2024 Games of the Slot: Week 13
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
It’s time for some teams to meet their makers for judgement day. Playoff cases are going to be made and drowned this week. Conference races will tighten or get deeper into the tiebreaker weeds. Coaches will battle for their lives at their current schools. And that’s what college football is about, right? Every team having a massive matchup each and every week?
But what games are the biggest and best? The ones you need to tune into? Have no fear, SID Sports has you covered. As always, all times are in Eastern.
Friday Night
Game of the Slot: 24 UNLV at San Jose State (10 p.m., FS1)
I really like how this game lines up on paper.
The Running Rebels have re-entered the Top 25 after a win over San Diego State last week. Right now, they’re on the outside of the Mountain West title game, but they’re certainly one of the two best teams in the conference. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s go-go offense is one of the most fun and unique schemes in the nation and UNLV has the talent to run it flawlessly. Especially in quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams.
On the other side, San Jose State also has a ridiculously fun “spread and shred” offense that is the exact opposite of what we’ve grown accustomed to in Ken Niumatalolo-led teams. The Spartans have a top-five passing offense led by one of the nation’s most underrated receivers in Nick Nash, who leads the nation in receptions (95), receiving yards (1,282) and receiving touchdowns (14). Both defenses are going to have their hands full in this one.
Multi-Box Games: Temple at UTSA (7 p.m., ESPN2), Purdue at Michigan State (8 p.m., FOX)
Unfortunately for us, the rest of the slate isn’t as entertaining. Temple has already kicked Stan Drayton to the curb, so the Owls’ season is lost. UTSA, however, is looking for quarterback Owen McCown to continue to show he’s their quarterback of the future while they battle for bowl eligibility. In the Big Ten, Purdue is bad. Like, putridly bad. Michigan State hasn’t been much better, but they at least get the benefit of the doubt as a rebuilding team under a first-year head coach. Expect this one to be a top-tier Sicko game, but it isn’t the best Sicko game on the menu.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 4 Indiana at 2 Ohio State (FOX)
I mentioned Judgement Day in the intro. This is it. For both teams.
Indiana’s been rightly climbing the rankings steadily (note: I’d like to have myself and
take credit for this as Indiana Propaganda ringleaders) and are nearly a lock for the playoff. But the national media has one knock on the Hoosiers: who have they played? We’ll throw that away this week once the Hoosiers head to Columbus. Even though Indiana hasn’t played many good opponents, they’ve annihilated everyone they’ve come across save a one-score win over Michigan. If we compare common opponents between the two teams, Ohio State has a +59 scoring margin, while Indiana has a +103. In terms of yardage differential, Ohio State is +418, while Indiana is +576. We can go further with turnover margin, where Ohio State is +3 and Indiana is +6. Not enough for you? How about explosive plays? Ohio State is +7 in explosive play margin, while Indiana is +18. Discount the Hoosiers at your own risk.For Ohio State, their power resides in the star power. Indiana, after all, is a no-brand school that shouldn’t be in the spot they are, according to popular storylines. Ohio State belongs here. They are, after all, The Ohio State University. And to a point, that’s true. Indiana’s big star is a transfer quarterback from Ohio University. Ohio State has stars all across the roster like TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke and Caleb Downs. These are all immensely talented players led by a star-studded coaching staff with Chip Kelly and Jim Knowles as coordinators. How can you count the Buckeyes out with that? Well, having starting center Seth McLaughlin go down with a torn Achilles - the second Buckeye offensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury - doesn’t help things.
This is going to be a great game. It’s shaping up to be an instant classic. And boy does it matter big-time for the College Football Playoff race.
Multi-Box Games: 5 SMU at Virginia (ESPN2), Sam Houston at Jacksonville State (CBS Sports Network), 7 Ole Miss at Florida (ABC/ESPN+)
SMU is another surprising team alongside Indiana jockeying for a playoff spot. A win here will put the high-octane Mustang offense into the ACC Championship. All they have to do is not look ahead and overlook a Virginia team that’s finding their stride as of late. We don’t often hit the CUSA waters here, as they have a ton of midweek games, but Sam Houston and Jacksonville State could be a conference championship preview. Both teams are in their second year in the FBS and are now eligible for postseason play. Sam Houston has gotten here on the backs of a strong running game and defense. Jacksonville State by way of a high-octane Rich Rodriguez-coached offense that’s racking up rushing yards like a service academy and running up the scoreboard. We finish this slot in the SEC, where Ole Miss has to avoid a recently solid Florida team. With D.J. Lagway healthy again, the Gators are rolling after an upset over LSU last week. Ole Miss lost to that same LSU team, but are on-paper the better of the two. A trip to The Swamp, however, is never an easy task.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 14 BYU at 19 Arizona State (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Right now, the Big 12 is holding onto a playoff spot. That could change based on this game’s outcome.
BYU is a team I still really like, but a loss to Kansas in as confusing a fashion as that was is a really bad look. To be clear, the Cougars still have a playoff-ready defense, but the offense leaves a lot up to chance. They have a lot of weapons, but Jake Retzlaff, despite how good he’s played this season, isn’t the kind of guy that can take over a playoff game. But we said the same thing about Max Duggan a few years back, and that turned out okay so what do I know anyway?
Arizona State’s best hope at the playoff come in this game. In the Tiebreaker Game I ran for yesterday’s bracketology article, the Sun Devils get into the conference championship against Colorado with a win here. I’ve been impressed with the balance Kenny Dillingham’s team has this season, leaning on great play from Sam Leavitt as Cam Skattebo as slumped as of recent weeks. They’ll need Skattebo at his best if they want to make a run, though.
Multi-Box Games: 16 Colorado at Kansas (3:30 p.m., FOX), Wisconsin at Nebraska (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network), Charlotte at Florida Atlantic (3 p.m., ESPN+)
It feels like we just talked about both Kansas and Colorado, but they’ll also meet on the field this week. Both teams are red hot, especially on offense. The duel between Shedeur Sanders and Jalon Daniels could be a ton of fun. Colorado could survive a loss here, but Kansas racking up their third straight ranked win is a great sign for their future despite a disappointing season. Speaking of disappointments, what’s going on in Wisconsin and Nebraska? The Badgers haven’t had much of any proof of concept under Luke Fickell and that extends to the firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who borders on football terrorist territory. Nebraska has let a 5-1 start degrade into nearly missing a bowl game and are relying on Dana Holgorsen, who just showed up, to give them life. This could be a rough watch, but sometimes that’s more entertaining. For our final game of this slot, I’m paging
because this one is putrid. Both Charlotte and Florida Atlantic have fired their coaches this week. I couldn’t find if there was ever two interim coaches going head-to-head, let alone in their first week since their prior boss’s firing. It’s unique, to say the least, and should be a very entertaining watch. Well, maybe not if you want to watch quality football.Wondering where these rankings are coming from? Check out this week’s SID Sports Top 25 and Players of the Week!
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 17 Army at 9 Notre Dame (7 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
This is as big a stage as it gets for a Group of Five team in the playoff race.
To be clear - all the pressure in this matchup is on Army. The Black Knights have an impeccable 9-0 record, but their 14-3 win last time out against North Texas is their only win over a team with at least a .500 record. This is a much better Army team than we’ve seen in recent years, mostly because of how great quarterback Bryson Daily has been in the option game, but they just haven’t come across much yet.
For Notre Dame to be that first true test is almost unfair. The Fighting Irish have pulled option teams like a hyped Navy team into the mud and decimated them almost solely because of their elite defense. But Notre Dame has legitimate questions on the offensive side of the ball. Army’s defense has flashed as a solid unit, albeit against poor competition, but they all but shut down North Texas’ lethal offense last time. Could Army really take it to Notre Dame?
But how about we all get behind Army to cause some playoff nightmare scenarios for the Committee? That sounds good.
Multi-Box Games: Cincinnati at 25 Kansas State (8 p.m., ESPN2), 15 Texas A&M at Auburn (7:30 p.m., ESPN), Baylor at Houston (7 p.m., FS1)
We’re back in the Big 12 where both teams have been eliminated from contention in the conference, but that doesn’t mean this game won’t be entertaining. Cincinnati is battling for bowl eligibility in their second season under Scott Satterfield, while Kansas State is trying to salvage a solid season and stop a two game skid. Texas A&M and Auburn is on this list for one reason and one reason only: Jordan-Hare at night is a terrifying place. Especially when Auburn is bad and Texas A&M is a top-15 team. Jordan-Hare has one last chance to absolutely ruin someone’s season. Baylor-Houston are two teams seemingly resurrected mid-season. Baylor’s change came when Sawyer Robertson took over the starting role and the Bears hit a four-game winning streak. Houston, on the other hand, was an afterthought after a rough start under Willy Fritz, but the Cougars are winners in three of their last five games. This is a sneaky fun game that should be pretty close.
West Coast After Dark
Game of the Slot: Colorado State at Fresno State (10:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
This game doesn’t jump off the page at you, but hang with me here.
Colorado State is undefeated in the conference, but ESPN’s FPI gives Fresno State a 71 percent chance to win. I assume that’s bulletin board material for Rams head coach Jay Norvell (no relation to Florida State’s Mike Norvell, strangely enough) to get his team in a spot to punch a ticket into the conference championship game. Colorado State will lean on a decent running game headlined by tailback Avery Morrow, who’s averaging 6.4 yards per carry and a defense that’s only allowing 22.7 points per game. Proponents of Boise State’s playoff hopes should pull for the Rams to keep winning to avoid a Boise-UNLV rematch.
Fresno State has been a bit disappointing this season, but they do have an interim head coach after the abrupt preseason retirement of Jeff Tedford. Bulldog quarterback Mikey Keene has taken a massive step back this season and the rushing game hasn’t stepped up to give him any support. But Keene is a very talented quarterback and has the ability to turn on and take over a game. We just haven’t seen that version of him much this season. On a two-game skid, the Bulldogs are fighting for bowl eligibility while also potentially playing spoiler. That’s a recipe for a team coming out much hotter than the favorite anticipated and catching them off guard for an upset.
Multi-Box Game: USC at UCLA (10:30 p.m., NBC), Air Force at Nevada (10:30 p.m., FS1)
Our Big Ten slate ends in a rivalry game in L.A. that really should be better than it is. USC is the most disappointing team in the nation this side of Florida State, but have looked slightly improved with Jayden Maiava under center. UCLA, on the other had, had astronomically low expectations and have gotten a lot better as of late. I think these teams are actually really close in terms of on-field talent and production, so it should be a good game. Air Force-Nevada, on the other hand, may be a forgettable game. However, watching Nevada’s defense against the Falcons’ offense may be enough to tune in and enjoy for a bit.
What I’m Reading:
: Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.
by Brian Lennon, John Crimella, and Gary McDaniel: I’ll be a little selfish on this one and plug a great college football podcast that I was lucky enough to appear on this week to talk UEC and SID Sports! Brian, John, Gary and I had some great conversations about the state of the sport, playoff races and picked some games this weekend. Be sure to tune into this week’s Tailgators' Setup podcast and subscribe for more great content from them!, , and : You can't beat Alex, Richard and Godfrey. They're on the front lines breaking news and creating the best content in the game. I 100 percent recommend SZD for anyone into college football and Steven Godfrey hating your team. They’re mostly a podcast publication, but sometimes being able to listen to three well-informed guys talking about college football is what you need in your life.Have any questions, ideas, article pitches, or information? With the new Substack features, you can directly message me! Hit the button below to send me a message, or reach out via email to sidsports23@gmail.com, or find us on your favorite social media platform like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Substack Notes and Bluesky.