What’s on the agenda for week 14? It’s Rivalry Week and the final week of the regular season, so tensions are sure to be high with the conference championships just around the corner.

No. No. 3 Texas takes on No. 20 Texas A&M in a conference matchup with quite a bit on the line. As they look for a spot in the SEC title game, can the Longhorns execute in the red zone at Kyle Field on Saturday?

The Big 12 enters the week with a four-way tie at the top of the conference standings. Nine teams still have a chance to reach the Big 12 title game – what are the scenarios for each?

Our college football experts preview big games and storylines leading up to Week 14.

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Rivalry week | Texas-Texas A&M | Big 12 updates
Quotes of the week

Which rivalry matchup has the biggest implications for the CFP?

Texas at Texas A&M (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC)

Considering that Texas A&M can claw its way to the SEC title game with a win against Texas and would certainly be eliminated from playoff consideration if they lost, it should be the Longhorns vs. Being Aggies. A&M can still earn the No. 2 seed. There is no other team playing a rivalry game with such a wide range of possibilities. Then there’s the stakes for Texas.

It’s two wins away from No. 2, but if it doesn’t reach the SEC title game, that’s no longer an issue. Assuming Texas falls lower than No. 5 if it loses to A&M — which is a safe assumption — the Longhorns would be in line for a tough first-round matchup. However this game ends, it will impact the playoff field. — Kyle Bonagura

Arizona State at Arizona (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET)

The Arizona State-Arizona game has CFP implications for only one team, but that doesn’t make this game any less important. The Sun Devils need to win to put themselves in position to make the Big 12 championship game and move up in the rankings to try to secure an automatic spot as conference champions. As it stands, the race for the Big 12 title is muddy, with four teams going 6-2 in the league this weekend. No. No. 16 Arizona State (9-2) is the highest ranked among them after posting six wins in its past six games.

The Sun Devils would be heavy favorites to win the majority of tiebreakers if necessary and secure a spot in the conference championship game. But the only way to even get into that mix is ​​to beat rival Arizona, which has won the past two meetings. Although the Wildcats (4-7) are out of the bowl and the playoffs, there would be no bigger victory than ruining their rival’s season to take home the Territorial Cup. — Andrea Adelson

South Carolina at Clemson (Saturday, noon on ESPN)

Surprisingly, it could be South Carolina that visits Clemson. The Gamecocks rose to No. 15 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings and have perhaps the best chance among the SEC’s three-loss teams to crack the field of 12. Unlike Ole Miss and Alabama, South Carolina doesn’t have a really bad loss on its profile. . The Gamecocks probably would have beaten LSU had starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers not been injured in the first half (or if a few calls had gone out). They have won five straight since a two-point road loss to Alabama, posting final victories against No. 20 Texas A&M (home), Vanderbilt (road) and Oklahoma (road), and a narrow home victory against No. 21 Missouri .

A road win against another opponent in the CFP rankings could be enough to give South Carolina an edge over two teams it lost to (Ole Miss, Alabama). Clemson, meanwhile, will have its eyes on the Miami-Syracuse game, as a Hurricanes loss would put the Tigers in the ACC title game against SMU, with a CFP berth on the line. — Adam Rittenberg

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What must each team do to win?

Texas: The Longhorns have won ten consecutive true road games under Steve Sarkisian, the longest active streak in the FBS. But the environment at Kyle Field on Saturday night will be unlike anything these Texas players have ever experienced. Quinn Ewers and his team must find a way to play calmly and collectedly if they want to get the job done in College Station.

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne’s effectiveness on downfield shots certainly stood out during the Aggies’ 43-41 loss last week. Thorne threw for 301 yards that night, but gave up 230 on six completions. Sarkisian won’t hesitate to get after Texas A&M’s cornerbacks with his play calling, but his QB needs to be on edge with his deep passing. Ewers is 9 of 31 (29%) on throws of 20 or more air yards this season, according to TruMedia, and his 271 passing yards on those throws rank 121st in the FBS.

One challenge Sarkisian’s Texas offenses have sometimes encountered in big games: execution in the red zone. Over the past two seasons, the Longhorns have scored touchdowns on 53% of their red zone opportunities against ranked opponents. This is one of those weeks where settling for too many field goal attempts can be costly. — Max Olson

Texas A&M: Follow the Georgia game plan, which is easier said than done if you’re not Georgia. But as far as Max is concerned, if the Aggies can rediscover their pass rush and put pressure on Ewers, especially if they can force Texas to try to beat them throwing the ball, they will have chances. Against Georgia, Texas was pressured on 39% of dropbacks, and Ewers was 5 of 13 for 46 yards on those plays. On the day, he completed just 44.4% of his throws 5 or more yards downfield.

Last week against Kentucky, Ewers was 20 of 21 for 191 yards and two touchdowns to receivers in space, according to ESPN Research. But on throws against tight coverage, he was 0-of-10. Arkansas played a three-safety look against Texas, and Ewers threw for just 176 yards, including 1-for-2 for minus-8 yards and three sacks when under duress in the first half.

If the defense can keep it tight, the Aggies’ offense simply has to be opportunistic against a really stingy Texas defense, playing with Marcel Reed’s legs and keeping Texas off balance. — Dave Wilson

What’s going on in the Big 12?

According to the conference, there are nine – yes, nine – teams that still have a chance to reach the Big 12 title game. That appears to be true, even though the team that was arguably the best in the conference in November – Kansas, with wins against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado – is not included.

With Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU and Colorado all tied at 6-2, let’s take a look at the scenarios most likely to come into play.

• If all four win, the title game will be ASU vs. Iowa State.

• In a three-team tie between ASU, ISU and BYU, BYU is eliminated.

• In a three-team tie between ISU, BYU and Colorado, Colorado is out.

• In a three-team tie between ASU, BYU and Colorado, Colorado is eliminated.

In the event of a three-team tie with ASU, ISU and Colorado, things get messy, so here’s the exact language from the Big 12:

Do you have all that? Good. And at the risk of unnecessarily complicating matters, we’ll press pause before going through all the other options. — Bonagura

Quotes of the week

“Ryan Williams, I mean, yeah, he’s electric. He’s this and that, but in my eyes he’s not really a nobody to me. Ryan Williams is himself. He’s not a big player to me… Like I said , Bama is a great rival team that I’ve played against, I’ve never lost, and I won’t lose to Bama as long as I’m here — Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick

“I’ve said this from day one: I think when you have two programs as big as these two programs, and so close together, it doesn’t make a lot of sense not to play them. So it always felt weird to not play So now play and play what we play for? Yeah, I imagine Saturday will be pretty exciting — Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, on Texas this weekend

“I don’t think you really get emotional about things like that. I think you are a much better coach if you stay calm, coach your players and teach your players what it takes to win the game. It will be an emotional game but it doesn’t make me emotional. It’s an interstate rivalry. It’s a chance for a state championship. There’s a lot of history in the game, between the players.” — Georgia coach Kirby Smart, on facing Georgia Tech during Rivalry Week

“There’s nothing to say. If you watch Godfather 2 and Hyman Roth is talking to Michael Corleone, you know what’s going on in the background: It’s Notre Dame and USC. That’s all we have to say.” — Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden

“We have to have that lead. And we will, because we know what’s at stake. We’ve experienced what it’s like not to win this game. It’s bad. It’s one of the worst things that has happened to me have happened in my life. Honestly, other than losing my father and a few other things, like, honestly, for my family, this is the worst thing that’s happened. And that’s been the approach all season . — Ohio State coach Ryan Day, on Michigan after three straight losses in the series

“I said what I had to say about the College Football Playoff after the (Ohio State) game. All I’m going to say is we’re in a good spot. But we’ve got to take care of business. That’s that.” — Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti

“We’re playing for a trophy. We’re playing against Missouri. It’s a rivalry game for us. … They beat the hell out of us last year. That should motivate us. The problem is there’s a lot of the kids that are on the team and games, weren’t here the past two years.” — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, on motivating his team this week against Missouri after two straight losses in the series, including a 48-14 loss last fall