What to watch: College football Week 12 viewer's guide
- - What to watch: College football Week 12 viewer's guide
Nick BrombergNovember 13, 2025 at 8:56 PM
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We'll start to get some playoff clarity in Week 12.
The weekend features four games that will go a long way to defining the 12-team playoff field. Teams like No. 10 Texas and No. 11 Oklahoma could have their playoff hopes dashed, while the American Conference should start to have some separation.
Here are our games to watch on Saturday.
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 Pitt
Pat Narduzzi is right. Pitt’s playoff hopes don’t hinge much on this game. But Notre Dame’s do, and the Panthers have been one of the hottest teams in the country.
Pitt has won five straight after back-to-back losses to West Virginia and Louisville. The best win in the stretch is a victory over Florida State — Pitt hasn’t been playing a gauntlet. But that’s about to change. After Notre Dame, Pitt has No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Miami remaining on the schedule. And even if the Panthers lose 100-0 on Saturday, wins over Georgia Tech and Miami get them in the ACC title game for a chance at the College Football Playoff.
Freshman Mason Heintschel has been very good since taking over as the starter from Eli Holstein. He’s thrown for over 1,500 yards and 12 TDs with just five interceptions. However, Pitt QBs are vulnerable to sacks. Heintschel (16), Holstein (9) and Cole Gonzales (1) have been sacked a combined 26 times.
Notre Dame needs to win out to make the playoff and the Panthers are their toughest opponent remaining. After Pitt, Notre Dame has Syracuse and Stanford left on the schedule.
A multi-score win over Pitt could also mean Notre Dame could finish 10-2 with all 10 wins by at least two scores and both losses by a combined four points. Even though Pitt and USC are the only ranked teams Notre Dame would have wins over, that’s a resume the committee will certainly look at favorably.
No. 24 South Florida at Navy
We’re about to start getting some separation in the American Conference. USF and Navy are among five teams tied atop the conference with one loss. Navy has a half-game advantage on everyone else at 5-1, but that could disappear with a loss to the Bulls.
QB Blake Horvath is expected to return for the Midshipmen after missing last week’s game vs. Notre Dame. To say that’s a big deal would be an understatement. Horvath has been one of the most productive QBs in college football this season. He’s rushed 138 times for 926 yards and 13 TDs while also throwing for 1,143 yards on just 107 attempts. He’s thrown five picks, but two of those came against North Texas on Nov. 1.
That UNT game was Navy’s only conference loss of the season.
USF is currently the highest-ranked non-power conference team in the country. The Bulls lost to Memphis on Nov. 1 but are ahead of the Tigers in the rankings after Memphis lost 38-32 to Tulane in Week 11. QB Byrum Brown has thrown for 2,203 yards and 19 TDs while also leading the team with 705 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Only two players — Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby — have accounted for more touchdowns this season.
USF has also scored 48 or more points in five of its last six games, and its lowest-scoring game in that span is 31. That could be bad news for a Navy defense that allows six yards per play and gives up nearly 27 points per game.
No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama
The Sooners need to win out to have a chance at the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma is the first team out of the bracket based on the second set of rankings, but it’s hard to see Oklahoma getting into the playoff at 9-3 or worse. With Missouri and LSU remaining in Norman, the Sooners will be favored in each of their last two games. Alabama is the biggest hurdle.
The offense has slowly gotten back on track after scoring just six points against Texas. OU averaged six yards a play in a 34-26 loss to Ole Miss and had 5.5 yards per play in a 33-27 win over Tennessee. But the Sooners may not be able to settle for field goals against Alabama like they have a lot this season. Oklahoma has attempted at least three field goals in four of its five games this season and has at least two field-goal attempts in all but two contests. OU is going to need touchdowns to take down the Tide.
The Oklahoma defense is also fantastic against the run — and Alabama has struggled to run the ball with any consistency. Oklahoma is allowing just 2.5 yards per carry and has given up four rushing touchdowns all season. Outside of a three-game stretch against Georgia, Vanderbilt and Missouri where Alabama looked to have figured things out on the ground, the Tide are now back to being inefficient on the ground. Since that Mizzou win, Alabama has rushed the ball 96 times for 312 yards.
That puts a lot of pressure on Heisman hopeful Ty Simpson. He’s completing 67% of his passes and has thrown for 21 TDs with just one interception so far. However, he’s fumbled in each of Alabama’s last four games.
No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC
USC is still hanging around in the Big Ten title race. But the Trojans need some help. And they also need to win out.
Iowa has given up 93 points over six Big Ten games so far this season. That’s the third-best mark in conference play behind Ohio State’s staggering 49 points allowed in six games and Indiana’s 98 points allowed across seven games. Iowa has allowed just 38 points across its two losses; a 20-15 defeat to the Hoosiers and that 18-16 loss in the rain to Oregon in Week 11.
Can Iowa’s defense slow down USC’s offense too? And even if it does, will the offense be able to do enough to pull the upset?
USC’s offense is averaging 7.6 yards per play this season. QB Jayden Maiava is throwing for nearly 15 yards a completion and running back King Miller has rushed for 636 yards on just 80 carries. USC averages 5.8 yards a carry and rushes for over 200 yards per game. Iowa’s whole offense averages just five yards a play.
The Hawkeyes still haven’t thrown for more than 200 yards in a game against a power conference opponent. Mark Gronowski was 10-of-18 passing for 138 yards against Oregon and 66 of those yards came on Iowa’s final drive of the game. Barring multiple turnovers, the Iowa offense will need its best game of the season.
No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia
Do Texas’ playoff hopes hinge on a win in Athens? Or can the Longhorns sneak into the College Football Playoff at 9-3? There is a path for a three-loss Texas to get into the field, but the Longhorns would likely need another loss from both Vanderbilt and BYU to make the 12-team bracket.
Georgia’s defensive front overwhelmed Texas’ offensive line in a 30-15 win in 2024. This season, Georgia isn’t getting nearly the pass rush it has in previous seasons. The Georgia defense had seven sacks of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning a year ago. This season, Georgia’s whole defense has 11 sacks across nine games.
That could help minimize one of Texas’ offensive vulnerabilities. Manning was sacked six times in a loss to Florida on Oct. 4 and took eight sacks combined in overtime wins over Kentucky and Mississippi State. It’s no coincidence Texas has looked its best when Manning isn’t taking sacks. He’s been sacked four times across the Longhorns’ other six games.
The Longhorns are also going to need a complete game like they played against Oklahoma to have a chance at the win. The Kentucky game was a slog and the victory over Mississippi State necessitated a 17-point comeback just to force overtime. Texas looked fantastic against Vanderbilt … until a fourth quarter that allowed the Commodores to have a chance to improbably tie the game or take the lead had they recovered a late onside kick.
Georgia’s offense has also averaged at least six yards a play in three of its last five games. A week ago against MSU, Gunner Stockton threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs rushed 44 times for 303 yards.
Others to watch
Arizona at No. 25 Cincinnati (-6.5), noon ET, FS1: The Bearcats can’t get caught looking ahead to BYU’s visit in Week 13. Arizona is 6-3 after wins over Colorado and Kansas and haven’t allowed over 200 yards passing since Rocco Becht threw for 288 yards on Sept. 27.
No. 19 Virginia at Duke (-4.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2: Yes, the Blue Devils are favored on the heels of their loss to UConn in Week 11. Oddsmakers clearly aren’t impressed by Virginia as the Cavaliers’ luck ran out in Week 11 against Wake Forest. QB Chandler Morris missed the second half of that game but all signs point to him being able to play against Duke.
Memphis at East Carolina (-2.5), 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU: The Pirates are among that group of teams with one loss atop the American while Memphis is the only two-loss team in conference play. ECU has won three straight since losing to Tulane, but those wins have come against Tulsa, Temple and Charlotte. A win over Memphis will be massive for East Carolina’s American title hopes.
Boise State at San Diego State (-2.5), 10:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN: Could we see this game again for the Mountain West title? San Diego State’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff all but disappeared a week ago in a 38-6 loss at Hawaii. The Aztecs are 7-2 overall but have lost those two games by a combined 55 points to the Rainbow Warriors and Washington State. A Boise State win could drop SDSU into a tie with Hawaii and make it hard for the Aztecs to make the MWC title game.
Source: “AOL Sports”
