No. 24 North Carolina @ Clemson
Saturday, Nov. 18 — Memorial Stadium — Clemson, South Carolina
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
The Clemson Tigers are fresh off a 2-0 winning streak and will look to extend it, but on their heels is No. 24 North Carolina.
The Tigers’ rocky season has been capitalized by being on both ends of the upset spectrum. The Clemson defense has been on fire as of late, totaling six interceptions in two weeks. Junior running back Phil Mafah has hit his stride late in the season, with 80-plus rushing yards over the past three games and an especially notable 186 yards against then-No. 15 Notre Dame.
However, the Tar Heels’ sophomore quarterback Drake Maye will have something to say. One of the potential top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye has led the Tar Heels to an 8-2 record, including multiple three- and four-touchdown performances throughout the season.
Helping out Maye in the backfield is sophomore running back Omarion Hampton. The back has been on a fiery streak, putting up video game-like numbers with five-straight games with 100-plus rushing yards.
Overall, one of the best passing defenses in Clemson will have its hands full with one of the best offenses in the country against Maye and the Tar Heels. Despite being ranked, the Tar Heels are 6.5-point underdogs, and against a hot Clemson team at home, it’ll be hard to change those odds.
Prediction: Clemson 27, North Carolina 21
No. 7 Texas @ Iowa State
Saturday Nov. 18 — Jack Trice Stadium — Ames, Iowa
7 p.m. on Fox
Depending on how other games around the Big 12 shape out, this could be a potential championship appearance-clinching game for the Texas Longhorns. However, it won’t be a cake walk when they head to Ames this weekend.
The last three seasons, the Cyclones are 3-1 against the Longhorns while also winning three out of the last four matchups at Jack Trice Stadium. With the night crowd and it being the last time the Longhorns and Cyclones will face off as conference rivals, the atmosphere will be even more hectic.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns, this will be their first game without sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks, the team’s leading rusher before tearing his ACL last week. Texas is No. 33 in the nation in rushing yards per game, so it will be intriguing to see how they work around this loss.
Iowa State still has a good shot at the Big 12 Championship game if it were to knock off the Longhorns. This matchup might be repeated at AT&T Stadium when it comes time for the championship game.
Either way, fans will not want to miss this one due to the stakes involved and the potential for a close game all the way to the finish.
Prediction: Iowa State 38, Texas 34
No. 5 Washington @ No. 12 Oregon State
Saturday, Nov. 18 — Reser Stadium — Corvallis, Oregon
6:30 p.m. on ABC
The road to the Pac-12 Championship is almost paved, the only thing left is for Washington to continue its undefeated streak into the College Football Playoff after they tackle a surging Oregon State team.
Washington stands atop the Pac-12 standings while Oregon State is trying to close in on rival Oregon, who sits just ahead of it with one conference loss to the Huskies.
Senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has taken the Heisman watch by storm over the course of the season.
He further boosted his chances at the trophy last week versus a dominant Utah defense, tallying two touchdown passes and 332 yards in the air while accounting for one touchdown on the ground in the 35-28 win.
On the other side, Oregon State has seen its fair share of ups and downs this season, dropping its first conference game to Washington State, before losing to then-unranked Arizona by a field goal in Week 8.
While those two losses were quite costly to the Beavers, they weren’t detrimental to the course of their season, as they sit in third place in the conference and can still make the championship game if they win out the remainder of the season.
Beating the undefeated Huskies is going to be a big task for junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who has accounted for 20 touchdown passes and over 2,250 yards.
Viewers can expect a shootout in what could be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship in two weeks.
Prediction: Oregon State 42, Washington 35
SMU at Memphis
Saturday, Nov. 18 — Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium — Memphis, Tennessee
11 a.m. on ESPN2
In their last year in the American Athletic Conference, the SMU Mustangs are 6-0 in conference play and in the drivers’ seat for a spot in the championship game after escaping an upset bid from Rice last week. Meanwhile, Memphis is 5-1 in conference play and needs to pick up a win if they want to stay in the title race.
Led by sophomore quarterback Preston Stone, SMU has the No. 1 total offense and scoring offense in the American, averaging just over 473 yards and 40.5 points a game. That offensive attack is complemented by the conference’s best defensive unit, as the Mustangs lead the American in total defense, scoring defense and passing defense.
Memphis will surely test the latter. The Tigers’ offense, led by the American’s leading passer in junior quarterback Seth Henigan, tops the conference in passing offense. They’ve also got the American’s second leading rusher in fifth year running back Blake Watson, which will make this the last major test of an SMU defense that has so far refused to break before a possible postseason matchup.
Suffice to say, there will be a shootout in Tennessee. SMU’s defense will bend, but it won’t break as the Mustangs get one step closer to a berth in the American title game.
Prediction: SMU 48, Memphis 29