The 2nd Saturday in November has had some huge matchups in recent years – and I’m glad to see this one following form. A lot of eyes will be on the ranked matchups and playoff contenders, but here are five games that could make some noise from behind the scenes.
Iowa at Minnesota
Seven games feature matchups of teams with 6-2 or better records. This just so happens to be the one with neither team ranked (by contrast, all six of the other matchups feature both teams ranked). While Nebraska and Wisconsin are clear favorites in the Big Ten West, it could end up being this game that has a say in how the top finally shakes out – particularly if the Hawkeyes or Gophers happen to go on a surprise run.
Duke at Syracuse
Duke continues to be a low-ranked 1-loss team in the CFP Rankings, and games like the one at Pitt don’t help their cause. But the Blue Devils have a huge opportunity to impress here, even against a team that could be pretty bad, and improve its chances at a New Year’s Six bowl. If Duke controls the game from start to finish (unlike Clemson), without any mid-game lulls (unlike Florida State), and without a bunch of turnovers (unlike Notre Dame), then the comparative results could end up looking more impressive for Duke than the game itself. But note: crazy things have happened inside the Carrier Dome, and Syracuse has been known to go on late-season runs in recent years.
Georgia Tech at NC State
NC State finally got a conference win last weekend by knocking off Syracuse. And Georgia Tech thumped UVA in a way that not even UCLA or still-with-Taysom-Hill BYU were able to. The Yellow Jackets have potentially huge showdowns with Clemson and Georgia around the corner – win both, and it could be GT that’s playing in a New Year’s Six bowl instead of the Tigers or the Bulldogs. The bees cannot overlook NC State, however. The Wolfpack look to bring an optimistic attitude back to Raleigh, and they are now just a win away from bowl eligibility. Carter-Finley Stadium has seen some big surprises in recent years – including this year, when the wolves were up big on FSU before a signature Seminole comeback – and would love to knock off a CFP-ranked team in front the red faithful.
Marshall at Southern Miss
With East Carolina losing to Temple last week, and Colorado State still unable to control its conference championship destiny, Marshall could quite possibly be the new frontrunner for the Group of Five spot. Southern Miss, however, has shown in the past that they will not simply “lay down”. I still remember watching the Golden Eagles dominate Houston in the 2011 C-USA Championship Game, where a Cougar win would have guaranteed Houston a BCS spot (and millions of dollars for the Conference). Could the same fate befall the Herd, particularly on the road and playing as the G5 “favorite” for the first time? Of note, that Southern Miss team who knocked off Houston could have been in a BCS Bowl themselves, had it not been for a November loss to UAB…and an early-season loss to…you guessed it…Marshall!
Boise State at New Mexico
Going back to the Colorado State train of thought, the reason they don’t control their conference destiny is because of a Week 2 road loss to Mountain Division foe Boise State (which I highlighted as an “Under the Radar” game…see how these things come back around?!?). The Broncos subsequently lost to Air Force, but they still hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams. Boise State has been much more inconsistent away from home, and the folks from Fort Collins would love to see the upset in Albuquerque.
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