With only one week remaining in the regular season of college football, Week 13 will be critical for 13 teams seeking their sixth win to capture bowl eligibility. Matt Rhule's Nebraska football team (5-6) will be at the top of the list, hoping to make a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Believe it or not, this has been a promising first year for Nebraska football under Matt Rhule. Granted, that's not saying a lot considering that Cornhuskers football hasn't won more than four games since 2016, the same year as their last bowl game appearance. They've lost their last three games by only one score, some in upset fashion. They'll have to play host to No. 17 Iowa, who has already punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game.
Don't expect a lot of points in this one, as Saturday's matchup will be one heavy on defense. Nebraska football is favored by just 2.5 points, according to FanDuel.
Mississippi State
Mississippi State has already fired head coach Zach Arnett after not even one full season. They need one win to make it back to bowl season, but a No. 12 Ole Miss team stands in their way in the Egg Bowl. Last year, the Bulldogs pulled off an upset over Lane Kiffin's Rebels. It would end up being the late Mike Leach's last win before he passed.
TCU Horned Frogs
Last year's national championship runner-up is now hoping to secure just their sixth win in the very last game of the regular season in hopes of just making a bowl game. TCU football has been much forgotten since its upset loss in the season opener against Colorado, not resembling any of last season's miracle team.
The Horned Frogs have a great challenge ahead of them as they have to travel to Norman, OK, to face the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners, who are hoping to make their final appearance in the Big 12 title game before they leave for the SEC next season.
UCF Golden Knights
UCF's first season in the Big 12 hasn't quite gone as planned. The Gus Malzahn team started the season 3-0 and then ran into conference play and lost four straight. They have only a 4-7 Houston Cougars team in their way this week to gain bowl eligibility.
Navy Midshipmen
Navy hasn't played in the postseason since 2019. Unlike most teams in Week 13, they still have two opportunities left. That's probably a good thing since they're going up against a 9-2 SMU team this weekend. The last game the following week will be against rival Army.
Syracuse Orange
After another disappointing season, Syracuse just fired head coach Dino Babers recently. The Orange have only played in two bowl games in the past five years, including last year's loss to Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl. They'll need to beat Wake Forest (4-7) at home to make it back to a bowl this year.
BYU Cougars
Similar to UCF, BYU's first year in the Big 12 wasn't all that great as conference play proved to be challenging. They'll have to beat what has been a very inconsistent No. 20 Oklahoma State team in Stillwater in hopes of making a bowl game.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Under head coach PJ Fleck, Minnesota has gone bowling four times, with their only miss during the pandemic season. They've also won all those bowl appearances. But this season, the Golden Gophers still need one more win over a Wisconsin team who has already claimed their bowl eligibility, making Nebraska football not the only Big Ten team looking for a sixth win on Saturday.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Brent Pry's second year with the Hokies has been better than last season's 3-8 finish. But Virginia Tech still needs one more win in the Commonwealth Clash with Virginia to reach their first bowl game under him.
Washington State Cougars
This year's Apple Cup has massive implications. For one, this will be the last foreseeable matchup between the Cougars and Huskies, as the Pac-12 dissipates after this season. But Washington State will have to hope to upset the now No. 4 Washington team if they want to make it to their third consecutive bowl game.
Florida Gators
Perhaps now a game that has way more interest than what it did a week prior, No. 5 Florida State, now without Jordan Travis, will travel to The Swamp to take on the Gators. However, this will be a matchup between backup quarterbacks now that Florida football starting quarterback Graham Mertz is also out. This would be a massive win for Billy Napier in his second year in Gainesville, who just barely made it to a bowl game last year. Another loss would further heat up his seat.
South Carolina Gamecocks
It will now be a No. 24 ranked Clemson traveling to Columbia to take on a South Carolina team that has just been scrapping by this season. After losing six of their first eight games, the Gamecocks have won their last three, which puts them in line to make a bowl game should they upset the Tigers like they did last season. That may be a lot to ask of this team, though.
South Florida Bulls
The Bulls haven't been to a bowl game since 2018, and only have ten to their name in school history. However, it's hard to say that this hasn't been a season of upward progress for South Florida under first-year head coach Alex Golesh. Their five wins are the most since 2018, where they've won no more than eight games the past four seasons. Now all they have to do is beat a 3-8 Charlotte team to go bowling.
California Golden Bears
Cal hasn't sniffed a bowl game since 2019. They've been one of the Pac-12's worst teams for almost half a decade. If they have any hopes of making their first bowl in four years, they'll have to go through Chip Kelly's UCLA team who will play host to them in Pasadena. Luckily for the Golden Bears, the Bruins have been fairly inconsistent this season.
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