Nov 21, 2024, 07:10 AM ET
The penultimate weekend of the regular season has put the brightest spotlights on Indiana-Ohio State, BYU-Arizona State and Army-Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium, just like Curt Cignetti predicted back in the summer.
The delightfully unpredictable first season of the 12-team College Football Playoff has introduced Coach Cig and so many others to the national stage. In the SEC alone, the CFP possibilities remain extensive. The league where it just means more has matchups with UMass, UTEP and Wofford this week, but there are also conference games with CFP implications involving Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M. Sorting out the best in the SEC has become a weekly exercise.
But there’s so much else to snack on, including national coach of the year candidates such as Indiana’s Cignetti, Colorado’s Deion Sanders, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Army’s Jeff Monken, who all face critical matchups this week. If Monken’s Army team upsets No. 6 Notre Dame in New York, it will have a good shot at reaching the CFP. If Sanders and Dillingham get wins Saturday, they will remain on track to meet in the Big 12 title game with teams picked 11th and 16th (last) in the conference’s preseason poll.
This has been a season in which conference newcomers have made big splashes, nontraditional Heisman Trophy contenders have emerged and many new fan bases have remained engaged with the CFP chase. Rivalry week is just around the corner, but there is some business to get to first.
College football insiders Heather Dinich and Adam Rittenberg have been talking to sources about the top CFP contenders, best coaching performances and key matchups heading into Week 13.
Jump to a section:
What is the best team in each conference?
How did Kenny Dillingham turn Arizona State around so quickly
How can Indiana stop Ohio State?
Are Colorado and SMU underrated?
Emptying the notebook
