The road to the College Football Playoff will make one more stop this week with three key conference championship games that will have a major impact on which four teams get in this season. The two undefeated teams at the top of the rankings still face must-win situations and if either one falters, it could create one final shakeup before the four seeds are set. Here is a look at the can’t-miss games for Week 14 of the college football season.
No. 18 Florida Gators vs No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
Saturday, 4:00 PM ET
Derrick Henry rumbled for a career-high 271 yards and a touchdown to lead Alabama to a 29-13 win over Auburn in last week’s Iron Bowl and entrench the Tide as the No. 2 team in the country according to the latest College Football Playoff rankings. However, they still have won more stop in the SEC championship game this week and need a win to clinch their spot in the final four. The Gators have had a remarkable turnaround this season but they played their worst game of the season in last week’s 27-2 loss to Florida State and will be in tough trying to match up with an Alabama side that is coming off perhaps its best game of the year. As a matter of fact, Florida has struggled over the last month when you look at their narrow wins over Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida Atlantic, and the fact that they got blown out at home by Florida State last week. The Tide should win this game but everyone will watch it anyway to make sure they do as they try to lock up a playoff spot.
No. 20 USC Trojans vs No. 7 Stanford Cardinal
Saturday, 7:45 PM ET
Stanford kept itself in the playoff conversation with a 38-36 win over Notre Dame but will need another win over USC in the Pac-12 championship game as well as some help at the top in order to get in. The Cardinal will likely need to secure a convincing win as well as for Clemson, Alabama and Michigan State to all lose in order to have a chance. This game is worth watching regardless of what happens elsewhere to see if Stanford can make one final statement and clinch a Pac-12 title against a rival they have already beaten once this season. On the flip side, everyone will be watching closely to see how USC’s new head coach Clay Helton’s team performs after the team removed the ‘interim’ tag off his title.
No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels @ No. 1 Clemson Tigers
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
The Tar Heels have won 11 straight games since opening the season with a loss to South Carolina and while that lone defeat holds extra weight based on the fact that the Gamecocks have been so terrible, the football fans in North Carolina would still like to think they will be considered for a playoff spot if they beat Clemson. The more likely scenario has the Tigers extending their perfect run with another dominant performance on both sides of the football in order to win the ACC title. They seem like the more complete team as North Carolina has played a relatively easy schedule. Clemson can clinch the No. 1 seed for the playoff in what should be an entertaining showdown.
[related_post_one]
No. 5 Michigan State Spartans @ No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
The Spartans pushed themselves back into the conversation for a playoff spot with their wild win over Ohio State and the playoff selection committee has made it pretty clear that the winner of this game will earn a spot in the final four. By ranking Iowa at No. 4 and Michigan State at No. 5, the winner will get one of those coveted spots. The Hawkeyes deserve a ton of credit for what they accomplished running the table with 12 straight wins but they aren’t as battle-tested as the Spartans. It won’t shock anybody when Michigan State wins this game on the road and celebrates a Big Ten title with a berth in this year’s College Football Playoff.
