The Orange started the season as a reliable under wager but their last three games have not cashed over tickets putting them at 5-7 for the season. With so much uncertainty with what you're getting after the portal pillaged it's way through CFB, I do feel comfortable playing unders. 

I expect the Jackrabbits to control the ground game with Isiah Davis who led the league with a 1,000-yard season. 

No. 4 FSU's playoff fate in hands of backup QB vs. No. 14 Louisville

After one week spent outside the projected field of four, Florida State moved back to No. 4 in Tuesday's latest College Football Playoff rankings.

That should mean the Seminoles (12-0) control their own destiny when a backup quarterback leads them against No. 14 Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

When Washington supplanted Florida State for the No. 4 spot a week ago, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell wasn't fazed, saying he had "not talked to (the players) about rankings at any point."

Now, by virtue of Michigan's win over Ohio State that knocked the Buckeyes down to No. 6, the Seminoles are back in the fourth spot with only the ACC title game left to conquer. But that might be easier said than done.

Florida State's situation is precarious after star quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a brutal lower leg injury against North Alabama on Nov. 18. Backup Tate Rodemaker went just 12-for-25 for 134 yards last week while Trey Benson provided 95 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Seminoles' 24-15 road win over rival Florida.

Mississippi State ended each of the past 13 seasons in a bowl game.

The Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6) need to defeat in-state rival Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2) in the Egg Bowl on Thursday night in Starkville, Miss., in order to become eligible for No. 14.

The Rebels have been assured of a bowl game for the last month and a 10th victory this season would only strengthen their postseason resume.

If MSU wins it will be able to hang on to the Golden Egg trophy, which it regained last season with a 24-22 victory in Oxford, Miss.

Both teams are coming off non-conference victories.

Ole Miss, which was routed by No. 1 Georgia 52-17 two weeks ago, started slowly against UL Monroe last week. It led just 7-3 at halftime but rolled to a 35-3 win to finish its home schedule 7-0.

Jaxson Dart threw all three of his touchdown passes during a 21-0 third-quarter blitz that put the Rebels in command.

Players on both teams know how a victory or defeat in the Egg Bowl can significantly alter the perception of their season -- regardless of what has preceded the rivalry game.

Besieged this week by questions about the firing of his offensive coordinator, Penn State coach James Franklin implored reporters to address the No. 12 Nittany Lions' next opponent.

Despite Franklin's efforts, the visiting Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) received little attention from the press corps ahead of the Saturday clash with the Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-2) in University Park, Pa.

Franklin, who is in his 10th season, has been feeling the heat since the Nittany Lions' 24-15 home loss to Michigan last week. The defeat exposed a sore subject that has been brewing all season: a conservative offensive approach.

On Sunday, Penn State fired Mike Yurcich, who had been the offensive coordinator since 2021.

Sharing the role will be tight ends coach Ty Howle and running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider. During games, both will remain in their usual roles, with Howle in the booth upstairs and Seider on the sideline, Franklin said.

Back in September, a primetime matchup between Colorado and Washington State would have been off the charts.

The Buffaloes, under first-year coach Deion Sanders, won their first three games of the season and were ranked 18th in the Top 25.

The Cougars opened with four straight victories and reached No. 13.

Those good times are long gone and Friday night in Pullman, Wash., the Buffaloes and Cougars meet to see who can escape the Pacific-12 Conference cellar.

Colorado (4-6 overall, 1-6 Pac-12) has lost four games in a row and six of seven, the lone victory in that span a 27-24 decision against Arizona State.

Washington State (4-6, 1-6) has dropped six in a row.

Both teams came close to snapping out of their downturns last week but couldn't eject the continued nosedive.

The Buffaloes took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter at home before losing 34-31 to Arizona.

Boston College brings the baggage of its first loss in six games to Pitt on Thursday night, but the Panthers are unpacking much bigger problems.

The Eagles (6-4, 3-3 ACC) had a five-game winning streak snapped last week when Virginia Tech scored 35 straight points en route to a 48-22 victory. BC was outgained 600-262 (including 363-124 on the ground) in suffering its first defeat since Sept. 23.

Things are so bleak for Pitt at the moment that the university's athletic director put out a statement to the Post-Gazzette on Monday saying, in part, that "this season is not up to Coach Narduzzi's or Pitt's standards" before indicating that Narduzzi will be back in 2024 to help turn around the program he helped resurrect with an ACC championship and consecutive Top 25 finishes the past two seasons.

The Panthers have already clinched the worst finish in Narduzzi's nine seasons at the helm.

First priority for Pitt on Thursday is finding a way to slow BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who ranks second in the country among quarterbacks with 806 rushing yards. He also has 10 rushing touchdowns.

Veilleux, meanwhile, has minus-14 net rushing yards on the season and has more interceptions (eight) than passing touchdowns (seven). Yarnell is just 5 of 8 for 123 yards and a touchdown in limited action.

The Panthers have scored a total of 44 points during their four-game losing streak.

Pitt leads the all-time series 17-15. BC has won the last two matchups.

ixth-ranked Oregon will try to move one game closer to reaching its fourth Pac-12 championship game in five seasons when it welcomes visiting Southern California to Eugene, Ore., on Saturday.

The Ducks (8-1, 5-1) held firm at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, tops among all one-loss teams. They roll into Saturday's matchup winners of three straight, all by at least 14 points, after last week's 63-19 blowout of Cal.

Quarterback Bo Nix enters the game a rising candidate for the Heisman Trophy with 2,723 yards on 235-of-301 passing with 25 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

Nix has also rushed for five touchdowns to pace the nation's most prolific scoring offense at 47.4 points per game. USC is second in the nation at 45.5 ppg.

The Trojans (7-3, 5-2) have scored no fewer than 32 points in any of their conference games behind reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Williams went 27 of 35 for 312 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for another score last week vs. Washington, but the USC defense surrendered a season high in points for the second time in as many weeks in a 52-42 loss.

The Trojans gave up 49 points a week prior in a one-point win at Cal and come into Oregon having allowed at least 41 points in five of their last six outings.

With three games to play, West Virginia and Oklahoma are on the edge of the race for a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Even so, the teams are in many different places entering a matchup Saturday in Norman, Okla.

West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) has built some momentum in recent weeks, winning back-to-back games.

It's a significant turnaround from West Virginia's two-game losing streak in October.

No. 17 Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2) dropped back-to-back, one-possession games -- a 38-33 loss to Kansas on Oct. 28 and a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma State last weekend in the expected finale of the Bedlam series.

Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel said he hopes the team will respond after falling out of the College Football Playoff race.

Indiana might not embrace the common ground with a neighboring Big Ten rival ahead of a Saturday afternoon date at Illinois in a Big Ten crossover game.

But the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5) and Fighting Illini (4-5, 2-4) can't ignore it exists.

Neither team performed to the level it had hoped and through nine games is grasping at faint hope for a postseason. But there is optimism thanks to upset wins by both programs last week.

Indiana (3-6, 1-5) recorded its first conference win of the season, a 20-14 triumph over Wisconsin at home to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Hoosiers will try to earn their first road victory of the season in Champaign.

No. 11 Louisville looks to extend its 10-game home winning streak Thursday night against a Virginia team that has already played road spoiler once this season.

The Cardinals (8-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are 5-0 at home this season and haven't lost there since Sept. 16, 2022, against Florida State.

The Cavaliers (2-7, 1-4) were victorious on their most recent visit to Louisville in 2021, overcoming a 30-13 fourth-quarter deficit for a 34-33 win.

More recently, Virginia gained some confidence on the road with a 31-27 victory at then-No. 10 North Carolina Oct. 21 and a hard-fought 29-26 overtime loss at Miami Oct. 28.

Nebraska will try to use the same formula that has led to a three-game win streak when it visits Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

The Cornhuskers (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) have limited their last three opponents to a combined 30 points, most recently beating Purdue 31-14 at home to move within a game of being bowl eligible for the first time in seven years. Overall, they're allowing 18.6 points per game, sixth best in the conference and 21st nationally.

A year ago, they were near the bottom of the Big Ten in most defensive categories, but first-year coach Matt Rhule still isn't satisfied. (FLM)

Boston College and Syracuse are trending in opposite directions entering Friday night's Atlantic Coast Conference contest on the Orange's home turf.

The Eagles (5-3, 2-2) have won four in a row, while the Orange (4-4, 0-4) have dropped four straight and are the only remaining winless team in ACC play.

Boston College allowed at least 27 points in each of its first four games but has not yielded more than 24 in any game during its current winning streak. The Eagles are coming off a 21-14 triumph against UConn in a game in which the Eagles' Kye Robichaux ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Syracuse, meanwhile, is looking to recover from a brutal stretch in which it lost to Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech by a combined margin of 150-34. On the bright side, the Orange have won two straight matchups with the Eagles, including 32-23 a season ago.

Friday's contest will be the Eagles' third road game in the last four outings, although the team certainly won't be getting any sympathy cards from the Orange.

Syracuse has not played at home since its Sept. 30 loss against Clemson. (FLM)

Preseason goals have been adjusted for TCU and Texas Tech heading into Thursday night's Big 12 Conference showdown in Lubbock.

But that doesn't mean there will be any less intensity when the rivals meet.

The visiting Horned Frogs (4-4, 2-3) have found life more treacherous this season compared with 2022, when a stretch of strong play blended with good fortune to vault the team into the national championship game.

For the Red Raiders (3-5, 2-3), a spate of injuries -- especially at quarterback -- and some close-call losses have punctured the chance to fulfill various preseason prognostications that pegged them as a conference sleeper.

Now the two proud programs will collide, each coming off a bye week and each eager to bounce back after tough-to-stomach losses.

On Oct. 21, TCU absorbed a 41-3 rout at Kansas State, and Texas Tech lost 27-14 at BYU in a game when the Red Raiders' five turnovers derailed any chance of the team keeping pace with the Cougars.

Though he downplayed it, this will be the first trip back to Lubbock for TCU's Sonny Dykes as a head coach at the school where his father, Spike Dykes, won 82 games from 1986-99.(FLM)

No. 4 Florida State aims to keep its unbeaten streak rolling on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C., when it opposes Wake Forest.

The Seminoles (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off a 38-20 home win over then-No. 16 Duke. It wasn't easy though, as Florida State trailed by double digits early in the second quarter. The Seminoles outscored the Blue Devils 21-0 in the fourth to close out the win.

While Florida State is aiming for a spot in the College Football Playoff, Wake Forest (4-3, 1-3) is simply trying to go bowling for the eighth consecutive season in Dave Clawson's 10 years at the helm. The Demon Deacons are coming off their first conference victory of the season, a 21-17 nail-biter against visiting Pitt. Wake Forest scored the go-ahead touchdown -- a 15-yard pass from Santino Marucci to Cameron Hite -- with seven seconds left.

The win against the Panthers was Marucci's first career start at quarterback. A year ago, he played quarterback, running back and safety. He completed 12 of 21 passes vs. Pitt for 151 yards and threw two picks, but when the game hung in the balance, he made the plays necessary for the Demon Deacons. (FLM)

If a rivalry game with Commander-in-Chief's Trophy implications wasn't enough to get Air Force fired up, perhaps a spot in the national rankings will do the trick.

The No. 22 Falcons find themselves among the top 25 teams in the country for the first time since 2019, and they will look to keep climbing on Saturday when they face Navy in Annapolis, Md.

Air Force (6-0) moved into the rankings thanks to a 34-27 victory over Wyoming last weekend. The Falcons leaned on their rushing attack, amassing 356 yards on the ground, including a team-high 111 from quarterback Zac Larrier.

Larrier, however, injured his knee late in the game and was ruled out for the Navy game. Backup Jensen Jones will take over at quarterback.

Although the win pushed Air Force into the national spotlight, coach Troy Calhoun knows his team can't concern itself with the extra attention it's about to receive.

Temple’s defense isn’t stopping a thing.

It hasn’t allowed fewer than 41 points in any of the last four games, it’s bad against the run, worse against the pass, and it’s not helping itself with takeaways - there haven’t been any since taking the ball away once in each of the first two games.

SMU’s offense hasn’t been as good as expected, but the defense has been a rock, TCU is the only team to get past 400 yards against it

Temple’s defense isn’t stopping a thing.

It hasn’t allowed fewer than 41 points in any of the last four games, it’s bad against the run, worse against the pass, and it’s not helping itself with takeaways - there haven’t been any since taking the ball away once in each of the first two games.

SMU’s offense hasn’t been as good as expected, but the defense has been a rock, TCU is the only team to get past 400 yards against it

Football history will be made Saturday when Iowa State travels to Cincinnati for the first meeting between the two programs.

You can thank the Bearcats' admittance into the Big 12 for the inaugural clash between teams that both have seen their ups and downs this season.

Iowa State (3-3, 2-1) enters with a little momentum following a 27-14 home victory over TCU last Saturday.

The Cyclones will attempt to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

Iowa State has struggled on offense, averaging just 323 yards and 21.8 points per game. Rocco Becht has thrown for 1,223 yards and 10 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He completed 16 of 28 passes for 138 yards and a score in the win against TCU.

The Cyclones rank fifth in the Big 12 in scoring defense and are coming off a four-interception performance against the Horned Frogs.

Colorado has recently taken a dip after a magical 3-0 start, but the Buffaloes have a chance to rediscover their prowess when they face hapless Stanford in Pac-12 play on Friday night in Boulder, Colo.

While Colorado ended an eight-game Pac-12 losing streak with last Saturday's 27-24 win at Arizona State, the Cardinal (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) have dropped 17 of their past 18 conference games, including seven straight.

Stanford is coming off a bye after losing its previous four contests.

Colorado (4-2, 1-2) lost to then-No. 10 Oregon and then-No. 8 Southern California in back-to-back weeks before escaping with a victory against the Sun Devils thanks to Alejandro Mata's 43-yard field goal with 12 seconds left.

Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders was highly irritated with his team's performance.

The Badgers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) had a bye last week after opening their conference schedule with a 38-17 victory at Purdue. Rutgers (4-1, 1-1) is coming off a 52-3 nonconference rout of Wagner, bouncing back from a 31-7 loss at Michigan.

Wisconsin's victory at Purdue was costly, however, as running back Chez Mellusi was lost for the season with a leg injury.

With Mellusi out, the bulk of the ground game falls on Braelon Allen, who has a team-high 371 rushing yards at 7.1 yards per carry with six touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Jackson Acker, who has 31 yards on eight carries, moves into the No. 2 spot.