Just three weeks remain in the college football regular season. Now more than ever, teams need to push through and finish the season strong if they want a shot at glory. With just three teams hoisting the impressive undefeated record, rising underdogs look to spoil their perfect season.
The newest AP poll is out with the updated college football ranking. The top five spots stayed the same with the three undefeated teams remaining in the top three. Ohio State is the favorite to lift the National Championship trophy as their margin of victory this season has been a dominant 29.8 points, leaving their opponents in the dust.
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will travel to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. Notre Dame is riding a seven-game win streak after dropping their first two against top 25 opponents. The Irish are averaging 37.4 points on offense this season, placing them seventh nationally. Their opponent, Pittsburgh is currently on a hot streak themselves, winning their previous five, and looking to pull off the upset. This top 25 matchup has No. 10 Notre Dame opening as double-digit favorites against the No. 25 Panthers.
No 20. Iowa will face off against No. 19 USC in a Big Ten top 25 matchup. USC’s offense has been key this season, averaging 503.2 yards a game, which is second best in college football. To counteract that, Iowa’s defense allows only 250.2 yards a game which is fourth best in college football. It is safe to say the main storyline in this one will be USC’s offense against Iowa’s defense.
With the Crimson Tide taking on one of the toughest schedules of the year, it is surprising to see them with a record of 8-1. The Tide has won their last eight games, defeating four ranked SEC opponents. If that were not impressive enough, they did that all in four weeks. After defeating LSU at home, they now look to host No. 11 Oklahoma in a must-see football showdown. Both teams are phenomenal on both sides of the ball, holding teams below 20 points a game while averaging over 25 points on offense. The Tide are the toughest they come, winning four National Championships in the past ten years. Oklahoma must prove they deserve to be in the SEC amongst other elites.
The bright lights in Athens, Ga. will shine bright when powerhouse No. 5 Georgia hosts No. 10 Texas. This SEC showdown will face two of the top 10 teams in the country in the strongest conference in college football. With nine SEC teams ranked in the top 25, including four of them in the top six; it is no surprise there is some good football played in this conference. A win for Georgia here would certainly punch their ticket into the playoffs with impressive wins on the season so far. Texas could also find themselves sneaking into the playoffs with a win on the road this weekend, along with closing out their season against undefeated Texas A&M. Although the season is ending, there is still a crack in the door leaving teams such as Texas to potentially slip into the post season.
As Week 12 approaches, the scene is set for programs to take their next step into the storybooks and sign their names into college football history. Top seeded programs such as Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State will look to solidify their postseason tickets and march on toward the National Championship. Every play matters when any underdog can come and spoil their miraculous run. With all these high-end matchups on the line this weekend, fans can expect intensity, drama and lots of points on the scoreboard.