College Football Schedule This Week | 2022 Week 13

As the Big Ten’s top two undefeated teams, Michigan and Ohio State have spent all season whomping on lesser clubs. Over its last six games, Michigan’s outscored opponents in the second half by an outlandish 129–17 margin thanks to its mauling run game and stout defense.

Although running back Blake Corum’s rushing stats (1,457 yards, 18 touchdowns) speak for themselves, Michigan’s downfield passing game has mostly ridden in the sidecar. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy ranks an efficient 19th in passer rating, but his passing stats (1,952 passing yards, a 14–2 touchdown/interception ratio) are far less gaudy. Michigan barely eked by Illinois last week thanks to Blake Corum’s injury and Michigan’s passing struggles.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes have small scuffs in their armor if you squint and wheel in a telescope. The Buckeyes have dealt with injuries to its skill player depth along with fluky quarters against Northwestern, Maryland, and Iowa. But with players like this, there’s a reason why the Buckeyes are sitting at a perfect 11–0:

The winner gets a nearly guaranteed playoff bid and cross-state bragging rights for another year. And considering how well Ohio State fans took last year’s loss, Ryan Day’s undoubtedly wants to make up for last year’s Michigan win.

Since its breakthrough 2020 season, Iowa State’s stellar defense has regularly been let down by sludgy offenses. This year’s been especially egregious for the 4–7 Cyclones.

As ESPN’s Bill Connelly noted on Twitter, the Cyclones would be ranked sixth in SP+—which measures team efficiency—if the team had its 2022 elite defense alongside 2021’s decent offense. For context, this composite Iowa State team would be next to elite teams like Tennessee, Penn State, and TCU.

Florida State’s flown under the radar this season, but the Noles have started to emerge from the rubble of the Jimbo Fisher and Willie Taggart eras. Florida State suffered a mid-season losing streak against ranked Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson, but they rebounded with dominant wins against Miami (45–3) and Syracuse (38–3).

Florida’s been on a similar trajectory this season with sizable wins against Texas A&M and South Carolina alongside last week’s upset loss against Vanderbilt. Considering the rivalry’s lopsided nature in recent years as both schools rotated between bad hires, we’ll take a series that’s at least watchable.

The Iron Bowl is one of America’s finest purveyors of rivalry week wackiness. If you peek under the hood, there are signs that this edition could provide some much-needed lunacy.

During a four-game losing skid, interim Auburn head coach Carnell Williams led the Tigers into a close Mississippi State overtime loss before a breakthrough win against Texas A&M. Last year’s Auburn team even took Alabama into four overtimes despite its dismal 6–5 record.

Of course, Alabama’s on-paper advantages go without saying, and in recent years, they’ve alternated between “crazy Iron Bowl games” and “50-point Auburn beatdowns.” But can we at least hope for an entertaining game?