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ESPN staff
Week 12 of the college football season brings with it a full slate of Top 25 games and plenty of drama. We’ll have all the news, analysis and best moments of the day covered right here.
Jump to: Top 25 games | Best of Week 12
Injury updates and latest news
He took a flying leap!
ESPN’s Pat McAfee once took an infamous swim in an Indianapolis canal. Saturday, he made a splash in the beautiful murky green waters of Waco.
0:50
During College GameDay, Pat McAfee belly flops into the Brazos River while wearing a full suit.
Picks and gambling tips
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Scott Van Pelt picks nine games against the spread for Week 11 including Minnesota looking to remain unbeaten vs. Iowa.
Top 25 games
In order of game time, with College Football Playoff rankings; lines courtesy Caesars Sportsbook
No. 23 Navy at No. 16 Notre Dame
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: NBC
Line: Notre Dame -7
And our best line: Navy has won five straight games since losing to Memphis on Sept. 26. The Midshipmen are looking to win six consecutive games within a season for the first time since 1979. However, Navy has only a 16% chance to win, according to FPI.
No. 2 Ohio State at Rutgers
Time: 3:30 ET
How to watch: Big Ten Network
Line: Ohio State -52
And our best line: Since Rutgers started playing Ohio State when it joined the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights have scored three touchdowns in five games. In the past three years, the average score is Ohio State 55.3, Rutgers 1.
Wake Forest at No. 3 Clemson
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ABC and ESPN app
Line: Clemson -34.5
And our best line: Following its 21-20 win over North Carolina on Sept. 28, the Tigers have scored at least 45 points in five straight games. It’s the second-longest streak in ACC history (Florida State did it in six straight games in 2013) and its five straight wins by 30-plus points are tied for the longest streak in ACC history (Florida State also did it in 2013).
No. 4 Georgia at No. 12 Auburn
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS
Line: Georgia -3
And our best line: According to the PlayStation Player Impact metric, Georgia’s starting offensive line unit has a rating of 97, the second best of any unit in the nation (Oklahoma, 98). The Bulldogs will go up against the best defensive line unit, according to that same metric. Georgia enters the game having allowed pressure on 23% of dropbacks, the lowest rate in the SEC. The Tigers have pressured opposing quarterbacks on 35% of dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the conference.
No. 18 Memphis at Houston
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN2 and ESPN app
Line: Memphis -10.5
And our best line: Memphis is 3-0 against Houston under coach Mike Norvell. A win would mark the program’s longest win streak against the Cougars in series history.
No. 19 Texas at Iowa State
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: FS1
Line: Iowa State -7
And our best line: Texas, which is a 14-2 all time against Iowa State, enters as the underdog for the first time in series history. The Longhorns’ .875 win percentage against the Cyclones is currently their highest against any current Big 12 team.
West Virginia at No. 24 Kansas State
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN app
Line: Kansas State -13.5
And our best line: West Virginia is currently riding a five-game losing streak, its first since 2012 (their first season as a member of the Big 12). With a loss, the Mountaineers would have their longest losing streak since a six-game drought in 1986.
No. 8 Minnesota at No. 20 Iowa
Time: 4 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox
Line: Iowa -3
And our best line: Minnesota can clinch the Big Ten West with a win combined with a Wisconsin loss (at Nebraska). The Golden Gophers have not won or shared the overall Big Ten title since 1967.
No. 1 LSU at Ole Miss
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN app
Line: LSU -21
And our best line: LSU coach Ed Orgeron is heading to Ole Miss with a chance to pick up his 10th win of the season. That would match his win total from three seasons he spent as the Rebels’ coach when he went 10-25 in 2005-07.
No. 17 Cincinnati at South Florida
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
Line: Cincinnati -14
And our best line: Cincinnati enters the weekend 5-0 in conference play and currently leads the AAC East. The Bearcats can clinch the division title with a win in this game and a Temple loss to Tulane.
No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 13 Baylor
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ABC and ESPN app
Line: Oklahoma -10
And our best line: Both teams are heavy ESPN FPI favorites to get to the Big 12 title game (93% for each), and Baylor can clinch a spot with a win against Oklahoma coupled with a Texas loss to Iowa State. No other team currently has more than a 10% chance to reach the conference title game. The Sooners remain the favorite to ultimately win the conference title (73%).
No. 25 Appalachian State at Georgia State
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPNU and ESPN app
Line: Appalachian State -17
And our best line: This marks the first time that a Sun Belt member is ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Sun Belt had been the only FBS conference not represented in the rankings until this week.
UCLA at No. 7 Utah
Time: 8 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox
Line: Utah – 21.5
And our best line: Utah has an 85% chance to win the Pac-12 South and a 32% chance to win the conference, according to the AllState Playoff Predictor. UCLA is clinging to a 2% chance to win the division and just a 0.1% chance to win the conference.
New Mexico at No. 21 Boise State
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN2 and ESPN app
Line: Boise State -28
And our best line: Boise State currently has an 89% chance to win the Mountain division and a 75% chance to win the Mountain West, according to FPI.
Arizona at No. 6 Oregon
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN app
Line: Oregon -27.5
And our best line: The Ducks have a 31% chance to reach the College Football Playoff, the best of any Pac-12 team and fifth best of any school in FBS. Oregon can become the first Pac-12 team to make the CFP multiple times since it began in 2014.
What the games mean
No. 5 Alabama 38, Mississippi State 7
Alabama scored an easy, and very costly, win in Starkville. The Tide bolted to a 35-7 lead in the second quarter and cruised, but the obvious story wasn’t the result. Tua Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury late in the first half, then Bama’s star defensive lineman, Raekwon Davis, went down as well. Their status is all that matters with two regular season games left and the Tide still immersed in the national title hunt. — Bill Connolly
No. 9 Penn State 34, Indiana 27
The Nittany Lions strung together a gritty, 18-play scoring drive that ate 9:01 off the clock late in the fourth quarter to beat a much-improved Indiana team and keep their playoff hopes alive. PSU can now focus on Ohio State — the most important remaining regular-season game for both teams, as it will decide the East winner. ESPN’s FPI gives PSU a 15.9% chance to win, but an upset would catapult it right back into the conversation. — Heather Dinich
No. 11 Florida 23, Missouri 6
It took a while for the Gators to get going offensively in a win over Missouri but there were definite bright spots, including the continued development of Kyle Trask — who has now thrown two touchdown passes in eight straight games, the longest streak by a Florida player since Tim Tebow in 2008 (10 straight). The defense had another big game, and Jonathan Greenard appeared to be rounding back into form with two sacks and five tackles for loss. The Gators have an open date to prepare for rival Florida State, where they will try for back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2008-2009. — Andrea Adelson
No. 15 Michigan 44, Michigan State 10
Michigan moved to 8-2 with an improving offense and only Indiana and Ohio State remaining on the schedule. That rivalry game against the Buckeyes is a lot more intriguing than it looked at the beginning of the season, but Indiana is no pushover. The Wolverines will need similar performances out of quarterback Shea Patterson, who threw for more than 350 yards. — Tom VanHaaren
Best of the week
Like looking in a mirror
Bella Martina, a 16-year-old Georgia who went viral with her re-creations of Trevor Lawrence photos, met the Clemson QB. “That one girl actually does look a lot like me so it’s kind of crazy,” Lawrence said previously. He was right.
Look who Trevor Lawrence just met. #TikTok #Clemson pic.twitter.com/RFOBL2EZfm
— TheClemsonInsider (@ClemsonInsider) November 16, 2019
For the uninitiated, here was the video that started all the fun.
Bruh 😂 pic.twitter.com/tK5dOPbWMB
— RunDaBawl.com®️ (@FunnyMaine) November 2, 2019
College football’s meme team
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From the LSU Stare Girl to the Florida State Book Reader, you never know who will become the next viral image and newest member of college football’s Meme Team.
Inside the world of the suddenly famous college football fans, plucked from obscurity by television producers, then launched into the world in meme form through myriad social media platforms. It’s the modern twist on Andy Warhol’s “15 minutes of fame” theory, only these 15 minutes are portioned out in three-second GIFs over years and years. For more, read read David M. Hale’s story on college football’s instafamous fans.
Ferocious attack
It has been a rough year for Oklahoma’s Sooner Schooner. First, it took a spill in Norman last month during the West Virginia game. Now, before the Sooners’ big game in Waco, a miniature version of it was toppled by a full-sized animal (not sure if it was Judge Joy or Judge Lady, tbh) inside Baylor’s bear habitat.
⚠️Warning⚠️
Travel by covered wagon comes with high risk of bear attacks @Baylor @BaylorAthletics @BUFootball @OU_Football @OU_Athletics pic.twitter.com/MKeQ4axPfT— Judge Joy and Judge Lady (@bubearhabitat) November 15, 2019
Lights out in Iowa
In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes are wearing their blackout unis for a crucial Big Ten West game against Minnesota.
Blackout. In Kinnick. In November.#KeepFloydHome 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/w2wjz1yGJM
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 15, 2019
And over in Ames for a game against Texas, Iowa State is taking the blackout to even more extremes.
#BeatTexas 🌪🏈 pic.twitter.com/tiVV2uJ0vQ
— Cyclone Equipment (@CycloneEQUIP) November 13, 2019
Salute to service
Missouri’s Veterans Day tribute “Top Gun” uniforms honor the Navy. Also, Navy has a football team, so that’s kind of weird, but it’s definitely the thought that counts.
Saturday’s helmet features:
▪️ Replica TOPGUN Patch
▪️ #Mizzou-colored national insignia found on every US military aircraft
▪️ The numbers on each helmet represent the area code of each player. It honors the numbering system of US Navy ships#MIZ | #TOPGUN 🐯🏈🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7cfMW9kiS1— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 15, 2019