College football Week 14 preview: Top games, what to watch, rankings

It's going to be a wild week full of rivalry games in Week 14. Below, we preview the top games, what to watch out for and the Top 25 rankings.

In some of the highly anticipated games on Saturday, No. 1 Ohio State plays No. 13 Michigan and No. 5 Alabama is at No. 15 Auburn. In the Big Ten West, No. 8 Minnesota plays at home against No. 12 Wisconsin.

College football Week 14 preview: Top games

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 13 Michigan | 12 p.m. Saturday | FOX

The Wolverines haven't beaten Ohio State since 2011. Michigan came in with the higher ranking last year, but OSU routed the Wolverines 62-39. Ohio State is undefeated and No. 2, so Michigan will have to pull a major stunner to win and really throw chaos into the College Football Playoff picture.

CFP: Breaking down the latest Top 25 rankings

No. 3 Clemson at South Carolina | 12 p.m. Saturday | ESPN

Since the Gamecocks won five in a row in this series from 2009 to 2013, Clemson has completely turned things around. The Tigers are on a five-game run themselves and have won by 49, 24 and 21 points the past three seasons. Clemson has also been winning big each week since the close call against North Carolina on Sept. 28. Expect another huge winning margin.

No. 5 Alabama at No. 15 Auburn | 3:30 p.m. Saturday | CBS

Alabama was ranked No. 1 for the Iron Bowl in 2016, 2017 and 2018, but the Tide are "only" No. 5 this season. Since Alabama can't win the SEC West, it'll need to win impressively here and hope for chaos throughout the nation to end up with a College Football Playoff spot. Which QB will have the better game: Alabama's Mac Jones with Tua Tagovailoa injured? Or Auburn freshman Bo Nix?

TV: The complete game times and TV channels for Week 14

No. 12 Wisconsin at No. 8 Minnesota | 3:30 p.m. Saturday | ABC

Here's another division matchup with a win-and-your-in situation. Both the Badgers and Gophers clinch the Big Ten West with a victory, with Minnesota still in position to make a run for the College Football Playoff. Another Gophers win could be a sign of the changing rivalry: Minnesota's win last season ended Wisconsin's run of 14 in a row.

Texas A&M at No. 2 LSU | 7 p.m. Saturday | ESPN

Texas A&M will play the No. 1 team in the country for the third time this season (Clemson and Alabama the others). That's never happened before to a team. LSU will probably have too much offense to A&M to keep pace, but the Tigers still have to show they have the defense to complement QB Joe Burrow and the high-scoring attack that's likely needed to win the national title.

Colorado at No. 6 Utah | 7:30 p.m. Saturday | ABC

With Oregon losing to Arizona State, Utah is now the Pac-12's top contender to make the College Football Playoff. Though the Utes will be expected to win, especially because this is at home, Colorado just beat Washington and needs to win to become bowl eligible.

SCOREBOARD: Live scores, stats for Week 14

No. 7 Oklahoma at No. 21 Oklahoma State | 8 p.m. Saturday | FOX

As OU has found ways to escape seemingly every week, Oklahoma State has won four in a row without much national attention. Yes, this is Bedlam, but the Cowboys lost starting QB Spencer Sanders (2,065 passing yards and 625 rushing yards) to injury and he'll be out. But star power remains with OU QB Jalen Hurts and WR CeeDee Lamb and Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard.

College football preview: What to watch for this week

How could the College Football Playoff 1-loss order change?

Going into Week 14, the SEC's Georgia and Alabama lead the way for the 1-loss teams.

But things can change — and they can change quickly.

Assuming there are no upsets this week, the 1-loss team with the most to benefit would be Minnesota. Though Gophers are ranked only No. 8, they have to think they're into the CFP should they win out, especially with No. 12 Wisconsin and new No. 1 Ohio State potentially up next (Minnesota would play OSU for the Big Ten title if it beats Wisconsin).

Among 1-loss teams, Utah is probably in the second-best position to make the CFP, should it win out. The No. 6 Utes already aren't far out of the top 4, plus a win against a possible 10-2 Oregon team in the Pac-12 Championship Game would be a good closing argument. That could be enough to jump ahead of Alabama and Georgia (if UGA loses to LSU in the SEC Championship Game).

Though they're Nos. 4 and 5, Georgia and Alabama are perhaps the most intriguing teams. The Bulldogs would take a second defeat should they fall to LSU in Atlanta (or, gulp, 3-8 Georgia Tech this Saturday), but a close loss to LSU could have UGA in position to be the first 2-loss team to make the CFP. As for the Tide, 11-1 is a great record, but Alabama probably lacks the high-end wins to hold off possible 1-loss conference champions Minnesota (or Utah...or even Baylor/Oklahoma, etc.).

Could the No. 1 ranking change again?

We wondered if Ohio State's 11-point win against then-No. 8 Penn State would be enough for Ohio State be become the new No. 1 at LSU's expense.

It turns out it was.

UNDEFEATED: Tracking the remaining undefeated teams

The Buckeyes returned to the top spot after losing the No. 1 ranking a few weeks ago following LSU's win at Alabama.

But that doesn't mean OSU will maintain that No. 1 hold.

Yes, Ohio State plays No. 13 Michigan while LSU gets unranked Texas A&M. And OSU then plays what will likely be a top-10 team in the Big Ten Championship Game (Minnesota or Wisconsin).

However, LSU is set to play No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, which is the exact kind of matchup that could lead to a change at the top — particularly if the Tigers win impressively.

In other years, getting No. 1 or No. 2 might not matter that much. But this is different. Clemson looks set to be No. 3 should the Tigers get to 13-0. As the defending national champions, Clemson is the team you'd want to avoid as long as possible.

We have some heated debates ahead.

College football rankings for Week 14

RANK	CFP	ASSOCIATED PRESS	COACHES POLL
1.	Ohio State	(50)	LSU (52)
2.	LSU	(9)	Ohio State (7)
3.	Clemson	Clemson (3)	Clemson (4)
4.	Georgia	Georgia	Georgia
5.	Alabama	Alabama	Alabama
6.	Utah	Utah	Utah
7.	Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Oklahoma
8.	Minnesota	Florida	Florida
9.	Baylor	Minnesota	Minnesota
10.	Penn State	Michigan	Baylor
11.	Florida	Baylor	Michigan
12.	Wisconsin	Penn State	Penn State
13.	Michigan	Wisconsin	Oregon
14.	Oregon	Oregon	Wisconsin
15.	Auburn	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
16.	Notre Dame	Auburn	Auburn
17.	Iowa	Memphis	Cincinnati
18.	Memphis	Cincinnati	Memphis
19.	Cincinnati	Iowa	Boise State
20.	Boise State	Boise State	Iowa
21.	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
22.	Southern California	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
23.	Iowa State	Virginia Tech	Virginia Tech
24.	Virginia Tech	Navy	Navy
25.	Appalachian State	USC	USC

Week 14 college football schedule, game times, TV channels

WEEK 14

Tuesday, Nov. 26

Ohio at Akron | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois | 7 p.m. | ESPNU

Thursday, Nov. 28

Ole Miss at Mississippi State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

Friday, Nov. 29

No. 24 Virginia Tech at Virginia | 12 p.m. | ABC
Texas Tech at Texas | 12 p.m. | FOX
Toledo at Central Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Kent State at Eastern Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Miami (OH) at Ball State | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
Bowling Green at Buffalo | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 17 Iowa at Nebraska | 2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Missouri at Arkansas (Little Rock, AR) | 2:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 19 Cincinnati at No. 18 Memphis | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 20 Boise State at Colorado State | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
West Virginia at TCU | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Washington State at Washington | 4 p.m. | FOX
No. 25 Appalachian State at Troy | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
South Florida at UCF | 8 p.m. | ESPN

Saturday, Nov. 30

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 13 Michigan | 12 p.m. | FOX
No. 3 Clemson at South Carolina | 12 p.m. | ESPN
No. 4 Georgia at Georgia Tech | 12 p.m. | ABC
Louisville at Kentucky | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Indiana at Purdue | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Florida International at Marshall | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
Northwestern at Illinois | 12 p.m. | FS1
Holy Cross at Monmouth (FCS Championship — First Round) | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Wake Forest at Syracuse | 12:30 p.m. | RSN
Tulsa at East Carolina | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Texas State at Coastal Carolina | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Connecticut State at Albany (FCS Championship — First Round) | 1 p.m. | ESPN3
Furman at Austin Peay (FCS Championship — First Round) | 1 p.m. | ESPN3
Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
New Mexico State at Liberty | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Charlotte at Old Dominion | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Wyoming at Air Force | 2 p.m. | Facebook
Illinois State at Southeast Missouri State (FCS Championship — First Round) | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
San Diego at Northern Iowa (FCS Championship — First Round) | 2 p.m. | ESPN
UNLV at Nevada | 3 p.m. | AT&T Sportsnet
Rice at UTEP | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
No. 5 Alabama at No. 15 Auburn | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 12 Wisconsin at No. 8 Minnesota | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Rutgers at No. 10 Penn State | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Southern Miss at Florida Atlantic | 3:30 p.m. | NFL Network
UTSA at Louisiana Tech | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Maryland at Michigan State | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
UConn at Temple | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Boston College at Pitt | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Miami at Duke | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 9 Baylor at Kansas | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
UAB at North Texas | 4 p.m. | Stadium
No. 16 Notre Dame at Stanford | 4 p.m. | FOX
Vanderbilt at Tennessee | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
Oregon State at No. 14 Oregon | 4 p.m. | Pac-12 Networks
Utah State at New Mexico | 4 p.m. | Facebook
Tulane at SMU | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
North Dakota at Nicholls (FCS Championship — First Round) | 4 p.m. | ESPN3
Kennesaw State at Wofford (FCS Championship — First Round) | 4 p.m. | ESPN3
Villanova at SE Louisiana (FCS Championship — First Round)  | 4 p.m. | ESPN3
Arkansas State at South Alabama | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Grambling vs. Southern (New Orleans) | 5 p.m. | NBC Sports
Georgia State at Georgia Southern | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Texas A&M at No. 2 LSU | 7 p.m. | ESPN
No. 23 Iowa State at Kansas State | 7 p.m. | FS1
Navy at Houston | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
North Carolina at N.C. State | 7 p.m. | ACC Network
Colorado at No. 6 Utah | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
UL Monroe at Louisiana | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Florida State at No. 11 Florida | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 7 Oklahoma at No. 21 Oklahoma State | 8 p.m. | FOX
BYU at San Diego State | 9 p.m. | CBSSN
California at UCLA | 10:30 p.m. | FS1
Arizona at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Fresno State at San Jose State | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Army at Hawai'i | 12:30 a.m. (Sunday, Dec. 1) | CBSSN