BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s a good thing that No. 5 Indiana heads to No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday at noon ET. It might be the most important game in Indiana history, and it saves college football from itself in Week 13.

With rivalry games during the final week of the regular season, starting on Black Friday, the penultimate week of the season is anticlimactic. Army-Notre Dame is the only other game with similar playoff implications for both teams. This is also the time of the season when the SEC buys cupcakes – strange that there are two different “seasons” for such things. The Big Ten will load up on their cupcakes in September.

And let’s be honest. This is a weekend where the college football horse race with regard to Indiana is a distant second in terms of how the Hoosiers control their own destiny with a win or loss at Ohio State.

Here’s a look at what to see around college football this weekend and how the games compare to Indiana’s fortunes.

Big Ten watch

– No. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1) at Minnesota (6-4, 4-3), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS: Over the years, the Golden Gophers have been relatively competitive with Penn State, winning six times in 16 meetings, including the last game in Minneapolis in 2019. The Gophers had won four in a row before losing at Rutgers last Saturday. It’s best for Indiana if PJ Fleck’s squad knocks the Nittany Lions right out of the Big Ten championship game.

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– No. 13 SMU (9-1) at Virginia (5-5), Saturday afternoon, ESPN2: The Mustangs are hanging out just outside the playoff qualifying spots. It’s almost like they’re being held in reserve for the SEC team above them that stumbles. SMU has won seven in a row, including three road victories. Virginia fatally damaged Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes two weeks ago and would love a repeat performance. Indiana would also like to see another contender taken out of the picture.

– Wake Forest (4-6) at No. 8 Miami (9-1), Saturday afternoon, ESPN: Not a game that’s super important for Indiana as Miami is currently the projected ACC champions, but a loss at the hands of the Hurricanes would put them out of their potential range if push came to shove.

– No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2) at Florida (5-5), Saturday afternoon, ABC: The Rebels last won in Gainesville in 2008, which sounds bad, but because the SEC has so many protected games, the two schools have only played twice since then. Indiana should be in Florida’s corner, and the Gators have had their moments this season. The Gators forced Tennessee into overtime and ended LSU’s hopes of sneaking into the playoffs through the back door last week.

– UMass (2-8) at No. 10 Georgia (8-2), 12:45 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network: The Minutemen could give Indiana a good performance here, but don’t plan your weekend around it.

– UTEP (2-8) at No. 11 Tennessee (8-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.: This game is so low on the totem pole that it won’t be broadcast on over-the-air TV at all. That tells you everything you need to know about the quality of play and Indiana’s chances of getting something out of a shocking UTEP win.

– No. No. 14 BYU (9-1) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPNIs there a big change happening in the Big 12? BYU has looked shaky in recent weeks, ultimately losing at home to Kansas last week. Meanwhile, Arizona State has won five of its last six games, but there is no room for error to get a shot at the Big 12 championship game with two Big 12 losses. Frankly, this game has little impact on Indiana other than determining a potential playoff opponent if push comes to shove.

– No. 16 Colorado (8-2) at Kansas (4-6), 3:30 PM Saturday, FOX: The same goes for this game as far as Indiana is concerned, but Colorado has put itself in pole position for the Big 12 championship game with just one Big 12 loss. Ranked at the start of the season, Kansas started 1-5 but has since single-handedly destroyed Big 12 playoff resumptions with wins over Iowa State and BYU in its final two games.

– Kentucky (4-6) at No. 3 Texas (9-1), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC: Since Texas lost at home to Georgia on Oct. 19, the Longhorns have been uneven. They had a big win over Florida, but close games against Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Kentucky defeated Ole Miss on September 28, but hasn’t won a game against an FBS team since. It’s doubtful Indiana will get much help from its Bluegrass friends here.

– No. 12 Boise State (9-1) at Wyoming (2-8), Saturday, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network: As with the Big 12 games, this has little impact on Indiana (Boise State is currently on its way to bowing out as conference champions) and even if it did? Wyoming probably won’t be the team to beat the Broncos.

– No. 7 Alabama (8-2) at Oklahoma (5-5), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC: When a team moves to a new conference, they dream of walking in and dominating their new peers. Sometimes it works, like for Oregon in the Big Ten.

But sometimes that doesn’t happen, and that’s where Oklahoma sits in the SEC. The Sooners have won just one game in the SEC and what on paper was a battle of college bluebloods has taken on a disappointing quality.

Not that winning in Norman will be easy for Alabama, but Oklahoma lost both of its SEC home games by at least 10 points. Indiana hopes Oklahoma finds its traditional form.

– No. 19 Army (9-0) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) at Yankee Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC: An Army win would advance the Black Knights to the playoffs as they would be undefeated with a quality win. It would also move Notre Dame up or out of the CFP rankings.

What helps Indiana here depends on what the Hoosiers do in Columbus. If Indiana beats Ohio State, an Army win will help the Hoosiers by putting the Fighting Irish on the ground.

But if Indiana loses to Ohio State and Army beats Notre Dame? Suddenly, an undefeated Army with a quality win that Indiana won’t get is a real threat to the Hoosiers’ place in the pecking order. If Notre Dame wins and Indiana loses, the Fighting Irish will likely pass the Hoosiers regardless.

– Inactive teams within range of Indiana: No. 1 Oregon.