Each week, the Times’ national college sports reporter J. Brady McCollough will help plan your game watch schedule by revealing the matchups he will have his eye on at each stage of the weekend’s slate.
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Thursday
No. 9 Mississippi at Mississippi State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
This Egg Bowl featuring Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach should help with a nation’s turkey coma.
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Friday
No. 4 Cincinnati at East Carolina, 12:30 p.m., ABC
The Group of Five finally has a team in the College Football Playoff top four. Can Cincinnati survive solid, 7-4 East Carolina?
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Saturday
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord plays against Michigan State on Nov. 20 in Columbus, Ohio.
(Jay LaPrete / Associated Press)
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Michigan, 9 a.m., Fox
Michigan hasn’t won “The Game” since 2011. With Ohio State surging the last month, a Wolverine win would shock the world.
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No. 1 Georgia at Georgia Tech, 9 a.m., ABC
The Yellow Jackets are going to get crushed, but it’s still one more chance to see Georgia before its Alabama showdown.
Texas Tech at No. 8 Baylor, 9 a.m., FS1
The Bears need a win and an Oklahoma loss to play Oklahoma State for the Big 12 crown next week.
No. 3 Alabama at Auburn, 12:30 p.m., CBS
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Alabama linebackers Henry To’oTo’o (10) and Christian Harris (8) high-five after a stop of Arkansas on Nov. 20 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
(Vasha Hunt / Associated Press)
The Tigers don’t appear Bama-ready, but they’ve pulled off some crazy Iron Bowl upsets before.
Penn State at No. 12 Michigan State, 12:30 p.m., ABC
James Franklin and Mel Tucker appear to be staying. If Penn State falls to 7-5, its fans may not be too excited about it.
Oregon State at No. 11 Oregon, 12:30 p.m., ESPN
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The Ducks can win the Pac-12 North with a Civil War victory. Oregon State needs a win and a Washington State loss.
Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders drops back to pass the ball during the first half against Texas Tech on Nov. 20 in Lubbock, Texas.
(Brad Tollefson / Associated Press)
If the Cowboys win “Bedlam” and the Big 12 title Dec. 4, they’ll have an argument for the final playoff spot.
No. 6 Notre Dame at Stanford, 5 p.m, Fox
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The Fighting Irish should pummel the struggling Cardinal and stay alive for an unlikely playoff spot.
No. 13 Brigham Young at USC, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
USC tailback Vavae Malepeai scores past UCLA defensive back Quentin Lake and defensive back Jelani Warren, right, in the first quarter at the Coliseum on Nov. 20.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Can BYU go 5-0 against the Pac-12 this year and make sure USC doesn’t go bowling? Probably.
California at UCLA, 7:30 p.m., FS1
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Chip Kelly’s hot seat has cooled a bit the last two weeks, but a loss to Cal could warm it right back up.
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J. Brady McCollough is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on national college football and basketball topics. Before joining the Times in May 2018, he was a projects reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and a 2017 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.