Often referred to as “SoCon Saturday,” the penultimate weekend of the season always lacks a bit of intrigue simply because so many SEC schools load up on inferior opponents before their season-ending rivalry matchups.
The complaint is not that they play those inferior teams. Anyone with Kent State (Texas Tech, Florida State) or UMass (Iowa) on the schedule cannot fault others for playing Samford (Texas A&M), Charlotte (Georgia), or Eastern Illinois (Alabama). The complaint is that six SEC teams scheduled Group of Five or FCS opponents this week, lessening the sport’s drama right at its climactic peak.
And yet, we have three games on Saturday with genuine Playoff implications on both sides of the ball.
College football Week 13 preview and betting news
- USC vs. Oregon
- Moral Flexibility
- Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech
- Adult Cheerleading Competitions
- BYU vs. Cincinnati
USC vs. Oregon
USC may be double-digit underdogs, but it would also probably crack the Playoff picture if the Trojans upset Oregon this weekend, likely knocking the Ducks out of the Playoff in the process.
Injuries are slowly wearing on USC’s defense, particularly its secondary, and against Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, that only worsens the Trojans’ hopes.
But they have hopes, ones that will need a high-scoring game to be realized.
RELATED READING: USC vs Oregon Prediction, Picks & Odds
Furthermore, USC is giving hope to others.
Moral Flexibility
Traditionally, there are two sets of Notre Dame fans: Those who grew up in the Midwest and thus hate Michigan and USC, and those who grew up in the East and thus hate Boston College and USC.
You see the common thread.
This weekend is one of the rarest moments in sports, when Irish fans can forgive themselves for cheering for USC.
Well, most can. At least one Notre Dame fan has responded to this thought with a terse, “No,” before continuing into words that the corporate folks at Covers would rather not publish.
And to those fans, a doff of the cap. While it may be forgivable for Irish fans to cheer for USC this weekend, it is also commendable to ignore Playoff fates and stick to century-old principles just as Lincoln Riley attempts to end that rivalry before its 100th year next season.
You can do it, Notre Dame fans.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) November 20, 2025
It is just two words.
"Fight on." https://t.co/xujpLMpX25 pic.twitter.com/wyGiRSXKSb
Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech
If Georgia Tech wins as a 2.5-point favorite, the Yellow Jackets will be in the ACC title game. If Pittsburgh wins, the Panthers will need some help via an SMU or Virginia loss.
Given SMU faces Louisville as just a 2.5-point home favorite early on Saturday, do not dismiss those possibilities. Never overlook the comedies that can come in rivalry week, perhaps with Virginia Tech redeeming its season by knocking Virginia out of the Playoff picture.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said the quiet thing very loudly last week, pointing out that this game matters more than last week’s against Notre Dame. The Panthers certainly looked like they did not prepare much for the Irish.
Those stakes may lend to faith in Narduzzi. Brent Key is a stellar coach and has Georgia Tech developing into a regular ACC contender, but Narduzzi has pulled off sneaky trips to the ACC title game before. He is familiar with these stakes.
Narduzzi also knows how to attack a struggling defense, and Georgia Tech’s rush defense is broken right now.
RELATED READING: Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech Prediction, Picks & Odds
Narduzzi handled last weekend terribly, but he may have lost that battle in order to prevail in a bigger war.
🏈Bonus Bet: Pittsburgh team total Over 28.5 (-115 at DraftKings)🏈
Adult Cheerleading Competitions
This comment actually stemmed from wondering what open jobs Duke head coach Manny Diaz may be considering. The conversation then wondered if North Carolina could reel off two upsets in the season’s final two weeks, against the Tar Heels’ biggest rivals, to reach a bowl game in Bill Belichick’s first season.
It is okay to laugh at the thought of Belichick earnestly preparing for a trip to Birmingham, where there might be more competitions for him to spectate at.
College football conversations without context: "There are distractions. I mean, Bill Belichick was at an adult cheerleading competition. I don't know how to price that into a model."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) November 21, 2025
BYU vs. Cincinnati
A BYU win puts the Big 12 two blowouts away from a title game rematch between Texas Tech and BYU. Not to get ahead of things, but that scenario should particularly scare the last at-large teams in the current Playoff rankings, namely No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 10 Alabama.
If BYU were to then win the Big 12 title, which would be an upset as a two-score underdog, someone would be knocked out of the Playoff field.
For that matter, Notre Dame and Alabama should be cheering for Cincinnati this weekend to introduce some chaos into the Big 12 race. They will likely be cheering in vain.
BYU is clearly better than Cincinnati. The most telling reality is that the Cougars enjoy quality drives on more than half their possessions, the 25th-highest rate in the country, per CFB-graphs.com. The Bearcats give up quality drives on more than half of opposing possessions, the 17th-worst rate in the country.
Expect BYU to get too many bites at the proverbial apple to not eventually pull away.
🏈Bonus Bet: BYU -2.5 (-118 at FanDuel)🏈
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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