How this thing works:

Bold – Make it the primary game
Italics – Make it the backup game

That’s it. All other games are ranked in case things go unexpectedly in the big matchups.  Enjoy!

Friday

12:00

1. Navy at Houston, ABC – The winner of this game wins the AAC West and will likely host the AAC title game. Navy has a very outside shot at the playoffs, but this one should be worth the time. Both teams are very good.
2. Marshall at Western Kentucky, FS1 – This functions as the Conference USA East championship, and considering they’re the two best teams in CUSA, it should be a stepping stone to a conference title for the winner. Both are good offensive teams, so it should be a fun watch.
3. Western Michigan at Toledo, CBS SN – Toledo has a chance for redemption. They lost their most important game of the year, vs NIU, but with NIU’s upset loss on Tuesday, Toledo is once again in control of its destiny. With a win here, Toledo wins the MAC East, and they’ll be the favorite in the MAC CG against Bowling Green.
4. Miami at Pittsburgh, ESPN 2 – Not an overly important game, but both teams are above average, and Pitt is relevant to both Iowa’s and Notre Dame’s résumés.
5. Kent State at Akron, ESPN 3 – Nothing to see here.

1:00

1. Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan, ESPN 3 – Oh, I’m sure saving this one for 1 will really help add the viewers.

2:00

1. Troy at Georgia State, ESPN 3 – It’s of no real importance, but if Georgia State wins, they’ll still be alive for a bowl game in December. That’s a really big step forward for the program.

2:30

1. Missouri at Arkansas, CBS – Missouri’s quest for bowl eligibility is pretty much the only interesting thing here. Pass.

3:30

1. Iowa at Nebraska, ABC – This one could be interesting. Iowa’s undefeated, but they’re a better home team than they are away from Kinnick Stadium. Nebraska has to win this game to go to a bowl, and their talent is strong enough to hang with good teams. Nebraska could make a 6-6 season much more palatable if they were able to end a second perfect season, having already beaten Michigan State.
2. Washington State at Washington, FOX – The Apple Cup is watchable. The Huskies’ record may not reflect it, but they’re not bad. Washington State’s record does reflect how good the Cougars are. UW needs this one not just for bragging rights, but for bowl eligibility. If Wazzou wins, they finish 9-3, force their biggest rival into a 5-7 finish, and solidify their status as the best program in the state.
3. Boise State at San Jose State, CBS SN – Normally, this one might mean something, but Boise’s 7-4, so it doesn’t.

4:00

1. Oregon Sate at Oregon, FS1 – Any rivalry nicknamed Civil War is a good one, but this game won’t be close.

4:30

1. Massachusetts at Buffalo, ESPN U – The Bulls can get bowl eligible, which is not nearly enough to recommend this game.

7:30

1. Baylor at TCU, ESPN – Nothing gets decided here, but Baylor could put itself in good position if things go their way Saturday. The Bears are still in the playoff mix, so this one’s worth monitoring.

8:00

1. Tulsa at Tulane, ESPN U – Not even gonna throw the italics onto this one. Avoid it.

Saturday

12:00

1. Ohio State at Michigan, ABC – The Game is the biggest it’s been in 8 or 9 years, so it bears watching. Neither really controls its own destiny, but if Penn State upsets Michigan State, this game will decide the Big Ten East. Both are long shots, but in the mix for the playoffs.
2. Georgia at Georgia Tech, ESPN 2 – As a Georgia fan, I’m thankful this is scheduled where it won’t interfere with significantly more important things.
3. Clemson at South Carolina, ESPN – If SC was anything resembling decent, it’d be a big game, but Clemson isn’t going to lose to a team that just lost to The Citadel.
4. SMU at Memphis, ESPN News – The 2015 teams are very different, but both coaches are hot commodities. Hiring eyes will be watching.
5. Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech – The winner wins the CUSA West. They’ll be underdogs vs Marshall or Western Kentucky, but this is the most important game of the year for both.
6. Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN U – Frank Beamer’s last game.
7. Louisville at Kentucky, SEC Network – Rivalry! Rivalry?
8. Iowa State at West Virginia, FS1 – Shouldn’t be interesting, but Paul Rhoads in his last game could be of very mild interest.
9. Indiana at Purdue, Big Ten Network – The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket!
10. Maryland at Rutgers, Big Ten Network – The battle for the Oh Yeah, They’re In The Big Ten Too trophy!
11. Cincinnati at East Carolina, CBS SN – Hey, it’s a couple of disappointing AAC teams for a change.

12:30

1. Duke at Wake Forest, ESPN 3 – I could try, but I won’t.
2. Boston College at Syracuse, ESPN 3 – BC’s 100% defense team-building exercise comes to a merciful end.

2:00

1. South Alabama at Georgia Southern, ESPN 3 – Upper half of the Sun Belt teams square off.
2. UL-Lafayette at Appalachian State, ESPN 3 – Mark Hudspeth’s terrible, no-good coffin of a season will have the final nail driven in by a good App State.

2:30

1. Colorado at Utah, Pac-12 – It almost happened, Utah. Welp.

3:30

1. Penn State at Michigan State, ESPN – MSU wins the Big Ten East if they win this game, but Penn State is no slouch. The winner wins the Land Grant Trophy and will take a 15-14-1 lead in the all-time series.
2. UCLA at USC, ABC/ESPN 2 – The winner wins the Pac-12 South and will face Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship.
3. Alabama at Auburn, CBS – It’s the Iron Bowl, and one participant is in good shape to make it to the playoffs if they win, which means it’s worth watching.
4. North Carolina at NC State, ABC/ESPN 2 – North Carolina has already clinched the Coastal, but they’re hoping to be a dark horse for a playoff bid. They have to beat a pretty decent NC State team to keep that intact.
5. Wisconsin at Minnesota, Big Ten Network – Paul Bunyan’s Axe, one of the better trophies in college football, goes to the winner.
6. Northwestern at Illinois, ESPN U – NU could get to 10-2 here, which would be quite an achievement. Really good year for the Wildcats. The winner gets the Land of Lincoln Trophy, perhaps the lamest in the Big Ten.
7. BYU at Utah State, CBS SN – This is a game that will be played.
8. UTEP at North Texas, FSN – The horror…. the horror….

4:00

1. Vanderbilt at Tennessee, SEC Network – UT should cruise. Bad matchups are a theme for this time slot.
2. Kansas State at Kansas, FS1 – Kansas State should cruise.
3. Arkansas State at New Mexico State, ESPN 3 – ASU should cruise. The Sun Belt championship is theirs if they win out.

5:00

1. Texas State at Idaho, ESPN 3 – Nah.

7:00

1. Connecticut at Temple, ESPN U – UConn handed Houston its first loss last week. I think they may not match up as well with Temple, but either way, these are not-bad AAC teams. Temple wins the AAC East with a win here, so I think the Owls get it done. Bolding this one, but not for long. You’ll only watch about 15 minutes of this one.

7:15

1. Ole Miss at Mississippi State, ESPN 2 – The Egg Bowl is always pretty entertaining, and there’s a very minute chance Ole Miss could be playing for the SEC West championship when things kick off. It’ll take an Auburn win in the Iron Bowl, but hey, maybe.

7:30

1. Notre Dame at Stanford, FOX – If the Irish lose, they’re out of the playoff picture. If they win, it’s still pretty muddled. Either way, Stanford is a very formidable opponent. The winner gets the Legends Trophy, which is kinda cool – it’s a Dublin Irish bowl on a California Redwood base.
2. Florida State at Florida, ESPN – One of college football’s best rivalries features two really good teams for the first time in several years. I could see either winning. Florida still has a shot at the playoffs, but if recent weeks are any indication, they’re not up to the task of finishing out the regular season, much less the playoffs. This should supersede the Egg Bowl as your backup.
3. Texas A&M at LSU, SEC Network – Both have dealt with disappointment this year. The difference is that A&M seems to understand they have a good coach, and their administration doesn’t seem to be actively working against him.

8:00

1. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, ABC – It’s the biggest Bedlam in years, maybe ever, with both teams still alive in the playoff picture. Two of the last three in this series have gone to OT. It’s big, maybe the biggest game of the day. Try to split time with Notre Dame/Stanford and Florida/FSU as well as you can. As usual, I recommend the Thuuz app for iOS and Android.

9:00

1. Colorado State at Fresno State, CBS SN – Mike Bobo’s Rams are bowl eligible, but 7-5 would net them a better bowl than 6-6.

10:00

1. Arizona State at California, FS1 – The winner goes 7-5, the loser goes 6-6. Meh.

10:15

1. Air Force at New Mexico, ESPN U – Both these schools beat Boise State. Yes, really.

10:45

1. Nevada at San Diego State, ESPN 2 – SDSU is undefeated in conference play, which is something I had not realized until this sentence.