College football Week 13 game times, TV channels, analysis & predictions

FRI 12 PM ET: #15 Texas at Kansas on FS1 - Win and you’re in Longhorns!

The Longhorns prevailed last week against Iowa State setting up their final conference game at Kansas as a BIG 12 Championship game clincher. If the Longhorns win, they will face the winner of the Sooners-Mountaineers matchup for the conference title. Kansas is already starting off the rivalry week by banning Texas mascot BEVO from the sideline. It may be petty but Kansas has been a sad football school for a while, though hiring Les Miles is hopefully a sign of good fortune in the future. For Texas, winning this game is the culmination of their return to the big table.

Texas is highly motivated with a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game at stake. The Longhorns have some cause for concern given quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s health (he is currently questionable to play), but the offense is stacked with playmakers and should be just fine with Shane Buechele at the controls. More importantly, the defense matches up well against Kansas running back Pooka Williams the rest of the Jayhawks’ offense. An upset victory on Senior Day would be a nice parting gift for KU head coach David Beaty, but it’s difficult to imagine this era of Kansas football ending by knocking Texas out of the conference title game.

What to expect: Longhorns are going to roll over Kansas and into a BIG-12 Championship rematch.

FRI 8 PM ET: #6 Oklahoma at #9 West Virginia on ESPN - One of these teams will be in the BIG-12 Championship game, but who?

This is a tough matchup for an Oklahoma team that doesn’t play defense very well at all. The Mountaineers are much more balanced but can they really outscore the Sooners? Both teams need to finish this season out right with a chance to win the conference. Knowing that Oklahoma’s route to victory is to keep scoring as they allowed Kansas to put up 40 points last week, this one rests with Kyler Murray vs. Will Grier:

In their last 12 games coming off of a loss, the Mountaineers are 9-3 SU.

Saturday night’s total is set at 81.5 points. The OVER is 4-0 in the last four games between the Sooners and the Mountaineers.

All signs point to this game being an absolute shootout, perhaps the type of game that the team to get the last possession will win. It should be a treat to watch two of the nation’s best quarterbacks go to war, unless you are a fan of defensive football.

A West Virginia win would lock in a rematch for the Big 12 title next week, while an Oklahoma win would leave the door open for the Texas Longhorns to jump West Virginia in the Big 12 standings with a win.

What to expect: I just don’t see West Virginia having the ball last in this one, they lost last week’s shootout, they’ll lose this one too. Sooners by a touchdown.

FRI 8:30 PM ET: #18 Washington at #8 Washington State on FOX - Who will win this year’s Apple Cup?

This year’s Apple Cup winner will take on Utah in the PAC-12 Championship game. Last year, it was the Huskies big over their in-state rival, will this year be any different? With so much riding on this game, Mike Leach looks to avenge last year’s loss and the odds are that he will:

There’s a ton on the line for both teams in this one; the winner will advance to the Pac-12 Championship Game, where it will take on the Utah Utes on Friday, Nov. 30, for the right to play in the Rose Bowl. But for the Cougars, there’s an added opportunity: At 10-1, they’re still very much alive for a berth in the College Football Playoff.

WSU is favored by three points over its rival, which is a rare occurrence — the Cougs haven’t been favored coming into the game since 2006. But there’s good reason for it, as WSU is ranked higher and possesses the better record.

The Cougars also bring in the game’s best player: Quarterback Gardner Minshew, who is in the mix to be a Heisman Trophy finalist. He leads the nation with 4,325 yards passing and 36 touchdowns.

What to expect: As stated above, the Cougars have the best player therefore they should get the job done and move into the PAC-12 Championship game with the Utes.

SAT 12 PM ET: #4 Michigan at #10 Ohio State on FOX - Wolverines need to break the six-game streak to stay in the playoffs

Michigan has been a pretty solid team under Jim Harbaugh but everyone is waiting for them to take that next step. By all rights, they should put Urban Meyer’s squad down but they have been here before and disappointed. The last six years have seen heartbreak after heartbreak in this game, if they’re not careful, it’ll happen again:

For all of Michigan’s incredible defensive strengths, the Wolverines are only 79th in points allowed per scoring opportunity (4.65). It is a slight weakness you have to take advantage of.

While red zone failures were a primary factor in Ohio State’s loss to Purdue, the Buckeyes have been solid in the red zone despite some run issues. They average 5.05 points per scoring opp, 24th in FBS, and if they’ve got any red zone trick plays, now’s the time to whip them out. That, or give speedy backup QB Tate Martell an extended package to run here. Or, hell, maybe both.

In games in which teams’ success rates are within 5 percentage points of each other (as should be the case here), teams that win the points-per-opportunity battle in 2018 are 129-55, a win percentage of 70. It can’t be overstated how important finishing drives is.

What to expect: I’m sticking with Big Blue here to finally put away the Buckeyes and advance to the playoffs.

SAT 7:30 PM ET: #7 LSU at Texas A&M on ESPN - Tigers look to finish up strong by beating the Aggies in College Station

The Tigers have been back to their winning ways over the last two games after their shutout beating they took from Alabama. Though the Aggies are capable of making it tough on their opponents, LSU gets back three defenders that are going to be a momentum-shifter in this game. The Aggies are going to find it hard to move the ball on offense against this healthy Tigers secondary:

The LSU Tigers will return three players from injury in the secondary, Ed Orgeron said Monday, bolstering a position group in which the team already had a substantial advantage over Texas A&M.

Free safety John Battle has missed two games since he injured his ankle on the first play of the Alabama game Nov. 3, and second-team safety Todd Harris (undisclosed) and cornerback Kelvin Joseph (hamstring) will be available for the first time since they both exited LSU’s 24-17 win at Arkansas on Nov. 10.

Yes, the bulk of Orgeron’s verbal scouting report on Texas A&M focused on the Aggies’ strength in the run game. But first-year coach Jimbo Fisher has also developed the nation’s No. 36-ranked pass offense with 259.7 yards passing per game.

Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond has been shaky this season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound sophomore’s eight interceptions are tied for second-most in the Southeastern Conference — something LSU’s pass defense (ranked fifth nationally with 16 interceptions) can exploit if it is close to full strength.

What to expect: Give me the Tigers by a late touchdown over A&M.

You can find the full slate of college football games right here.