Michigan State-Ohio State. It’s a game we’ve all had circled since the 2015 schedule was announced. Now is the time we finally find out if Ohio State is in fact for real or if the nation’s longest winning streak comes to an end. That’s one of the signature games of Week 12 as well as a couple of other Top 25 matchups.
No. 9 Michigan State Spartans @ No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
The defending national champion Buckeyes have been on cruise control since Week 1 and even though they haven’t gotten consistent play at the quarterback position all year, they have dominated their schedule while winning 10 straight games. However, the final two weeks of the regular season will present the toughest challenges for Ohio State so far this year with the Spartans and Wolverines up next. Michigan State’s perfect season came to a shocking end with a 39-38 loss at Nebraska but they bounced back with a big win over Maryland. Quarterback Connor Cook is expected to be good to go against the Buckeyes even though he banged up his shoulder. The question is how good is Ohio State? This is a team that’s had some startlingly questionable efforts this year including close calls against Northern Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. Michigan State is going to be by far and away the best team they’ve faced this season. Everyone will be glued to their televisions on Saturday afternoon to see whether Urban Meyer’s squad has finally figured it out or whether they’re season-long struggles will catch up to them.
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UCLA Bruins @ No. 13 Utah Utes
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Any outside chance Utah had to reach the playoff went down in flames when they lost at Arizona last week. Now their chances of reaching the Pac-12 title game are in jeopardy heading into their showdown with UCLA this weekend. The Bruins are one-half game back of the Utes in the Pac-12 South while USC has reemerged as a legitimate Pac-12 title contender with an identical 5-2 record in conference play. The Trojans own the tiebreaker with Utah in their division, so the Utes’ hopes of competing in the Pac-12 title game will be on the line against the Bruins.
No. 10 Baylor Bears @ No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
True freshman Jarrett Stidham finally struggled in last week’s loss to Oklahoma and while Baylor is no longer in the playoff conversation, they now have to regroup and find a way to beat undefeated Oklahoma State on the road in order to stay alive in the Big 12 title race. The Cowboys barely scraped past Iowa State last week to stay perfect at 10-0 but they clearly looked vulnerable. They could be ripe for the upset if the Bears can recover in time. The more likely situation has J.W. Walsh and Mason Rudolph torching the Baylor defense while the Oklahoma State defense keeps Stidham in check for the second straight week. Anything can happen and we could be in for another unpredictable Big 12 showdown in this game.
No. 18 TCU Horned Frogs @ No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
TCU and Oklahoma will kick off less than an hour after Baylor and Oklahoma State get underway and that will make for a fun night for college football fans that make it to the bar to watch both games at the same time. The Horned Frogs and Sooners are still very much alive in the Big 12 race at 6-1 but they will need to win this week to keep it that way heading in to their respective season finales. Oklahoma is coming off a huge win over Baylor in which Baker Mayfield delivered another Heisman-worthy performance. Meanwhile, TCU will be without top wide receiver Josh Doctson while quarterback Trevone Boykin is banged up. TCU has been dealing with injuries all season long – mostly to their defense – but now they’re offense will be hampered. They’ll be without at least one of their top weapons, maybe two. They’ll be particularly vulnerable heading in to this showdown.
