“Elimination” Games on Tap

There are several teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 that are facing de facto "elimination" games as they try to position themselves to be in the final four for college football's first playoff in January:

— Third-ranked Auburn is home against 6-3 Texas A&M. The 7-1 Tigers are third in the College Football Playoff rankings and trying to stay in strong position with road games against No. 17 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama left. Texas A&M could go a long way toward turning the season around with an upset after losing three consecutive SEC games.

— Fourth-ranked Alabama takes its 7-1 record on the road in a hostile environment to play at No. 14 LSU, which is 7-2. Alabama will win the SEC Western Division and remain firmly in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff by winning its final four regular-season games. LSU remains mathematically alive in the SEC West, but must win its final three games and needs Mississippi State and Auburn to stumble down the stretch.

— Fifth-ranked Oregon at 8-1 is trying to avoid a dreaded second defeat as it plays on the road at Utah. Oregon remains ranked at No. 5 in the AP Top 25, but the Ducks popped into No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings that will determine the four teams headed to the first playoffs. With a win, Oregon clinches the Pac-12 North. Utah, ranked in the Top 25 for the fifth straight week, is 2-1 against ranked opponents this season.

— No. 6 TCU hosts ninth-ranked Kansas State with both teams sporting 7-1 records. This game has huge implications in the races for a Big 12 title and a spot in the first four-team College Football Playoff. Kansas State leads in the Big 12 standings, but TCU is a spot higher in the playoff rankings. The Horned Frogs are playing their fifth ranked opponent in six games, and have won all but one so far, that 61-58 loss at Baylor.

— In what may be the most significant game in the Big Ten this season, seventh-ranked Michigan State hosts 13th-ranked Ohio State in a matchup of 7-1 teams (8 p.m. Eastern kickoff). The winner has the inside track to the East Division title and remains in the mix for college football's new four-team playoff.

— No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 11 Arizona State (7-1 in a matchup of 7-1 teams in what essentially is a playoff elimination game. The winner should get a huge boost in their College Football Playoff resume, while the loser will all but be out of the running for one of the four spots in the final rankings on Dec. 7.

In other Top-25 games:

— Top-ranked 8-0 Mississippi State is hosting UT Martin. Mississippi State is trying to win its 12th straight game dating back to last season and remain the No. 1 team in the country for the fifth straight week. UT Martin is trying to pull a mammoth upset.

— Second-ranked and 8-0 Florida State is home against 4-5 Virginia. The Cavaliers started the season 4-2, including wins against Louisville and Pitt. Now, they've dropped three straight and need to win two of their last three to become bowl eligible.

— No. 10 Baylor is at No. 16 Oklahoma. At 7-1, Baylor and is trying to stay within reach of leader Kansas State in the Big 12 conference race and in the mix for a spot in the playoff.

— No. 12 Mississippi tries to rebound by hosting Presbyterian. Ole Miss is trying to bounce back from two straight losses, including a disappointing 35-31 setback to Auburn last weekend that all but dashed any hopes for a Southeastern Conference Western Division title.

— With its national championship hopes done following last week's loss to Florida, No. 17 Georgia now moves on toward trying to win and stay in SEC East contention against Kentucky. Kentucky aims to end a three-game losing streak and become bowl eligible with a sixth victory.

— UCLA coach Jim Mora returns to Seattle as he leads the 7-2 and 18th-ranked Bruins against 6-3 Washington. UCLA will need help to win the Pac-12 South, though the Bruins hold the tiebreaker over Arizona and Arizona State and will have a chance to do so over Southern Cal.

— No. 21 Arizona hosts 2-7 Colorado. The Buffaloes have lost five straight Pac-12 game since a nonconference win over Hawaii.

— No. 22 Duke is at Syracuse. At 7-1, Duke sits atop the Coastal Division of the ACC. The Blue Devils have won three straight and finish the season with home games against Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

— No. 23 Marshall takes its 8-0 mark on the road to play at 3-6. Southern Mississippi. Marshall is trying to continue its demolition of Conference USA and attract some national attention. Coach Doc Holliday's bunch has won its eight games by an average of nearly 30 points.

— No. 24 West Virginia is at Texas, which is 4-5. Texas is still fighting to get bowl-eligible in coach Charlie Strong's first season. The Longhorns need to win two of their remaining three games.

— And No. 25 Wisconsin is at 3-6 Purdue. Wisconsin finds itself in a pack of four one-loss teams in the Big Ten West. A win Saturday will keep the Badgers in the hunt to reach the conference championship game for the third time in four years.