The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season came out on Tuesday, and the committee could hardly have asked for a harder test of them. Seven games on Saturday match one ranked team against another, a load that On3 calls the most ranked matchups in a single week in the playoff era. The math is simple, and a little cruel. By the time the last game ends late Saturday night, seven ranked teams will have a fresh loss on their records, and the playoff picture will look nothing like it does this morning.
The day starts at 9 a.m. ET, when ESPN’s College GameDay goes live from Library Lawn at Notre Dame, and the ranked games run from noon until close to midnight. Here is how to watch them, window by window, and what each one means for the race.
Noon: a Holy War in Utah and a trap game in Missouri
No. 9 BYU (7-1) at No. 3 Utah (8-0), 12 p.m. ET, ABC, Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Holy War is one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport, and this year it doubles as a fight for control of the Big 12. Utah is one of the last unbeaten teams in the country and holds a top four spot, the kind that comes with a first round bye if it lasts. BYU already has one loss, so a second would leave the Cougars chasing help for the rest of November. The winner leaves town in charge of the conference race.
No. 7 Texas (6-2) at No. 18 Missouri (6-2), 12 p.m. ET, ESPN, Memorial Stadium in Columbia. Both teams sit on the line that matters most in the playoff era. Two losses can survive in a 12 team field. Three losses usually cannot, at least not without a conference title to fall back on. Texas is the bigger name, but Missouri at home is a real test, and the loser here wakes up on Sunday needing to win out and hope.
Afternoon: Baton Rouge and Columbus
No. 5 Alabama (6-2) at No. 14 LSU (6-2), 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Alabama and LSU have played some of the biggest games of the playoff era, and the stakes are just as heavy this time. Both teams already carry two losses, which turns this into something close to an elimination game. The winner stays in the top group of the SEC race. The loser falls to 6-3 and needs the rest of the league to do it some favors.
No. 23 Oregon (5-3) at No. 12 Ohio State (6-2), 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Ohio Stadium in Columbus. This is the seventh ranked matchup, and it may be the most desperate one. Oregon has already lost three times, so one more defeat ends any realistic playoff talk for the Ducks. Ohio State has more room, but not much. A home loss to a three loss team would hurt the Buckeyes with the committee and tighten the Big Ten race around them.
Early evening: Kentucky’s dream season meets Neyland Stadium
No. 6 Kentucky (7-1) at No. 13 Tennessee (6-2), 6:15 p.m. ET, ESPN, Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Kentucky is the surprise story of the season. The Wildcats are 7-1 for the first time since 1977, they have won six straight games, and they arrive tied with Georgia for first place in the SEC in coach Will Stein’s first year on the job. History is against them. Tennessee leads the series 86-26-9, has won five straight meetings, and this is Homecoming in Knoxville, in front of a sellout crowd and the Volunteers in their Dark Mode look. A win proves Kentucky belongs near the top of the rankings. Tennessee, at two losses, is playing to keep its own season goals alive.
Prime time: No. 1 goes on the road, and the SEC settles up in Oxford
No. 1 Miami (8-0) at No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1), 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. The game of the day closes the night. Miami is unbeaten, 6-0 in the ACC, and holding the top spot the committee handed out on Tuesday. Notre Dame leads this storied series 18-9-1, and the Irish have more to lose. As an independent, Notre Dame has no conference championship game to fix a damaged record in December. A second loss would leave the Irish at 7-2, hoping other contenders fall. A win, over the No. 1 team in the country, would change their whole season.
No. 2 Georgia (7-1) at No. 10 Ole Miss (6-2), 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. While one screen shows South Bend, the other shows an SEC fight with the same shape. Georgia is tied with Kentucky at the top of the SEC and can keep pace with a win. Ole Miss has two losses, a loud home crowd, and very little room for one more mistake. Whatever happens in Knoxville an hour earlier decides how much pressure sits on this one.
Seven ranked winners will feel great on Sunday. Seven ranked losers will spend the week explaining themselves. When the committee releases its next rankings on Tuesday, this Saturday will be the reason the list looks so different. Follow every score and every shakeup in our Sports coverage.
Sources: NCAA.com official TV schedule (College Football Playoff rankings, kickoff times and networks); ESPN Press Room; On3; Knox News.