conference this season, but it has been an extremely entertaining and extremely even game. Nine teams are still mathematically alive for the conference title. If you like chaos, you want some sadness in the last two weeks of the season.

BYU and Colorado are atop the conference at 6-1 and both go away in Week 13. The Cougars are seeded third behind Arizona State, while Colorado is the slight favorite over BYU’s Kansas team, which just finished its undefeated season.

Here’s a look at what to watch in Week 13. (All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.)

Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Ohio State -13.5 | Total: 51.5

Here’s Indiana’s big test.

The College Football Playoff discussion was dominated by Indiana’s undefeated record against teams on its schedule. The Hoosiers had a weak non-conference slate and a weak Big Ten conference schedule as well. Either Michigan or Washington is the best team the Hoosiers have beaten this season.

That conference schedule isn’t Indiana’s fault. And the Hoosiers didn’t schedule nonconference games like a team needing to post its strength of schedule for the College Football Playoff because they weren’t in playoff contention. After years of being in the same league with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, we think the Hoosiers deserve a season where they don’t have to play all three teams.

Indiana is powered by a prolific passing offense led by Heisman contender Kurtis Rourke and a defense that forces nearly two turnovers per game. DB Amare Farrell has four interceptions, while linebacker Mikail Kamara has 9.5 sacks.

Ohio State enters the game behind two starting offensive linemen Center Seth McLaughlin suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on Tuesday.. The Buckeyes did a great job moving pieces on the offensive line following Josh Simmons’ injury. Can they replace the Alabama transfer enough as well?

The Buckeyes are giving up the fewest points per game in college football after allowing just seven points in their last two games. Only Oregon has scored more than 17 points against Ohio State all season. Indiana will need to score more than 17 points to win.

Time: 15:30 | TV: Fox | Line: Colorado -3 | Total: 59.5

The Buffaloes carry a four-game winning streak into Arrowhead Stadium to face a team that ruined BYU’s undefeated season.

Colorado has scored at least 34 points in each of those wins, and Shedeur Sanders is playing like one of the best point guards in the country. Sanders is completing 73% of his passes and has already thrown for over 3,200 yards. If Colorado makes it to the Big 12 championship game, it will have a great chance to throw for over 4,000 yards by the postseason.

It’s a good thing Sanders is picking apart opposing defenses because Colorado still can’t run the football. While the Buffaloes average just 77 yards per game on the ground, Isaiah Augustave is the team’s leading rusher with 362 yards and four touchdowns.

Kansas is not far from being a team with a winning record. The win over BYU was KU’s sixth one-possession game and the team’s first win this season. The Cougars turned the ball over twice while the Jayhawks held BYU to just one TD.

QB Jalon Daniels has played better as Kansas has won three of its last four games. But RB Devin Neal may be the key to another upset. Opponents had rushed for more than 100 yards in every game against Colorado until Utah could only score 31 points in Week 12.

Time: 15:30 | TV: ESPN | Line: Arizona State -3 | Total: 48.5

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start paying attention to Arizona State. The Sun Devils are fresh off a win at Kansas State and have won three straight games since a loss at Cincinnati that led to coach Kenny Dillingham holding open draft picks at bat.

The Sun Devils are led by RB Cam Skattebo. He rushed 198 times for 1,098 yards and 11 TDs and also added 31 catches for 448 yards and two scores. In addition to being ASU’s leading rusher, he is also the team’s second-leading rusher behind Jordyn Tyson.

Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt has thrived after replacing Jeff Sims at QB. He averages 4.5 yards per carry and has 21 total TDs in nine games. Eight defenders have recorded an interception so far this season; Safety Myles Rowser leads the team in tackles. A win would also likely put Arizona State one victory away from the Big 12 championship game.

BYU’s road to the Big 12 championship game lost its margin for error with a loss to Kansas. The Cougars advanced to the championship game with two wins. But it’s easy to wonder if he got lucky against Kansas. The Cougars have been the opposite of the Jayhawks so far this season. That Week 12 game was BYU’s fifth one-score game of the season and only the Cougars’ first loss.

BYU’s offense needs to do a better job of scoring TDs against Arizona State. The Cougars had scored 34 points in six straight games before beating Utah 22-21. And now BYU has scored just 35 points combined in its last two games.

Time: 19:00 | Television: NBC | Line: Notre Dame -14.5 | Total: 44.5

How long can Army stay at Notre Dame?

The Black Knights’ triple-option offense is not designed to provide a quick turnaround. Just ask Navy. The Midshipmen were devastated by turnovers in the first half of their game against the Fighting Irish earlier this season and had no chance of a comeback.

QB Bryson Daily leads the team with 174 carries for 1,062 yards and 21 scores, while RB Kanye Udoh has 856 rushing yards and nine TDs. Also keep an eye out for RB Noah Short as a big threat. He has 11 catches for 259 yards and three TDs.

Army is allowing just over 10 points per game, but the Black Knights have also played a pretty manageable schedule. Before Notre Dame, Army’s toughest opponent was East Carolina. This game came before ECU fired coach Mike Houston and reeled off three straight wins to qualify for the bowl.

Notre Dame is also stingy on defense. Ohio State ranks first in scoring defense and Army ranks second, while Notre Dame ranks third with 11.4 points per contest. So the bottom could be a good play.

Notre Dame’s offense is also heavily run-based, so possession will be high. The Irish are averaging six yards per pass attempt compared to QB Riley Leonard’s 6.9 yards per pass attempt so far this season. Leonard became a much better passer in the second half of the season, but his offense is powered by his legs and RBs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

Time: 19:30 | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas A&M -2.5 | Total: 46.5

Maybe this is the week Auburn will put together a complete game against a good SEC opponent. Oddsmakers definitely think there’s a chance of that happening.

The Tigers are 1-5 in the SEC this season and must beat both Texas A&M and Alabama to make a bowl game. Although Auburn averaged nearly two turnovers per game, the mistakes have decreased in recent weeks. After two five-turnover games in the first four weeks of the season, the Tigers have not turned the ball over more than once since.

But Auburn is still minus-11 in turnover margin this season thanks to a defense that has failed to force a turnover in six games so far this season. But when the defense shows up, the offense can’t do its job. Check out the Vanderbilt game. Auburn held Diego Pavia to 9-of-23 passing for 143 yards and 227 total yards, but the Commodores won 17-7.

Marcel Reed remains the Aggies’ starting QB since replacing Conner Weigman against LSU. He scored two TDs and scored another a week ago against New Mexico State. A&M is tied with Texas atop the SEC and needs a win to make next week’s rivalry game a semifinal in the SEC championship game. If both Texas and Texas A&M win on Saturday, the winner of the regular season finale will be guaranteed a spot in the conference championship.

Other games to watch

No. 9 Ole Miss at Florida (Noon, ABC): Florida is one win away from bowl eligibility, while Ole Miss needs to win its final two games to qualify for the College Football Playoff. The Gators upset LSU at home a week ago, but freshman QB DJ Lagway may haunt the Ole Miss passing offense due to his lack of mobility due to a hamstring injury.

No. 13 SMU at Virginia (Noon, ESPN2): Like Florida, Virginia needs one more win to make the postseason and hosts a team with playoff hopes. The Mustangs can clinch a spot in the ACC championship game with a win thanks to Clemson’s loss to Louisville earlier this season.

No. 4 Penn State, Minnesota (3:30 p.m., CBS): Will the Nittany Lions be on alert? They’re two-score favorites, but Minnesota is good at blowing a game or two and we wouldn’t be surprised if this one is a little closer than expected. Penn State needs to win its final two games and get a lot of help to advance to the Big Ten championship game.

No. 12 Boise State, Wyoming (7 p.m., CBSSN): Boise State is the heavy favorite in this game. Just a reminder that in this category, Ashton Jeanty has a good chance of breaking the 2,000-yard mark on Saturday night. The four TD night would also give Jeanty 30 rushing TDs for the season.