Top 10 games to watch Week 12 of college football season

Week 12 of the college football season is filled with at least three top-25 matchups and more chaos is guaranteed. Here are the top 10 games of Week 12 of the college football schedule:

Texas at Georgia

Location: Athens
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC

Last season, Georgia beat Texas twice. The Bulldogs went on the road and picked up a win in Austin. And the two teams met again in the SEC title game, as Georgia squeaked out with a 22-19 overtime win. Texas will now visit Georgia in 2025 with major College Football Playoff implications on the line. The Longhorns need a win to keep their CFP hopes alive and can’t afford a third loss this season. The Bulldogs are sitting at 8-1 with three games remaining, and a win over Texas would be key for seeding in the CFP.

Oklahoma at Alabama

Location: Tuscaloosa
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC

Alabama continues to find ways to win. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide’s defense held LSU to nine points in a 20-9 win. Ever since the embarrassing loss in the season opener at Florida State, Alabama has been perfect. The last-ranked opponent of the regular season for the Tide comes in Week 12 with Oklahoma visiting Tuscaloosa with its season on the line. The Sooners are 7-2, coming off a bye week after their win at Tennessee.

Notre Dame at Pitt

Location: Pittsburgh
Time: Noon ET
Channel: ABC

The last time Notre Dame and Pitt met, the Fighting Irish picked up a blowout 58-7 win in 2023 in South Bend. This time around should be different. The Panthers have won five consecutive games since making a quarterback change and going with true freshman Mason Heintschel. Notre Dame has rallied after its 0-2 start to the season but can’t afford another misstep. Running back Jeremiyah Love is squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation with 988 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.

Iowa at USC

Location: Los Angeles
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: Big Ten Network

USC picked up a win on Friday night against Northwestern to improve to 7-2 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten. The Trojans probably control their fate with the College Football Playoff. Win out with wins over Iowa, Oregon and UCLA and Lincoln Riley’s program will be 10-2. But the Trojans will have to get by the Hawkeyes, who are coming off a last-second loss to Oregon.

Michigan at Northwestern

Location: Wrigley Field
Time: Noon ET
Channel: FOX

Outside of losses to Oklahoma and USC, Michigan has continued to find ways to win. The Wolverines are averaging 223.8 rushing yards per game to 185.7 passing yards. They are coming off a bye week and will now travel to Chicago to play Northwestern at Wrigley Field. If Michigan wins out, similar to USC, it will be in the middle of the CFP conversation. The Wildcats are 5-4 on the season and a win away from bowl eligibility.

Minnesota at Oregon

Location: Eugene
Time: Friday, 9 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX

Oregon picked up an 18-16 win at Iowa on Saturday with an Atticus Sappington 39-yard field goal with three seconds to play. The Ducks are banged up and were without top wide receiver Dakorien Moore and top tight end Kenyon Sadiq against the Hawkeyes. Another starting receiver, Gary Bryant Jr., left Saturday’s game with a right ankle injury. The Ducks will return home to face a 6-3 Minnesota team that had two weeks to prepare for Oregon.

Virginia at Duke

Location: Durham
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN2

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was knocked out of the Cavaliers’ 16-9 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday night. The Cavaliers are now in a five-way tie atop the ACC standings with four other teams that have one conference loss, including Duke. Morris’ status is unknown for the Duke game; head coach Tony Elliott said he would know more later in the week. The Blue Devils are 5-4 on the season but 4-1 in ACC play.

NC State at Miami

Location: Miami Gardens
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN

Carson Beck threw for a touchdown, caught a scoring pass and eclipsed the 10,000-yard passing mark in a bounce-back win Saturday over Syracuse. The Hurricanes lost last weekend at SMU and need to win out to have a path to the College Football Playoff. They’ll host NC State, which is coming off a bye and a 48-36 win over then-No. 8 Georgia Tech.

TCU at BYU

Location: Provo
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN

With a loss at Texas Tech on Saturday, BYU now has one conference loss but its future remains in total control. The Cougars play TCU, Cincinnati and UCF to close out the season. If BYU wins its last three games, it will be in the Big 12 championship game. That push to the league title game starts Saturday with TCU visiting Provo. The Horned Frogs are 6-3 on the season.

Clemson at Louisville

Location: Louisville
Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN

With a five-way tie atop the ACC standings, Louisville’s loss Saturday night to Cal does not end its bid for a conference title game berth but only adds more pressure on the Friday night game against Clemson. The Tigers picked up a 24-10 win over Florida State on Saturday night and are 4-5 on the season, needing two more wins to reach bowl eligibility.