By Week 12, it's all about survival. We think we know who's making the College Football Playoff, and we think we know the pecking order in each conference race, and if you're one of those teams involved, you're just trying not to screw it up.
In 2014, the first year of the four-team CFP, Week 12 saw No. 3 Florida State barely beat unranked Miami, No. 4 TCU barely beat 3-7 Kansas, No. 6 Arizona State fall to 5-5 Oregon State, No. 8 Ohio State barely beat No. 25 Minnesota and No. 14 Arizona barely beat unranked Washington. Throw in a major top-five result -- No. 5 Alabama over No. 1 Mississippi State -- and we had a shake-up that was nearly a major shake-up.
In the years that followed, Week 12 gave plenty more top teams jump scares -- Notre Dame barely beating Boston College in 2015 and Navy in 2017, Florida going to OT with Florida Atlantic in 2015, Ohio State barely beating Michigan State in 2016 and Maryland in 2018, Michigan almost losing to Illinois in 2022 and Maryland in 2023. Losses are rare, but scares are constant. And look! Each of the top four teams in the CFP rankings (Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State) is on the road this week! Plus, No. 6 BYU is only a small favorite, and in the week's biggest game, No. 7 Tennessee is a road underdog.
I can feel it: This is going to be a funky week. Here's everything you need to follow in a dangerous Week 12. (All times are Eastern; lines from ESPN BET.)
Jump to a section:
Tennessee-Georgia | Top 4 road trips
Big 12 hurdles | ACC jostling
Chaos superfecta | Week 12 playlist
Small-school showcase
A must-win in Athens
No. 7 Tennessee at No. 12 Georgia (7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
There are three one-loss teams and five two-loss teams in SEC play. The best conference in college football is also the messiest at the moment, and with at least five to six SEC teams harboring semi-legitimate CFP hopes, now's really not the time to find yourself either in the morass of two-loss squads (if you're Tennessee) or trying to stand out with three losses (if you're Georgia).