College Football Weekend Watch Party: Ohio State-Michigan is Back

Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game probably won't even decide who wins the Big Ten East. The winner needs longshot Penn State to take down Michigan State. So on one hand, whoever wins Ohio State-Michigan might not matter to the College Football Playoff race.

But on the other hand, it sure is great to have this game back. The OSU-Michigan series is always fun, but in recent years it's been boring because Michigan has struggled. The one year Michigan was good, Ohio State was 6-6. But now, both teams are ranked in the top 10 for the first time since the notorious 2006 game that pitted the top-ranked Buckeyes against the second-ranked Wolverines.

The rivalry is back, and that's awesome for college football.

Michigan gets OSU at home. Can the defense, which has been unstoppable, keep Ohio State at bay? Can the Buckeyes' offense get anything going in what has, by all accounts, been a failed season? Coach Urban Meyer plans to have a greater say in the offensive play-calling. We'll see what that means against Michigan, which is a hell of a test case.

But beyond what happens on the field, we'll get our first glimpse of Meyer vs. Jim Harbaugh.

In the past decade, we've had a strange group of coaches in this game. Lloyd Carr vs. Jim Tressel was fun, but it was a step below the old days of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. Ever since Carr vs. Tressel, the matchups have gotten odd. There was Tressel vs. Rich Rodriguez. Then there was Brady Hoke vs. Meyer, in which Hoke took weird cheap shots at the Buckeyes, refusing to call them anything other than "Ohio."

Now, we get two coaches worthy of the rivalry. There's the tactical Meyer vs. the intense Harbaugh. It's two coaches with mutual respect for each other, and with a great mutual respect for the rivalry.

This might not be Woody vs. Bo, but it's the closest we've come yet. Saturday will be a preview of what's in store for the next chapter of this rivalry.

Three other games to watch

No. 4 Iowa at Nebraska (Friday)

The Big Ten has tried to make this a rivalry since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, but this might be the year it finally takes off. A year after Nebraska fired coach Bo Pelini even after he beat Iowa, Huskers athletic director Shawn Eichorst said he "had to evaluate where Iowa is." That added a spark, and now the Hawkeyes are 11-0, while the Huskers are 5-6. Iowa can keep Nebraska out of a bowl game. Nebraska can ruin Iowa's perfect season and keep the Hawkeyes out of the College Football Playoff. The ingredients are finally there for this to become a big rivalry.

No. 7 Baylor at No. 19 TCU (Friday)

This was supposed to be the game of the year in the Big 12, but it's been overshadowed a bit by the fact that neither team controls its own destiny in the conference. Still, it should be a great game between two fairly evenly-matched teams. There's an added wrinkle now that Baylor backup-turned-starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham is out for the year with an injury.

Can the Bears stay in the Playoff hunt with third stringer Chris Johnson, who led Baylor to a win against Oklahoma State last week? I say yes, but it will be fascinating to see what happens.

No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 11 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma can win the Big 12 by beating the Cowboys, but that will be a tough task in one of the biggest Bedlam games in years. The Sooners jumped to No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but they struggled against TCU and were a two-point conversion away from losing to the Horned Frogs, who were without star quarterback Trevone Boykin and top wide receiver Josh Doctson.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is back this week after sustaining a head injury against TCU. But this game will come down to the Sooners' defense, which has been inconsistent this year and can't afford that against an Oklahoma State offense that averages 6.54 yards per play. This one will be unpredictable.

You already know to watch this one

No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 9 Stanford

Both teams have dimming Playoff hopes, so it's an absolute must-win for either—at least in Playoff terms (Stanford will be favored to get to the Rose Bowl, regardless).

Notre Dame dropped in the Playoff rankings after a weak showing against Boston College, but the Fighting Irish have the offense to give Stanford a game if they limit mistakes. Stanford's defense isn't what it once was, but the offense is deadly with all-purpose star Christian McCaffrey. This game has big implications and it will likely come down to the final minutes with two equally impressive offenses.

Don't feel bad about skipping it

No. 13 Florida State at No. 12 Florida

Yeah, it's a big rivalry. Yeah, it will have New Year's Six bowl implications. But this isn't going to be an exciting game. Florida locked up the SEC East weeks ago, but the Gators struggled to beat Florida Atlantic, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in consecutive weeks. The offense has been awful without quarterback Will Grier, who is suspended for the rest of the season.

Florida State hasn't been much better, and the offense has really struggled against top defenses. If Florida has anything, it's a top defense. This game might not be close, and if it is, it will be because both offenses are awful. Don't waste your time during such a great weekend of games.