A bad week for Alabama went from bad to worse as it was leapfrogged by Georgia in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches' poll.
The Crimson Tide slipped to No.5 in the College Football Playoff rankings last week after losing 46-41 to LSU and has now fallen to fifth in both polls, with Georgia moving up to No.4.
Alabama's 38-7 road win over Mississippi State was marred by a season-ending injury to star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a dislocated hip late in the first half.
With two regular season games still on the schedule, Tagovailoa's injury could deal a potentially decisive blow to Alabama's bid for a playoff spot.
With unranked Western Carolina visiting Tuscaloosa next week, Alabama's chances of making the playoff likely rest on the Iron Bowl against Auburn on November 30.
The Tigers slipped from No.13 to No.16 in the AP poll after losing 21-14 at home to Georgia, as the Bulldogs secured a third win against a top-25 team this season and clinched the SEC East.
Another ranked opponent is up next for Georgia, with No.24 ranked Texas A&M traveling to Athens this weekend, in one of two top-25 matchups on the schedule for Week 13.
The other sees No.2 Ohio State taking on No.9 Penn State in the de facto Big 10 East decider.
The Buckeyes strolled past Rutgers on Saturday, with Justin Fields completing 15 of his 19 passes for 305 yards and four touchdown passes in a 56-21 rout.
Penn State, meanwhile, rebounded from a loss to Minnesota with a 34-27 win over Indiana, which kept it in the hunt for a playoff spot.
LSU retained No.1 spot in both polls after a 58-37 win over Ole Miss, with Joe Burrow adding another five touchdown passes to his stellar season.
The Tigers quarterback, however, also threw two interceptions as he finished with 489 passing yards and completed 32 of his 42 attempts.
More worryingly for coach Ed Orgeron, LSU gave up a whopping 614 yards to the Rebels, with John Rhys Plumlee rushing for 212 yards and four scores.
The Tigers host Arkansas on Saturday looking to improve to 11-0 for the season, while No.3 ranked Clemson are on a bye after thrashing Wake Forest 52-3.
The win improved Clemson's record to 11-0 for the season and the reigning national champions are one win away from going undefeated in two consecutive regular seasons.
Down by as much as 25.
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 17, 2019
Ok, Boomer! pic.twitter.com/5smrVf6bKI
Elsewhere, Oklahoma will host TCU after keeping its playoffs hopes alive with a memorable second half comeback against Baylor on Saturday.
Down 31-10 at halftime, the Sooners kept the Bears scoreless in the second half to clinch a 34-31 win and draw level with their Big 12 rivals at 9-1.
Oregon and Utah, meanwhile, both travel to Arizona this weekend looking to keep the Pac 12's bid for a CFP spot alive.
The No.6 ranked Ducks take on Arizona State after improved to 9-1 with a 34-6 over the Arizona Wildcats, which will face Utah on Saturday.
The Utes climbed up one spot to No.7 after a 49-3 thrashing of UCLA and remain in the hunt for a CFP spot like their conference rivals.
Here's all you need to know ahead of Week 13.
When does Week 13 start?
Week 13 begins on Tuesday, November 19, when Northern Illinois hosts Western Michigan and Ohio plays Bowling Green on the road.
Four further matches are scheduled across the next three days, but none feature Top 25-ranked teams.
Just two matchups among ranked programs are scheduled for Saturday, with No. 2 Ohio State hosting No. 9 Penn State, while No.4 Georgia takes on No.24 Texas A&M at home.
No. 3 Clemson is the highest-ranked team on a bye.
TV coverage
As usual, coverage of the college football season is split across a variety of networks. ABC broadcasts games in the ACC, American, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences.
Games in the latter three conferences will also be broadcast on FOX and ESPN, with ESPN carrying matchups from the ACC, American, Mountain West, SEC and Sun Belt conferences.
CBS broadcasts SEC conference games, while NBC retains exclusive broadcasting rights to Notre Dame's home games.
Live stream
Live streams throughout the season will be available via the broadcasters' digital platforms, as well as fuboTV and DirecTV.
Week 13 TV schedule for college football Top 25 teams (All times ET)
- Penn State @ Ohio State—12 p.m., FOX
- Western Carolina @ Alabama—12 p.m., ESPN
- Minnesota @ Northwestern—12 p.m., ABC
- Samford @ Auburn—12 p.m., SEC Network
- Illinois @ Iowa—12 p.m., Big Ten Network
- Oklahoma State @ Virginia—12 p.m., ESPN2
- Boston College @ Notre Dame—2:30 p.m., NBC
- Texas State @ Appalachian State—2:30 p.m., ESPN+
- Texas A&M @ Georgia—3:30 p.m., CBS
- Pitt @ Virginia Tech—3:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Michigan @ Indiana—3:30 p.m., ESPN
- Texas @ Baylor—3:30 p.m., FS1
- SMU @ Navy—3:30 p.m., CBSSN
- Purdue @ Wisconsin—4 p.m., FOX
- Memphis @ South Florida—4 p.m., ESPNU
- Arkansas @ LSU—7 p.m., ESPN
- Temple @ Cincinnati—7 p.m., ESPN2
- Oregon @ Arizona State—7:30 p.m., ABC
- TCU @ Oklahoma—8 p.m., FOX
- Utah @ Arizona—10 p.m., FS1
- Boise State @ Utah State—10:30 p.m., CBSSN
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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