Bubble Watch: What to watch in Week 12
Admit it: You've cheated on your team before.
You've caught yourself cheering for another team if for no other reason than to see a rival or another opponent you loathe lose. Gator hater? Bet you like those Noles at least once a year. Can't stand the Buckeyes? Go Meeechigan!
Here's a better reason to expand your rooting interests: The College Football Playoff.
With the selection committee's weekly ranking now on display, coaches and players know where they stand, and fans can see how far of a climb their team has to the top. One game can affect the entire pecking order. This is your guide to the trickle-down effect five games will have on other teams' -- and entire conferences' -- playoff hopes.
Got a rooting interest in the Week 12 games? Now you do ...
No. 1 Mississippi State at No. 5 Alabama (CBS, 3:30 ET)
Who should be cheering for the Bulldogs: Everyone but Alabama and the rest of the SEC. It's still possible that two SEC teams could be in the playoff, and the odds of that happening would increase if Alabama wins. If Mississippi State's only loss of the season is on the road to Alabama -- the eventual SEC champs -- the Bulldogs would be a hard team for the committee to leave out of the top four.
Who should be cheering for the Tide: Ole Miss. Here's what you need to win the West, Rebels: You need Mississippi State to lose twice -- starting this weekend to Alabama -- and then again in the Egg Bowl. You also need Bama to lose to Auburn. Ole Miss would then win the tie-breaker with head-to-head wins over Alabama and Mississippi State. First things first. Root for the Bulldogs.
No. 3 Florida State at Miami (ABC, 8 ET)
Who should be cheering for the Seminoles: ACC commish John Swofford. That's about it. Noles lose, so does the ACC.
Who should be cheering for the Canes: Miami's fan base just quadrupled. Might even fill the stadium. Pay attention, Ohio State fans. Nebraska fans. SEC fans. Big 12 fans. If the Noles lose, the door to the playoff swings wiiiiide open. With a two-loss Notre Dame team out of the picture, and the ACC champs out of the picture, there would be two spots up for grabs in the top four to join the Pac-12 and SEC champs. The Big Ten winner could be in. A second SEC team could be in (See above). The Big 12 champ could be in.
No. 8 Ohio State at No. 25 Minnesota (ABC, noon ET)
Who should be cheering for the Buckeyes: The rest of the Big Ten. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Buckeyes are now the Big Ten's best hope at a playoff representative (sorry, Huskers, but the loss to Michigan State was a dagger). Even Nebraska fans should want Ohio State to win, because the Huskers would benefit more in the playoff picture from winning out and beating a highly-ranked Ohio State team in the Big Ten title game than by beating a ranked Minnesota team en route to a Big Ten title game that lost its luster after both Ohio State and Michigan State lost.
Who should be cheering for the Golden Gophers: TCU. One thing separating TCU from Baylor right now (aside from that head-to-head result of course) is its nonconference win over Minnesota, which snuck into the committee's ranking at No. 25. The better Minnesota looks, the better TCU's resume looks. It's that simple. Minnesota has three straight games against ranked opponents remaining, though, and the odds of it turning into the next West Virginia and fading out of the picture are more likely.
No. 16 Nebraska at No. 20 Wisconsin (ABC, 3:30 ET)
Who's cheering for Nebraska: Minnesota fans. They still have to play the Huskers, and need Nebraska to lose again to stay in the West race.
Who's cheering for Wisconsin: Stop me if you've heard this before, but ... Minnesota fans. They still have to play Wisconsin, and need the Badgers to lose again to stay in the West race.
No. 9 Auburn at No. 15 Georgia (ESPN, 7:15 ET)
Who should be cheering for Auburn: Missouri and Florida. If Georgia loses again, it all but hands Missouri the SEC East title because Georgia would then have three league losses. Don't write off the Gators yet, though. If Florida beats South Carolina AND Georgia loses to Auburn, the East race would boil down to Florida and Missouri.
Who should be cheering for Georgia: Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Alabama's favorite team is anyone who beats Auburn, including Georgia. But there's also a scenario where a four-way tie could emerge with each team at 6-2 -- unless Auburn loses on Saturday, benefitting Alabama, Ole Miss and the Bulldogs. Imagine this: A four-way tie could potentially leave the SEC out of the playoff entirely. What if the SEC West winner, already a two-loss team, loses the title game?
Heather Dinich | email
Senior College Football InsiderThis Week's Superlatives
Player in the spotlight
Dak Prescott: He's completed 61.1 percent of his passes and has thrown 18 TDs and seven INTs. He's also run for 11 TDs. Can he keep the Bulldogs undefeated another week?
Under the radar
Rice at undefeated Marshall: The Owls are the only team left on the Herd's schedule with a winning record, and it's a rematch of last year's C-USA title game, which Rice won.
Matchup to watch
Mississippi State offense vs. Alabama defense: At home, Alabama has allowed an FBS-low one touchdown in the red zone. Prescott has been responsible for an SEC-high 30 touchdowns this season.
Most to gain
Alabama: For the second straight week, the Tide are on the bubble at No. 5. A home win against No. 1 Mississippi State should be all they need to crack the top four.
Most to lose
The ACC: Should Florida State lose at Miami, the Noles are out of the playoff and so is the ACC. They haven't even lost yet and the committee dropped them behind No. 2 Oregon.
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