College football viewer’s guide: 8 games for Ohio State fans to watch this weekend

Credit: Leon Halip

Credit: Leon Halip

Ohio State does not play this week, but there are lots of intriguing matchups in college football.

Here are games to keep an eye on whether you’re a Buckeye fan or not!

NOON GAMES

Oklahoma State is one of the teams we still see as being in contention for a College Football Playoff spot.

The 10th-ranked Cowboys can’t afford a loss, though, and their high noon showdown with Tom Herman’s Texas could be interesting -- and high-scoring.

Also at noon: No. 5 Wisconsin plays host to Maryland (Fox).

3:30 WINDOW

No. 1 Alabama plays Tennessee on the CBS SEC Game of the Week.

While the Crimson Tide may not get a serious test until the SEC Championship Game in December, the Volunteers probably have more in common with the Terrapins than they would like to admit.

This window also sees Indiana play at No. 18 Michigan State (ABC) in a series that can get weird sometimes. The Spartans are also in that secondary group of CFP contenders who could cause some chaos in the second half of the season.

No. 8 Miami (Fla.) hosts Syracuse, an upset winner against Clemson last week, on ESPN while No. 9 Oklahoma plays at Kansas State at 4 p.m. on Fox.

NIGHT GAMES 

Here is where things really get interesting.

No. 11 USC plays at No. 13 Notre Dame in a playoff eliminator on NBC at 7:30. The winner will have an uphill climb, but the loser is out. The Fighting Irish have flown under the radar at this point, but that could change in a hurry.

At the same time, No. 19 Michigan must upset No. 2 Penn State to stay in the Big Ten East race. The Nittany Lions owe UM for a beatdown delivered in Ann Arbor last season, and the Wolverines have struggled on offense lately.

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