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What to Watch, Week 13: Division races are heating up

Graham Watson

It’s hard to believe that there are only two full weekends of college football remaining.

It seems like only yesterday we were championing Texas A&M as the next great SEC challenger and calling quarterback Kenny Hill the next Heisman winner. Now, A&M has four losses and Hill isn’t even the starter anymore.

Time sure does fly, but even with two weeks remaining very little is solved. So many conferences have division titles up for grabs and while some of that might get solved this weekend, a lot of it will be left to the final week of the year.

Sadly, this weekend doesn’t have a lot of marquee games. Several SEC teams are taking their FCS breaks and there are a lot of other ranked teams playing some of the weaker teams in their respective conferences.

Still, we’ve tried to highlight the better games this week for your viewing enjoyment.

Here’s what to watch in Week 13:

Game of the week:
No. 19 USC at No. 9 UCLA, 8 p.m. ET
It wasn’t so long ago that USC owned this rivalry. But when coach Jim Mora took UCLA over in 2012, things quickly changed. The Bruins have won two straight in this series, their first consecutive victories in this series since taking eight straight from 1991-98. However, this game has the potential to be an awesome matchup between UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, who has thrown for 442 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and rushed for 90 yards and four scores against the Trojans, against what has been a pretty stingy USC defense. If the USC defense can get pressure on Hundley, this game could get interesting really quickly. USC currently leads the Pac-12 South, but UCLA controls its destiny. If the Bruins win out, they'll face Oregon in the conference title game.

Game to watch:
No. 20 Missouri at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET
The SEC East belongs to Missouri if it can find a way to win its final two games beginning with Saturday’s tilt against an upstart Tennessee team. Vols quarterback Josh Dobbs, who was supposed to redshirt this season, has 1,079 total yards, including 790 passing, and has accounted for 11 touchdowns in his three games; Tennessee has won two of those contests. However, Dobbs will face his toughest defensive challenge this week against a Missouri team that has an SEC-best 34 sacks. Missouri only allows 20.1 points and 340.6 yards allowed per game. And the Tigers are going to need its defense since its offense has been sporadic during SEC play.

[More Week 13: College football picks against the spread]

Also check out…
No. 8 Ole Miss at Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. ET
Ole Miss kind of fell off the radar following its loss to Auburn, a loss that also resulted in the loss of star receiver Laquon Treadwell. Since that defeat, the Rebels have played Presbyterian and had a bye, so this is the first time they’ve been back on the national radar. And this won’t be an easy game. Arkansas might not have a lot of SEC wins this season, but it’s given teams plenty of fits. And it is coming off a big win against LSU. Ole Miss has the talent to defeat Arkansas, but will it have the drive considering it no longer controls its own destiny when it comes to the SEC West and the College Football Playoff? Meanwhile, Arkansas is one win away from its first bowl eligibility since the 2011 season.

Don't waste your time with:
Vanderbilt at No. 4 Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. ET
OK, every week — I believe it really is every week — I tell you not to waste your time with a certain game and that game ends up being awesome. Last week it was Arizona State and Oregon. This week, let’s go ahead and put Mississippi State and Vanderbilt here. There’s no way this should be a game. Mississippi State is a 30.5-point favorite and Vanderbilt has no SEC wins this year. In fact, the Commodores have lost by double digits to every SEC foe this season. But it’s worth pointing out that the Bulldogs did have a little trouble earlier in the season with the likes of Kentucky and Arkansas, so would it be a surprise if they struggled here?

Keep an eye on:
Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
While the nation was focused on the amazing play of Melvin Gordon last week, another Big Ten running back was quietly having the performance of his career against Rutgers. Coleman rushed for a career-high 307 yards last week to bring his season total to 1,678 yards and 12 touchdowns. Now, can he put up similar numbers against Ohio State? Indiana isn’t going to beat the Buckeyes, but Coleman has a chance to put himself on the Heisman radar with another strong game, this time against a top 6 opponent.

Upset alert:
No. 25 Minnesota (+10) at No. 23 Nebraska, 12 p.m. ET
The line on this game seems a little high considering Minnesota had a strong showing against Ohio State and Nebraska had a miserable one against Wisconsin. This Minnesota team has been undervalued all season and it just keeps on winning. Running back David Cobb, who ranks seventh nationally with 135.0 yards per game, will have an opportunity to exploit a Nebraska run defense that was embarrassed by Wisconsin. Even though this game is at Nebraska, this is a fantastic opportunity for the Gophers to get a Top 25 win and continue to hold on to second place in the West Division.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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