Other Games to Watch This Weekend
A year after you might have skipped watching the Notre Dame game, now you’re probably checking the scores of other games that matter. And you’ll be doing so every week for as long as the Irish are in the Playoff race.
Every Friday I’ll be doing a quick rundown of the other college football games that Notre Dame fans should be keeping an eye on each Saturday. They all matter for different reasons, but the point is they all matter for Notre Dame and the teams that are vying with them to be in that top four.
(All times are eastern)
#7 Penn State at #24 Michigan State (Noon on FOX)
This is a game that Sparty will likely lose and it will bump them out of the top-25. But if they were to win, it would not only eliminate Penn State from the Playoff conversation, but also be great for Notre Dame’s resume.
#8 Wisconsin at Indiana (Noon on ABC)
The Badgers will stay in the race as long as they are undefeated and they're projected to still be after this week.
South Carolina at #1 Georgia (3:30 on CBS)
If Georgia stays dominant, it only helps Notre Dame. If they lose, they better lose twice and they probably won’t lose this game at home.
#4 Clemson at #20 NC State (3:30 on ABC)
I’m no fan of Dave Doeren after what he said this week, but he could get back in everyone’s good books by beating Clemson and knocking them out of the race. If the Wolfpack win, they pretty much guarantee that they will be in the ACC Championship game.
#6 Ohio State at Iowa (3:30 on ESPN)
Urban’s team needs to win out and win big to stay in the race (as long as Oklahoma keeps winning).
#21 Stanford at #25 Washington State (3:30 at FOX)
This one is a huge one for Notre Dame. Stanford wins and they are still in the top-25 and have a shot at the Pac-12 North title. Lose this game and they may be on track to being a five loss team by the end of the year.
#5 Oklahoma at #11 Oklahoma State (4:00 on FS1)
It’s an elimination game with the loser being knocked out of the Playoff. It’s probably preferable for Notre Dame to have the Sooners lose because they have that big win on the road at Ohio State in their back pocket. Two losses would make it impossible for them to a jump a team with one loss, though, and they would be out of the race for the Big XII.
Texas at #8 TCU (7:15 on ESPN)
The Longhorns would be doing a lot of teams a solid by giving TCU their second loss of the season.
#19 LSU at #2 Alabama (8:00 on CBS)
Alabama is probably going to be in the four unless they lose two games. It’s doubtful they lose at home against the Tigers, but the Iron Bowl would become massive if this upset happened.
#13 Virginia Tech at #10 Miami (8:00 on ABC)
It’s simple as Miami winning sets up a better matchup next week against the Irish and at the same time knocks out Virginia Tech (while also hurting Clemson’s best win).
Oregon at #12 Washington (10:00 on FS1)
The Huskies are a darkhorse to make it, but they must win out and do so convincingly. They could end up with wins over Stanford, Wazzu, and USC to finish so don’t count them out quite yet.
#22 Arizona at #17 USC (10:45 on ESPN)
The final #PAC12AfterDark game of the week, the Irish need USC to keep rolling and make that win in South Bend even more impressive. It will be a tough test for them this week against Khalil Tate and Arizona. Pass it and they are on their way to a Pac-12 South championship.