4:30 p.m. - No. 20 USC Trojans @ No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The latest iteration of a classic rivalry could be a great one, as both teams are ranked and have playoff aspirations. However, rankings and playoff spots could be on the line for both teams in South Bend on Saturday night. The Huskies could potentially capitalize on a slip-up from either.
The Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) may be 9.5-point underdogs, but they possess the Big Ten’s most dynamic offense. USC leads the conference in yards per game (552.3), points per game (45.5), and passing yards per game (325.8). That could spell trouble for a Notre Dame team which has allowed a combined 68 points in its two losses this year.
Those losses were narrow defeats at the hands of the current No. 3 and No. 6 teams in the country in Miami and Texas A&M. The Fighting Irish lost 27-24 at then-No. 10 Miami in Week 1 and lost 41-40 to A&M following a Week 2 bye. They’ve rattled off four straight wins since, but last week’s 36-7 win over NC State is the team’s only win over a Power 4 opponent who currently has a winning record.
Because USC sits relatively close to unranked territory, and because Notre Dame has yet to pick up a signature win, the loser of this game will likely be unranked when next week’s AP Poll rolls around. If UW can get it done against Michigan, this game could open up a nice Husky-shaped spot somewhere in the rankings.
5:00 p.m. - No. 23 Utah Utes @ No. 15 BYU Cougars
Because Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) and BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are both ranked lower respectively than USC and Notre Dame, you might expect this to be another game in which either team could leave unranked. However, the Cougars are currently undefeated and hold a win over a winning Power Four team in Arizona. One loss to a ranked conference opponent shouldn’t be enough to de-rank a Cougars team which was ranked two weeks before they secured that win over the Wildcats.
However, the No. 23 Utes will almost certainly find themselves unranked should they lose on Saturday. They entered the poll this past weekend following an excellent 42-10 win over No. 21 Arizona State. However, they were shut down in their other ranked matchup, a 34-10 loss to then-No. 17 Texas Tech in Week 4. Because a loss would make the Utes 1-2 against ranked opponents, they’ll need to win, or face a long climb back into the rankings.
The potential rankings fallout will interest Huskies fans, but this game is chalking up to be one of the best Big 12 games of the year regardless. Of the conference’s 16 teams, Utah averages the second-most points per game (39.5) and second-fewest points allowed per game (13.8). BYU ranks a close third in both, as the Cougars average 37.5 points per game while allowing an average of just 14.7.
5:00 p.m. - No. 24 Cincinnati Bearcats @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
The 2026 season can’t come soon enough for the Cowboys (1-5, 0-3 Big 12), who’ve lost five straight games and have yet to beat an FBS opponent. They fired longtime head coach Mike Gundy in September, and so far the highlight of the season has been an extemporaneous shirt-waving party which occurred as the team lost 39-17 to Houston inside a near-empty Boone Pickens Stadium last week.
For those reasons, Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) must absolutely demolish Oklahoma State or face certain removal from the rankings. The Bearcats do have a ranked win over then-No. 14 Iowa State in Week 6, but that’s not nearly enough to protect the nation’s No. 24 team from becoming unranked should they lose to, or even struggle against, the floundering Cowboys. If Cincinnati has any trouble on Saturday night, it’ll be hard for AP voters to keep them above the Huskies in Sunday’s poll.