College football is winding down its season. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in college football week 12.
1. USC at UCLA
USC has playoff hopes after starting the season at 9-1. They have been led by their offense, which scores 42.4 points per game. Caleb Williams is a Heisman contender at the quarterback position. He has 3,010 rushing yards, 31 touchdowns and two interceptions on 63.7 percent completion. Williams will have to be at his best to beat UCLA.
UCLA is 8-2, but is coming off a very disappointing loss to Arizona which knocked them out of the CFP picture. They run the ball well, which is something that USC struggles to defend. If they establish the run, they can win the game and stay alive in the Pac-12 Championship race.
2. Utah at Oregon
Utah was the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12. After struggling early, they are still in play to make the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Utes have a high-powered offense that scores 39.5 points per game. They’ll need a good game out of quarterback Cam Rising, as they are playing Oregon, who has had issues in their secondary.
Oregon had just one loss last week and had CFP hopes, but they lost to Washington. They still want to make the Pac-12 Championship Game and will be trying to establish the ground game against the Utes. As mentioned, they’ll need their secondary to play better to have a chance to win. If they do, they will likely go to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
3. TCU’s Rivalry Game
TCU got out of week 11 with a win over Texas. They have to avoid a letdown game in week 12, but they should be focused to take on their rivals, Baylor in week 12. Most weeks, TCU has had to come from behind and win with their talented offense. Against Texas, their defense stepped up. Their offense should return to form against Baylor, but if they don’t, it’s nice to know their defense can help out.
Baylor has had an up-and-down season. After starting slow, they went on a roll before losing last week to Kansas State. They have run the ball well this season at 199.6 yards per game. Baylor will need quarterback Blake Shapen to play well and keep it close with TCU. Expect to see another close game.
4. Bedlam
In week 12, Oklahoma State travels to Oklahoma for Bedlam. Oklahoma State started the year off hot, but has cooled down and played their way out of CFP discussions and are hanging on to slim Big 12 Championship hopes. The Cowboys have specifically struggled since Spencer Sanders has been injured, but he did come in and help the team in relief in week 11. They’ll need him in hope of beating their rivals.
Oklahoma is 5-5 and needs one more win to get bowl-eligible, which is not something a lot of people would think at this point in the season. They too have had issues when their starting quarterback has missed games, but now Dillon Gabriel is back healthy. The offense will try to run the ball, as they rush for over 200 yards per game. If they can establish the run, they could get a win in Bedlam.
5. Big Ten West
The Big Ten West has been a mess all season long. There are still five teams alive in the Big Ten West race, the winner of which will play the winner of Ohio State/Michigan in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship.
There are plenty of games to watch in week 12 for the Big Ten West. Illinois needs to pull off an upset over Michigan to keep their hopes alive. Purdue has an easier game with Northwestern, but a win will set them up decently well. Wisconsin plays Nebraska in a game they have to win. Iowa and Minnesota will be a battle, the winner of which gets the right to stay alive for one more week.
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