College football's top games today: Rivalry Week schedule, what you should watch

The most important games on the Week 14 college football schedule today that the selection committee will be watching closely, and you should, too.

What you should be watching as the Rivalry Week college football schedule kicks off today, with plenty to still sort out in the conference championship and national playoff picture. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

It all comes down to this. Rivalry Week is here, and there’s still plenty to sort out in the conference championship and national playoff picture as college football takes to the field one last time in the 2024 regular season today.

Several of college football’s most prominent rivalry games are set to put a bow on the season before we head into Championship Weekend, and that includes a bombshell confrontation involving two Lone Star State schools reuniting after more than a decade.

A place in the Big Ten Championship Game is waiting to be clinched, as is the other half of the SEC title bout against Georgia, while the Big 12 title race is still up for grabs as we move into Saturday’s action, and there are many teams just outside the top dozen praying for some chaos.

Get your remote ready: The regular season finale is action-packed with impactful football with a ton on the line and decisions still to be made in the top dozen of the playoff bracket.

Here are the games the College Football Playoff selection committee will be keeping a close eye on -- and you should, too -- as the Week 14 college football games kick off today.

College football’s top games today: Rivalry Week schedule, what you should watch

All times Eastern

Michigan vs. Ohio State

Michigan vs. Ohio State kicks off The Game this weekend. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Why watch?

Because it’s The Game. A border war where its respective fans won’t even say the other team’s name. Michigan has taken the last three in this series, most recently using it as a jumping off point to win the national championship, but the tables have turned this year.

On paper, at least. Jim Harbaugh is out of the picture, and head coach Sherrone Moore’s team is just 6-5 and playing some of the country’s worst passing and scoring offense.

But they can still pack a punch on the defensive line and should pose a real threat to a Buckeyes offensive line that is dealing with injuries to its left tackle and center. 

A win here puts Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Against who? That would be Oregon, which has already clinched and handed OSU its only loss, by a single point.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on Fox

-

South Carolina vs. Clemson

Clemson vs. South Carolina highlights a strong Rivalry Week schedule with playoff consideration in the mix. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Why watch?

This in-state rivalry matchup finds a pair of teams sitting just outside College Football Playoff consideration, and a win, combined with outside developments, could adjust things just enough to pave a way into the top dozen.

Clemson comes in needing to not just beat the Gamecocks, but also for Miami to lose to Syracuse in its finale, in order to qualify for the ACC Championship Game.

Standing in the Tigers’ way is a South Carolina team on a roll, winning five straight games behind one of college football’s most dominant and productive defensive lines, and scoring almost 40 points per game during that impressive streak.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on ESPN

-

Notre Dame vs. USC

Notre Dame vs. USC kicks off in Rivalry Week as the Fighting Irish look to stay on the winning side against the Trojans. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why watch?

To see if the Trojans can finally win one of these one possession games and, in the process, throw a giant monkey wrench into Notre Dame’s playoff chances.

USC has led in the fourth quarter of every game it’s played this season and all of its five losses have come by one score and by 19 combined points.

What a run the Irish have been on ever since that loss at home to Northern Illinois back in early September, winning nine straight games behind the nation’s best point differential.

Notre Dame has clawed its way back into College Football Playoff consideration on the back of a strong rushing attack and the most efficient passing defense in the country.

And with wins against a ranked Texas A&M team on the road, at home against then-ranked Louisville, and Navy and Army teams that were undefeated at the time, the selection committee likes what they’ve seen from the Fighting Irish.

But the team’s apparent grip on an at-large bid could be in some peril if anything goes wrong against Southern Cal, especially if there are other upsets around the country.

When to watch: 3:30 p.m. on CBS

-

Auburn vs. Alabama

The 2024 Iron Bowl Game finds Auburn looking to force Alabama out of College Football Playoff consideration for good. / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Why watch?

It’s the Iron Bowl. That’s why you’re watching.

But the game has lost some of its luster after Kalen DeBoer’s debut as Nick Saban’s replacement has not exactly gone as planned, coming in at 8-3.

Who would’ve thought that in late November, the Crimson Tide would be on the outside looking in at the 12-team College Football Playoff picture, but here we are.

Losses on the road against Vanderbilt, then against Tennessee, and finally against Oklahoma have the selection committee down on Alabama with other teams ahead in consideration.

But a big win here, combined with some chaos elsewhere around the country, could open a very narrow, if unlikely, path back to the playoff for the Tide.

Auburn comes in fresh off a four-overtime win against SEC title hopeful Texas A&M and needing just one win to become bowl eligible in Hugh Freeze’s second season as head coach.

How sweet would it be on The Plains if that win came against the Tide, and in the process deliver the coup de grace on Alabama’s fading College Football Playoff hopes?

When to watch: 3:30 p.m. on ABC

-

Texas vs. Texas A&M

It's back: the Lone Star Showdown finds Texas and Texas A&M reunited, and it feels so good, with a spot in the SEC Championship Game on the line, to boost. / Thomas Campbell-Imagn Images

Why watch?

Because this should be the best game of the week, if not the season.

A classic college football rivalry finally returns to the field after more than a decade in a matchup that is among the most highly-anticipated games in the 21st century.

It’s primetime, under the lights, at Kyle Field under the eyes of The 12th Man. And if that wasn’t enough, the winner will secure a place against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

And from there, a win would ensure a place in the College Football Playoff.

When to watch: 7:30 p.m. on ABC

-

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks