College football Week 13 preview: Five best games to watch this weekend

College Football

Updated Nov. 22, 2024 3:18 p.m. ET

Week 13 of the college football season will reveal the truth about who’s for real and who’s not. Take No. 5 Indiana, for example. The Hoosiers have blown past most of their opponents this season, are 10-0 for the first time in school history and first-year head coach Curt Cignetti has already signed a new contract. How will they handle the pressure of facing No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus? Can they pull off a massive upset?

Then, there’s No. 16 Colorado, which is riding a four-game winning streak and controls its own destiny in winning the Big 12. Standing in its way this week is unranked Kansas, which has sneakily beaten two ranked opponents in consecutive weeks. Will the Buffs be the Jayhawks’ next victim?

Meanwhile, No. 19 Army remains undefeated and takes on its first ranked team of the season in No. 6 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium. Can the Black Knights keep their perfect streak going?

With that, here are the top five games to watch this weekend:

No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Indiana is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. During the preseason, the Hoosiers were ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten. But new coach Curt Cignetti has inspired a team full of transfers, and now Indiana has a huge opportunity on Saturday. One of the knocks on IU, however, is the fact that it has yet to play a ranked opponent. Teams can only play the teams on their schedule. It’s not the Hoosiers’ fault they didn’t draw Oregon or Penn State and that defending-champion Michigan isn’t the team it was last year.

Now they have a chance to make one of the biggest statements of the season vs. No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus, with conference championship and College Football Playoff stakes galore for both sides. For the Buckeyes, it’s why so many star players decided to stay in school one more year before going to the NFL.

This season has been national title-or-bust for Ryan Day’s team, and the Buckeyes already have one loss to Oregon on their résumé. Even if OSU loses on Saturday, it should still make the CFP as a two-loss team, but the Buckeyes would prefer not to entertain that idea.

No. 9 Ole Miss at Florida (12 p.m. ET)

Florida started the season 1-2 with blowout losses to Miami and Texas A&M at home. As the season went on, the Gators improved some, but struggled to beat ranked opponents. After a 34-20 loss to rival Georgia on Nov. 2, however, athletic director Scott Stricklin announced that coach Billy Napier would return next season. Florida responded to that news by getting beat up by Texas the following week, but turned things around last Saturday when it upset then-No. 22 LSU, 27-16. Are the Gators finding their confidence? They need to win their final two games against Ole Miss and Florida State to become bowl eligible, creating a sense of urgency.

However, this is a hot Ole Miss team traveling to The Swamp. The two-loss Rebels are on the brink of making the 12-team playoff and can’t afford any missteps. Earlier this week, coach Lane Kiffin said he believes his team is “peaking at the right time,” which certainly seems to be the case after knocking off then-No. 2 Georgia, 28-10, on Nov. 9. There’s a lot at stake for both teams in this SEC showdown, and neither can afford to stumble.

No. 14 BYU at No. 21 Arizona State (3:30 p.m. ET)

BYU suffered its first loss of the season last week when it was upset 17-13 by Kansas at home. Now, Saturday’s matchup vs. Arizona State is a must-win for the Cougars if they want to keep their Big 12 title and CFP hopes alive. With a loss, they’d still have a shot at making the conference championship game. At the same time, the Big 12 is so murky right now with other two-loss teams waiting for someone ahead of them in the standings to make a mistake, so winning would just make things easier.

There are two weeks left in the regular season, and BYU, Colorado, Arizona State and Iowa State all have a chance to make the conference title game. Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham was asked about all the various scenarios earlier this week, and told reporters what he told his players: “Don’t get lost in the sauce.” ASU hasn’t played in a game of this magnitude in a while. And after beating then-No. 16 Kansas State last week, they’re in better shape to contend for a Big 12 title if they win on Saturday.

No. 16 Colorado at Kansas (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Speaking of the messy Big 12, Colorado and Kansas will be playing at the same time as BYU and Arizona State. CU is tied with BYU at the top of the conference at 6-1. If both teams win out, they’ll see each other in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 7. The Buffaloes looked strong last week on their way to a 49-24 win over Utah. QB Sheduer Sanders overcame a shaky start to throw for 340 yards and three touchdowns, while Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter made play after play, including scoring a touchdown and making an interception.

The Buffs are feeling confident right now and are so close to the Big 12 championship and CFP that they can taste it. However, Kansas has gotten into the habit of pulling off upsets. In fact, the Jayhawks beat ranked opponents (then-No. 17 Iowa State followed by then-No. 6 BYU) in consecutive weeks for the first time in program history. Is Colorado next? After starting the season 2-6, KU is now 4-6 and can become bowl eligible with wins over Colorado and Baylor to finish the regular season. So the Jayhawks have something to play for here, too.

No. 19 Army at No. 6 Notre Dame (7 p.m. ET)

In case you forgot, there are only three unbeaten FBS teams left. Oregon, Indiana and … Army. The Black Knights are on a 13-game winning streak dating back to last season and are hoping to beat the Fighting Irish for the first time since 1958. An upset here would then thrust the CFP into chaos in terms of how many Group of Five teams potentially make the 12-team field. If Army stays undefeated and wins the American Athletic Conference and Boise State wins out and becomes the Mountain West champion, things could get interesting for the selection committee.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the point here is that Army has a chance to dramatically shake things up. It won’t be easy, however, as the Irish have the edge when it comes to talent and physicality. They’re also determined to finish the season strong because if they stumble, they’ll be eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Both teams have stingy defenses, ranked first (Army) and third (Notre Dame) in scoring defense, holding opponents to 10.3 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Stopping the run and taking care of the ball will determine who wins.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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