Week 13 College Football Rooting Guide, Open Thread and TV Schedule

Purple hand prints? Hmmm, there is an idea. I’ll have to mention that one to my wife.

Anyhooooo, I digress. Forgive me. I’m still on an Apple Cup high and a bourbon-and-beer hangover. But we’ve got serious business to discuss.

Thanks to UW’s dominating 45-17 Apple Cup victory over Washington State, the Huskies have finished the 2016 regular season in just about as good a shape as they could ever have dreamed. They are the North Division champions for the first time ever and they are positioned very well for a possible selection to the College Football Playoffs.

But that dream is not yet fully materialized. The Huskies still could use a little help and they could use it starting today.

So, here is your Week 13 rooting guide. I encourage each and every one of you to sit down with some hot turkey sandwiches on a plate, a beverage of your choice in your left hand and the television remote in the other. Watch some college football. Join the open thread discussion. Root for the guys that I tell you to.

You’ll thank me tomorrow.

Week 13 Rooting Guide

#3 Michigan at #2 Ohio State

The math here is pretty simple. The Huskies are the #5 team in the nation. Two of the teams ahead of them square off today. One of those teams has to lose. One way or another, UW theoretically should jump into the top four no matter what happens. Right?

“Stick to the plan.”

Michigan winning is the ideal scenario for Husky fans. That’s been the plan and should remain the plan for Husky rooting purposes. If the Wolverines win, they take the Big Ten East title and effectively eliminate both Ohio State and Penn State from playoff contention.

I know that Michigan has suffered some injuries—in particular a devastating broken collarbone to their star QB Wilton Speight—and are coming down from whatever peak that they enjoyed in October. But this is still a gritty football time that is built from the line of scrimmage out. They have the pieces required to go into the Horseshoe and take care of business against the Buckeyes.

An Ohio State victory isn’t necessarily a tragedy, but it complicates things. The Buckeyes need a Penn State loss in addition to this win to take the Big Ten East. UW would still be a theoretical favorite to jump into top four in this case, but the debate about whether or not UW deserves to be in the top four ahead of a one-loss, eliminated Ohio State would become much more heated and would really test the committee’s resolve on the notion of conference championships being a significant factor in the rankings.

Michigan State at #7 Penn State

This one is easy. Husky fans everywhere are Spartan fans today. The question is really whether or not Mark Dantonio’s 3-win team has any emotion left in the tank after what they spent in last week’s loss to Ohio State. They took the Buckeyes to the last few seconds, only to lose the game on a failed two-point conversion attempt.

I’m guessing that Penn State will take this one, but it may very well be close.

Minnesota at #6 Wisconsin

The Badgers have already clinched the Big Ten West thanks to Nebraska’s loss to Iowa yesterday. They’ll get Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State in the championship game next weekend. Husky fans are rooting for the Golden Gophers here. A victory over the Badgers would really weaken Wisconsin’s stature going into next weekend no matter whether they win or lose the Big Ten championship.

Don’t sleep on this one. The Gophers are better than you think. They have a pair of huge WRs, Drew Wolitarsky (6-3, 225) and Rashad Still (6-5, 205), who present a classic x-factor dimension in a game in which they are big underdogs. I’m calling the Gophers in the straight-up upset.

#13 Auburn at #1 Alabama

We want ‘Bama. Literally.

South Carolina at #4 Clemson

The Tigers seem to be the committee’s favorite team so far this season. An honest assessment of their schedule doesn’t result in a solid justification of keeping them ahead of UW in the playoff rankings. A Clemson loss at home against a barely eligible SEC in-state rival would be make that honest assessment moot and put the playoff rankings into a bit of chaos. UW could well jump into the top three, and open a path into the top two, in that scenario.

Root for chaos.

#22 Utah at #9 Colorado

This one is pretty clear now. No matter how USC does hosting Notre Dame, Colorado will be a higher ranked team should they beat a ranked Utah opponent in their last game of this dream season. UW is better off playing the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 championship.

It is that simple. Root for Colorado.

#15 Florida at #14 Florida State

Okay. Let’s talk SEC. There is a clear two-SEC-team scenario that involves Alabama losing either today or in the SEC championship. In the latter case, Florida would be the SEC champs and their playoff entry. That would be a problem in UW’s playoff calculus.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the best hope is chaos. A Seminole win over the Gators dilutes Florida’s case as an elite team by just a little bit and helps to mitigate a UW worst-case SEC scenario. In truth, it probably doesn’t matter. But every little bit helps.

Week 13 TV Guide