Six ranked-vs-ranked games on Saturday, and five of them matter more than anything else on the board. Here’s the Big Five, in kickoff order. All times Central; rankings are this week’s AP poll.
- No. 7 BYU (7-1) at No. 3 Utah (8-0), 11 a.m., ABC. BYU already beat Notre Dame. Now it gets an unbeaten Utah team that’s 5-0 at home. The winner owns the Big 12’s playoff conversation.
- No. 9 Alabama (6-2) at No. 15 LSU (6-2), 2:30 p.m., ABC. LSU is 5-0 in Tiger Stadium. A third loss doesn’t officially end anybody’s season, but it ends the at-large argument. Loser is playing for a bowl.
- No. 8 Kentucky (7-1) at No. 16 Tennessee (6-2), 5:15 p.m., ESPN. Kentucky is 7-1 with two wins by one point, 35-34 at South Carolina and 35-34 over LSU. It doesn’t beat itself, so somebody has to. Our pick is already in: the Kentucky Hat Guarantee says the Vols cover.
- No. 1 Miami (8-0) at No. 4 Notre Dame (7-1), 6:30 p.m., NBC. Notre Dame’s only game against a ranked team was a 28-24 loss at BYU. This is the chance at the win its résumé is missing. If the Irish lose, the AP has a lot of explaining to do.
- No. 2 Georgia (7-1) at No. 12 Ole Miss (6-2), 6:30 p.m., ABC. Ole Miss is 4-0 in Oxford this year, including 32-24 over LSU. Georgia at night in the Grove is the best trap game of the week.
Bonus game: No. 10 Texas (6-2) at No. 19 Missouri (6-2), 11 a.m., ESPN. Missouri is 4-0 at home.
Who you got in all five? Tell us on X @fiveandafade or Instagram. Records, rankings, times and TV from ESPN.
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Jeremy Durham is a sports columnist for TriStar Daily and the founder of Five and a Fade.
