College football Week 13 storylines: SEC 'cupcake week' puts 9-game decision into focus, Oregon's big test

It's easy to hate on SEC "cupcake week."

For years now, there have been complaints about SEC schools loading up on scheduling FCS or low-level FBS opponents in the penultimate week of the regular season.

This weekend we're getting No. 3 Texas A&M vs. Samford, No. 4 Georgia vs. Charlotte, No. 10 Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois and Auburn vs. Mercer. Not exactly the kind of games that will have you glued to the television. 

But everything we're seeing with this College Football Playoff Selection Committee is that the SEC was on to something with its late-season cupcake approach. And that its decision to go to nine conference games may be a mistake, particularly if the CFP doesn't expand to 16 teams in the near future. 

"I've already been on the record saying it makes no sense to go to nine games in the SEC," said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. "Everybody outside of our league, of course they want us to. They want us to devour each other like we're doing. Makes no sense."

As a litany of SEC coaches like Stoops made clear on Wednesday, the greater emphasis on scheduling and strength of record hasn't shown up in the most recent CFP Rankings. Yet again, the committee seems to be favoring beating up on bad teams over a challenging schedule. That's clear when you rank No. 9 Notre Dame ahead of No. 10 Alabama despite the Fighting Irish only holding one top 25 win compared to the Crimson Tide's four. 

The Big Ten's fear -- and impetus behind an AQ-heavy model -- is rearing its head again as more and more question what's the point of scheduling a game like Texas-Ohio State if all that really matters is not adding a loss to your tally. Texas is a flawed, yet talented team that doesn't presently deserve to make the playoff, but it would seemingly have a much better chance to do so if it played Ohio instead of Ohio State Week 1. 

Better matchups are better for the sport. We want to see the best teams play each other, and that shouldn't be limited to simply the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten and the SEC, the clear two best conferences this season, should be rewarded for their conference schedule gauntlets. Especially the SEC this season. 

But if it continues to not be rewarded when it matters most, you'll see programs advocating for more cupcake games. 

Big test left for Oregon

No. 7 Oregon has rarely been tested this season, especially not on defense, but faces a huge final test this weekend. Assuming Oregon doesn't make the Big Ten Championship Game, its postseason aspirations could hinge on beating No. 15 USC (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+ Premium) this weekend. No offense to its other opponents, but outside of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, it hasn't exactly been a who's who of top college QBs lining up to face the Ducks this year.

That changes Saturday with USC QB Jayden Maiava who has thrown for 2,868 yards, 18 touchdowns and six touchdowns. Maiava has two of the best weapons in the Big Ten to throw to in Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane. Lemon leads the Big Ten in receptions (71) and receiving yards (1,090) over more well-known receivers such as Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Lane has big-play ability and four touchdowns this season. 

It'll be a significant stress test for an Oregon secondary that is very talented but has rarely gone up against a high-powered offense. How it handles Maiava and Co. could be the difference between playing in the College Football Playoff or the Alamo Bowl. The Trojans themselves are a CFP dark horse that needs to win out just to have a shot to sneak in at the end. If the Ducks lose, they are likely out. If the Trojans win, they'd still need help from others. 

ACC title implications in Atlanta

The ACC Championship Game pairing could be straightforward or it could get very complicated depending on what happens in Atlanta this weekend. If No. 16 Georgia Tech beats Pittsburgh, the Yellow Jackets are in the ACC title game. That's pretty simple. 

If, however, Pittsburgh beats Georgia Tech, it could get messy. This is what No. 13 Miami, currently the highest-ranked ACC team, needs to happen if it wants to sneak into the ACC Championship Game. If the Panthers win, it opens up a wild, albeit not impossible scenario for the Hurricanes to make it though they'd also need help from SMU, Virginia, Duke, Cal and Wake Forest. (We told you it was wild). Pitt would have its own chance of making the game and would need less help to do so --Virginia over Virginia Tech and SMU to lose at least one of its last two games. 

If Georgia Tech wins on Saturday, Virginia can take the other spot with a win over Virginia Tech in the final week and SMU to lose one of its final two games. 

With the ACC increasingly looking like a one-bid playoff league, the conference championship game takes on a larger importance. It's also why Miami's path to making the playoff is still tricky even if it is currently projected to make it. 

We'll learn a lot more about the ACC's possible playoff team(s) this weekend in Atlanta. 

SALTY TALTY

Each week this space will be my airing of grievances, my opportunity to let the audience know what has been really grinding my gears. Hopefully it'll be mostly college football-related, but it's a good bet travel, family and other day-to-day life annoyances will find a way in. 

It's admittedly not the sexiest slate of games -- though there are multiple I'm excited about -- so in some ways it is understandable that the Lane Kiffin will-he-or-won't-he has dominated the conversation this week. We all can't get enough of college football's version of "The Bachelor" with Ole Miss, LSU and Florida all vying for Kiffin's final rose. 

But the emphasis on what is happening off the field rather than the actual games didn't just start this week and is in no way limited to just Kiffin. 

There is that initial pop of excitement early on in the season when we finally get to see real live football after months of waiting for its return. 

And then something interesting happens that ultimately could be detrimental to the long-term health of college football. We move on from caring about specific games and specific players and become obsessed with two things: the College Football Playoff and the coaching carousel. 

Every conversation has to relate back to those two things in some way. Frankly, I'm as guilty as anyone at doing it (see above), though I'm just giving the people what they want. I can see what moves the needle with the audience and so much of it right now is about the off-field drama of coaches possibly taking new jobs, players maybe hitting the transfer portal and on and on. In many ways, it is the NBA-ization of college football. It has become less about the games and more about the drama. 

We don't care as much about individual players anymore unless they might be on the move elsewhere. There are no trades in college football, but the upcoming free agency -- aka transfer portal window -- is already driving the conversation. And with it comes about as little-discussed and boring a Heisman Trophy race as I can remember. It's not the fault of well-deserving players like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State's Julian Sayin or Texas A&M's Marcel Reed. We'd just rather focus on what their coaches might be doing. 

That will hopefully change in the coming weeks when we get what should be a terrific championship weekend and the initial excitement of a 12-team playoff. But if something doesn't give soon, we'll end up talking more about the coaches and players who could make the playoff at new schools than the ones who actually did.