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We highlight the college football games of Week 14 that are the most important or should be the best games to maximize your viewing pleasure.
The 25 Best College Football Games Of Week 14
It’s Rivalry Week! Some of the best trophies in college football are on the line this weekend. Some of the most heated rivalries will take place this weekend, though there isn’t quite as much riding on most of them this year. We have a busy Friday and a monster Saturday lined up this weekend. We’ll let you know which games your setup should be focused on for both days. All times are in Eastern time.
(9) Notre Dame at Stanford
Where to watch: ESPN, 10:30 p.m.
If you want to see Notre Dame beat the pants off of another terrible team, you’ll have to stay up late to do it. Why are we watching this abomination? Because they play for a trophy that you can drink your favorite beverage out of.
24. (2) Indiana at Purdue
Where to watch: NBC, 7:30 p.m. (Friday)
The Old Oaken Bucket is one of the oldest college football rivalry trophies, but it wasn’t much of a game last year. Indiana is better this year, and Purdue is somehow worse. Indiana hasn’t won in West Lafayette since 2019. It’s going to feel good for Hoosiers fans to get the win here and add another bronze I to the chain that is now 102 letters long.
23. LSU at (8) Oklahoma
Where to watch: ABC, 3:30 p.m.
It’s easy for the Sooners. Win, and they are in the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma has only beaten LSU once. It was in the Sugar Bowl back in 1950. LSU has won the other three games in this series by a combined 62 points. It’s time to get at least a little bit of revenge here with Oklahoma a double-digit (-10.5) favorite.
22. Kentucky at Louisville
Where to watch: ACC Network, noon
Surprisingly, the Commonwealth Cup has only been contested 35 times. It has only been played every year since 1994. Kentucky won the first seven meetings, but Louisville has won 16 of 29 games since they have played every season. Kentucky has only lost to Louisville once since 2017. That was last year. It’s expected that Isaac Brown is going to be out for this game as well. Chris Bell, Keyjuan Brown, and Duke Watson will join him. Miller Moss is still questionable. It’s not looking good for the Cardinals, or for teams that need the Cardinals to make them look good.
21. Oregon State at Washington State
Where to watch: CW Network, 6:30 p.m.
The second coming of the Pac (1)2 Championship moves to Pullman this time. After a tough loss in Corvallis, the Cougars are in a position where they need to win at home to be bowl eligible. The Cougars are heavy favorites (-13.5) to win this one on the Palouse.
20. North Carolina at North Carolina State
Where to watch: ACC Network, 7:30 p.m.
This game got contentious after the Pack’s win in Chapel Hill last year. Some North Carolina State players planted the flag at midfield, and a skirmish broke out. This happened about 10 times during rivalry week last year, which makes this one of the best weeks of the year! North Carolina has lost four straight in this series and seven of the last nine. Can Bill Belichick end the slide?
19. Missouri at Arkansas
Where to watch: SEC Network, 3:30 p.m.
The Battle Line game is considered a rivalry, but they have only played 16 times, and only five times before Missouri joined the SEC in 2014. Missouri has dominated the series, winning eight of the last nine and nine of 11 since joining the SEC. This also may not be a great game, but it could be the last time that we get to see Taylen Green on a football field since Arkansas is nowhere close to a bowl game.
18. Clemson at South Carolina
Where to watch: SEC Network, noon
These teams are only playing for pride this year. Clemson has won eight of the last 10 against the Gamecocks, but those two losses are both in the last three years. This will help answer the age-old question: Is a 4-7 SEC team better than a bowl-bound ACC team? Vegas thinks so, as the Gamecocks are 3.5-point favorites at home. FPI isn’t as forgiving. They have South Carolina at 63.5%.
17. Northwestern at Illinois
Where to watch: Fox, 7:30 p.m.
Both teams are already bowl-bound, so I’ll move this down the list a bit. The teams play for the Land of Lincoln Trophy, which is about what it sounds like. It’s a black top hat on a wooden base. Small, but simple. It used to be something much more interesting. They played for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk from 1945 to 2008 until the NCAA mandated that the trophy be replaced. The most interesting thing about “the hat” is that it was designed by Dick Tracy cartoonist Dick Locher. Vegas (-6.5) and FPI (72.9%) have the Illini favored to keep the trophy in Champaign.
16. San Diego State at New Mexico
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network, 3:30 p.m. (Friday)
This is a low-key important game that isn’t a true rivalry. A spot in the Mountain West Championship game is on the line here. San Diego State was running wild through the Mountain West before they got blitzed at Hawaii. New Mexico has won five in a row. Something has to give.
15. Florida State at Florida
Where to watch: ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
Imagine walking into the Swamp needing to win on your rival’s field to make it to a bowl game after beating mighty Alabama in Week 1. That is the state of the 2025 Florida Seminoles. Florida State has won just 13 of the 36 contests in the Swamp, with only one of those since 2017. Florida is a slight favorite in Vegas (-1.5), but FPI favors the Seminoles by 52.7%. If Florida State had beaten Stanford, Clemson, or NC State, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.
14. Wisconsin at Minnesota
Where to watch: FS1, 3:30 p.m.
The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe is never dull. It is the longest uninterrupted rivalry series in FBS. This will be the 135th meeting overall, and the 119th in a row. The best part is that this is the rubber match. The series is tied at 63-63-8. Wisconsin leads the trophy series 46-28-3. Minnesota held the Slab of Bacon the most (11-3). The most unique part of this rivalry is that the player on the winning team gets to grab the axe (or steal it if it is not in their possession) and “chop down” the goalposts. This may not be an exciting game this year, but the pageantry of the Axe makes it worth watching.
13. Virginia Tech at (18) Virginia
Where to watch: ESPN, 7 p.m.
This edition of the Commonwealth Cup is an important one for the Wahoos. If they win, they’re in the ACC Championship Game. If they lose, the ACC becomes even more complicated. The bad news is that Virginia has only won once in this series since 2003. Vegas is fairly heavy on Virginia (-8.5). FPI is very heavy on Virginia to make the ACC Championship (80.1%).
12. Iowa at Nebraska
Where to watch: CBS, noon (Friday)
This is always a close game, so it’s usually worth watching. That is, if you don’t mind punts and field goals. Though it is usually a close game, Nebraska has only won once since 2015 and hasn’t won in Lincoln since 2011. Iowa fans have started calling Memorial Stadium “Kinnick West.” This game has been decided by seven points or less in each of the last seven years. The track record says that this will be a close game. It just may not be a good game since Iowa hasn’t heard of a forward pass, and Nebraska is on its second-string quarterback.
11. UNLV at Nevada
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m.
These teams play for the heaviest (545 pounds) and most expensive ($10,000 at the time it was built in 1970) rivalry trophy in college football. It’s called the Fremont Cannon after a cannon abandoned by explorer John Fremont in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1843. It was a fully functioning cannon that the school that possessed it would fire after every score in the game. However, in 1999, some UNLV fans and players tried to lift the cannon and dropped it. Even though UNLV paid for repairs on the cannon, it no longer fires. Don’t let that take away from how awesome this trophy is! The winning school now gets to paint the cannon with its school colors.
The Cannon has been UNLV red since 2022 and is favored to stay that way by both Vegas (-7.5) and FPI (81.9%). However, Carter Jones has revitalized this Nevada offense and led them to consecutive wins over San Jose State and Wyoming.
10. (6) Oregon at Washington
Where to watch: CBS, 3:30 p.m.
The Cascade Clash was dominated by Oregon from 2004-15, but is 5-4 in favor of Washington since. These teams haven’t alternated wins in the series since 1999-2000, meaning that every win either starts or is part of a streak. If that holds, Oregon wins since they beat Washington last year for the first time since 2021. Vegas agrees, with Oregon favored by 6.5 points on the road.
Oregon jumped Ole Miss with a win over USC (bogus) in the CFP rankings this week. That means the Ducks could lose this game and still be in the CFP. It doesn’t have the win-or-go-home feel that it did a couple of weeks ago.
9. (4) Georgia at (23) Georgia Tech
Where to watch: ABC, 3:30 p.m. (Friday)
College football has lost all integrity. Instead of having Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate on campus where it belongs, they moved it to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to take all of the personality out of it…and so it’s a “neutral” site game instead of at Georgia Tech. Wherever this game is played, it hasn’t been pretty for Tech. The Yellow Jackets haven’t won since 2016 and haven’t won in Atlanta since 1999. Georgia is a big favorite (-13.5), but they were last year as well and would have lost if a targeting penalty had been called correctly. Georgia Tech still pushed the game into the seventh two-point conversion contest before falling (that is not a proper way to end a football game, by the way).
8. (25) Arizona vs. (20) Arizona State
Where to watch: Fox, 9 p.m. (Friday)
This is the first Territorial Cup where both teams are ranked since 2017. This game has been a blowout in each of the last two years, with the road team notching a big win on its rival’s field. Jordyn Tyson is expected to play for Arizona State, but quarterback Sam Leavitt is still out. Only one game in this series has been decided by less than 10 points since 2018, but Arizona is a slight favorite (-1.5) this year, suggesting this will be a good one. FPI agrees, but has the pendulum in Arizona State’s favor (51.3%)
7. (7) Mississippi at Mississippi State
Where to watch: ABC, noon (Friday)
The Egg Bowl is always a weird one. The first game of this series in 1901 was delayed by 40 minutes because the coaches were arguing over the eligibility of a player who was on Mississippi State’s roster but had played for Ole Miss the year before. State won 17-0 without him. During a cold and muddy 1907 game, Mississippi coach Frank Mason gave his players whiskey-laced coffee to warm them up. The players blamed the loss on him, and the university fired him. One of the most iconic games in college football history happened in the Egg Bowl in 1983. Mississippi State lined up for a 27-yard field goal down by one with 24 seconds left. As the ball was in the air, a 40-mph wind gust suspended the ball in the air, where it fell short. The 1997 game featured a brawl before the opening kickoff.
What about Dak Prescott’s Willis Reed impression, coming back into the 2013 game to lead the down Bulldogs to victory? The Egg Brawl of 2018 was one of the ugliest moments of the series. Who can forget the 2019 game where Mississippi’s Elijah Moore scored a touchdown with four seconds left and mimicked a dog urinating in the Mississippi State end zone? The 15-yard penalty moved the extra point back to 35 yards, where it was pulled wide right to lose the game for the Rebels. What will we get this year? Lane Kiffin’s decision is coming after the game. Will it affect the playoff-bound Rebels during the game?
6. UCLA at (17) USC
Where to watch: NBC, 7:30 p.m.
These teams play for the Victory Bell, which is a brass bell claimed from an old locomotive that weighs 300 pounds. The winning team gets to paint the cart in the school’s colors and ring the bell after scores when in possession of it. This rivalry is so heated that students camp out in the plazas of both schools to protect the statue of “Tommy Trojan” and the Bruin Bear from vandalism by opposing students. The Trojan Knights stole UCLA’s Victory Bell after the 1941 game and successfully kept it hidden for a year. They posted photos in the Los Angeles newspapers with the bell from various locations around the city to troll the Bruins.
That led to the Bell being used as the trophy for the game. The teams have alternated wins in the Crosstown Showdown since 2020, with the road team winning every game. It’s UCLA’s turn to win this weekend. Vegas (-21.5) and FPI (95%) strongly favor USC to stop this streak.
5. (10) Alabama at Auburn
Where to watch: ABC, 7:30 p.m.
So, you think your team has a heated rivalry? These two teams didn’t play the Iron Bowl for 41 years because they couldn’t agree on how to split ticket sales and couldn’t agree on officials. It took an act of the state legislature to make them start playing again in 1948. Since then, the game has had some of the quirkier plays in college football history. Joe Namath solidified his legacy in the first televised Iron Bowl in 1964. Three years later, Ken Stabler had his fabled “run in the mud” to beat Auburn 7-3. Auburn returned two blocked punts for touchdowns in 1972 to win the game.
Bo Jackson won the Iron Bowl in 1982, but went the wrong direction on a fourth-down play in 1984 that could have won the game for Auburn. The 2000 Iron Bowl was the first one played in Tuscaloosa since 1901, and the last time Alabama has been shut out. 10 years later, Cam Newton had his Heisman moment, bringing Auburn back from a 24-0 deficit to win. The 2013 game featured the Kick Six, one of the craziest plays I’ve ever seen. The 2023 Iron Bowl featured Isaiah Bond’s improbable 4th-and-31 conversion to win the game for Alabama. This year, the Iron Bowl has a little extra juice. If Alabama loses, they’re out of the CFP. Auburn hasn’t won the Iron Bowl since 2019.
4. (14) Vanderbilt at (19) Tennessee
Where to watch: ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
This series has been dominated by Tennessee. The Vols have won six in a row by an average of 26.6 points. Vanderbilt has won just twice in Knoxville since 2006. Vanderbilt comes in as the higher-ranked team, but Tennessee is still favored in Vegas (-3.5) and by FPI (57.6%). A win by Tennessee would ensure Vanderbilt is left out of the CFP. As of now, they still have a chance at making it.
3. (11) Miami (FL) at (22) Pittsburgh
Where to watch: ABC, noon
Miami still has an outside shot at the ACC Championship game, but they don’t want to play in that anyway. Why play a CCG if you don’t have to? The extra week off should help. It helped Ohio State last year. Miami needs to come in and beat Pittsburgh worse than Notre Dame did to give the CFP something to think about. The Hurricanes beat Notre Dame in Week 1, yet haven’t been mentioned in the same breath as the Irish in the committee room, even though they have the same record. This is a chance for Miami to add something more to that Week 1 win with a statement win here.
2. (1) Ohio State at (15) Michigan
Where to watch: Fox, noon
Did you notice how the CFP moved Michigan up just for beating a painfully average Maryland team? It’s just in case the Wolverines beat Ohio State for the fifth straight time. That would give the CFP the ammunition to put the Wolverines in the playoff over Miami, BYU, and Utah. Ohio State was favored in three of those four games, as they are again this year. You can’t blame it all on the Michigan cheating scandal. That may have been true for the first three years, but last year it was used as a crutch.
1. (3) Texas A&M at (16) Texas
Where to watch: ABC, 7:30 p.m. (Friday)
The Aggies haven’t won in Austin since 2010 (it’s only two games, but still). They have only won two of the last eight meetings in Austin. This is one of the better chances A&M has had at not only a conference title (the last one was in 1998), but a national title (last one in 1939). Texas would love to spoil that in the Lone Star Showdown. This game was played every year from 1894-2011 when the Aggies joined the SEC. It is the longest-running rivalry for both teams.
FPI gives Texas the slight edge at home (51.5%), but Vegas has the Aggies favored by 2.5 points. Here’s the way I look at it: The Aggies managed to dodge Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. They have drawn the worst that the conference has to offer. It’s not all their fault that LSU, Florida, and Auburn are all bad in the same season, but it does make it fair to question how tested the Aggies are. The Notre Dame win in Week 2 has made everyone believe, but should we?
