We’ve got another fun day of college football ahead.
There are four ranked vs. ranked matchups on deck, headlined by the Red River Showdown between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas. Additionally, there are some really intriguing SEC matchups on the schedule, including No. 11 Alabama’s trip to College Station to face Texas A&M and top-ranked Georgia hosting undefeated Kentucky.
Not to mention, there are teams like No. 4 Ohio State (vs. undefeated Maryland), No. 9 USC (vs. Arizona), No. 10 Notre Dame (at No. 25 Louisville) and No. 13 Washington State (at UCLA) in potentially tricky spots.
Here’s what we’re watching early today:
Time: Noon ET | TV: ABC | Line: UT -6.5 | Total: 60.5
It’s the last time the Red River Showdown will be played with Texas and Oklahoma as members of the Big 12. The two will move on to the SEC next year, but for now they are at the top of the Big 12 and midseason contenders for the College Football Playoff. Texas entered the year with major expectations and has mostly been dominant to this point in the season. Oklahoma is also 5-0 and looks much-improved after going 6-7 in 2022, its first season under Brent Venables. Included in that ugly season was a 49-0 blowout at the hands of Texas. The Sooners are out for revenge this time around with QB Dillon Gabriel fully healthy after missing last year’s meeting with a concussion.
Time: Noon | TV: ESPN | Line: LSU -5.5 | Total: 64.5
LSU is among the most disappointing teams in college football. LSU entered the season with national championship aspirations but has been doomed by a porous defense amid a 3-2 start. Now it has to go on the road to face undefeated Missouri. Mizzou had a combined 17-19 record through three seasons under Eli Drinkwitz, but is off to a 5-0 start. QB Brady Cook hasn’t thrown an interception since Oct. 22 of last year and is completing 74.5% of his attempts this season.
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Alabama -1.5 | Total: 46.5
Is this Alabama team starting to establish an identity? Since the loss to Texas and the eye-opening performance at USF, Alabama has really started to heavily lean on its running game and defense to win games. Texas A&M endured a miserable 5-7 record in 2022 and then had an ugly loss at Miami in Week 2 of this season. Since then, Jimbo Fisher’s team has responded nicely with three consecutive wins. The Aggies lost starting QB Conner Weigman in the Auburn win, but backup Max Johnson has played well when he’s not turning the ball over.