There is much to sort out this rivalry weekend and lots of football spread out over three days. All you need is a comfortable chair, a few screens and a couple trays of leftovers to get you through.
Along with this conference-by-conference rundown of what’s at stake:
Atlantic Coast Conference – The winner of Virginia Tech at Virginia wins the Coastal Division and a trip to Charlotte to be sacrificed to Clemson.
American Athletic Conference – If Memphis beats Cincinnati, which has already clinched the East Division, they play again next week at the Liberty Bowl in the conference championsip game. If Memphis loses and Navy beats Houston, the Midshipmen win the West and go to Cincinnati next week. If both Memphis and Navy lose, Memphis is at Cincinnati next week.
Big Ten – The winner of Wisconsin at Minnesota faces Ohio State next week for the conference title.
Big 12 – Baylor and Oklahoma have wrapped up spots in the championship game, with the Sooners holding the head-to-head tiebreaker for the top seed.
Conference USA – OK, this is a little tricky. The East is straightforward: If FAU beats Southern Miss or Marshall loses to FIU, Lane Kiffin’s Owls play for the conference championship. An FAU loss opens the door for Marshall. In the West, UAB, Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss are tied at 5-2 and none of them is simply in with a victory.
Mid-American Conference – Miami will face Central Michigan if it beats Toledo on Friday. If CMU loses, Western Michigan wins the West Division.
Mountain West – Boise State and Hawaii have everything locked up and will meet on the Blue Turf next week.
Pac-12 – Oregon has its side of the conference locked up, but Utah still needs to beat Colorado at home to make a second straight title game appearance. A loss means USC wins the South Division.
Southeastern Conference – LSU vs. Georgia is booked.
Sun Belt – Appalachian State and Louisiana will meet in Boone, North Carolina, for the conference title for the second consecutive season.
Got it?
The picks:
FRIDAY
No. 18 Cincinnati (plus 11) at No. 17 Memphis
Winner has inside track to the Cotton Bowl … MEMPHIS 31-17.
No. 19 Iowa (minus 5) at Nebraska
Hawkeyes have won four straight and five of six in the series; Huskers need a win to become bowl eligible … IOWA 28-20.
No. 20 Boise State (minus 13+) at Colorado State
Colorado State coach Mike Bobo’s future is uncertain … BOISE STATE 35-17.
No. 22 Appalachian State (minus 13) at Troy
Trojans need a victory to reach bowl eligibility for fourth straight season … APP STATE 31-20.
No. 23 Virginia Tech (minus 2+) at Virginia
Hokies have won 15 straight in the Commonwealth Cup … VIRGINIA 23-21.
SATURDAY
Texas A&M (plus 17) at No. 1 LSU
Tigers have been talking revenge for last year’s seven-overtime loss to the Aggies … LSU 42-24.
No. 2 Ohio State (minus 9) at No. 10 Michigan
Buckeyes have won seven in a row against the Wolverines and you might have heard Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is 0-4 vs. Ohio State … OHIO STATE 31-17.
No. 3 Clemson (minus 27+) at South Carolina
Tigers have won five straight and only one was even close … CLEMSON 49-17.
No. 4 Georgia (minus 28) at Georgia Tech
There is no triple-option to give the Yellow Jackets a chance this year … GEORGIA 35-3.
No. 5 Alabama (minus 3+) at No. 16 Auburn
All eyes on Mac Jones and how he does filling in for Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback for the Tide … ALABAMA 28-17.
Colorado (plus 28+) at No. 6 Utah
Utes could probably use some style points … UTAH 42-10.
No. 7 Oklahoma (minus 12) at No. 21 Oklahoma State
Turnover-prone Sooners have kept some games closer than they probably should have been … OKLAHOMA 38-28.
Florida State (plus 17+) at No. 8 Florida
Is this Seminoles interim coach Odell Hagans’ job interview presentation? … FLORIDA 33-17.
No. 13 Wisconsin (minus 2) at No. 9 Minnesota
Gophers are in possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the first time since 2003 … MINNESOTA 24-23.
No. 11 Baylor (minus 14) at Kansas
Jayhawks looking for a second Big 12 victory, something they have not done since 2008 … BAYLOR 38-17, BEST BET.
Rutgers (plus 40) at No. 12 Penn State
Nittany Lions try to reach double-digit victories for the third time in four seasons, their best run since 1993-96 … PENN STATE 52-7.
Oregon State (plus 19) at No. 14 Oregon
Last home game for Ducks QB and Eugene native Justin Herbert … OREGON 49-24.
No. 15 Notre Dame (minus 16) at Stanford
Irish have not won at Stanford since 2007 … NOTRE DAME 35-17.
No. 24 Navy (minus 8+) at Houston
Cougars have won three of four since becoming conference rivals with the Middies … NAVY 35-24.
—
TWITTER REQUESTS
Mississippi (plus 2+) at Mississippi State, Thursday – (at)just-plain-john
Bulldogs need an Egg Bowl victory to become bowl eligible … MISSISSIPPI STATE 28-24.
Washington State (plus 7) at Washington, Friday – (at)andyrepresents
Huskies have won six straight Apple Cups … WASHINGTON 38-35.
Louisville (plus 3) at Kentucky – (at)UKCatBBN
Cardinals have been one of the best turnaround teams in the country, from two wins to seven … LOUISVILLE 23-21, UPSET SPECIAL.
North Carolina (minus 8) at North Carolina State – (at)JustinReid-02
Tar Heels need a victory to get coach Mack Brown to a bowl game in his first season back at UNC … NORTH CAROLINA 34-23.
Arizona (plus 13+) at Arizona State – (at)realBJP
Sun Devils have won last two Territorial Cups … ARIZONA STATE 31-14.
—
Last week: 20-3 straight; 14-7-1 against the spread.
Season: 228-62 straight; 162-116-9 against the spread.
Upset specials: 3-10 (straight up).
Best bets: 5-6-1 (against the spread).
—
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/
—
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
25% Bonus via Western Union
