The Oklahoma Sooners have arrived at the second of their two bye weeks this season. After a 4-1 beginning to the year, OU has slid to 1-4 in the past five weeks, with the only win coming over FCS Maine.
That means that the Sooners are just 5-5 overall and just 1-5 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play in 2024. They haven’t won a conference game since September.
[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team is licking their wounds after their latest defeat, and they’ll be back on the field on Nov. 23, when they host Alabama. The Crimson Tide essentially will be coming off of a bye week as well. They will face FCS Mercer on Saturday. OU vs. Alabama will be on ABC at 6:30 p.m. central time.
Even with Oklahoma off, the college football world doesn’t stop spinning in Week 12. If you’re like me, you’ll still be tuned in on Saturday, watching some of the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.
Here are the three biggest games of Week 12 to watch while the Sooners are off.
Tennessee at Georgia
It’s easily the biggest game on the docket, as the Volunteers and Bulldogs both need a win in Athens. The Vols have just one loss (against Arkansas), but they haven’t always been their normal high-flying selves this year. Tennessee boasts a fantastic defense, and they hope to have quarterback Nico Iamaleava healthy in Sanford Stadium.
The Dawgs lost to Ole Miss last week, placing their College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy. Georgia needs their offense to get back on track between the hedges, and they certainly don’t make it a habit to lose back-to-back games under Kirby Smart. In a loaded Southeastern Conference, this game could go a long way towards deciding who makes it to Atlanta for the conference title game.
Tennessee at Georgia will kick off on ABC at 6:30 p.m. central time.
Missouri at South Carolina
Two teams that have already beaten the Sooners this season will face off to find out who lives in the better Columbia. This one will take place in the Palmetto State, where South Carolina upset Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago. Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are among the hottest teams in college football, and they aren’t that far away from being 8-1 this year.
Missouri hits the road after defeating Oklahoma, and the Tigers think they still have CFP chances. If they want to get back in the mix at the top of the SEC, they’ll have to go into Williams-Brice Stadium and take down South Carolina in a tough place to play.
Missouri at South Carolina will kick off on SEC Network at 3:15 central time.
Tulane at Navy
It’s not the most impressive matchup on paper, but these two American Athletic Conference foes should play a competitive game in Annapolis, Maryland. The winner has an easier path to their conference title game.
Tulane is undefeated in AAC play, and their only losses have come against Kansas State and Oklahoma. The Green Wave also feature offensive coordinator Joe Craddock, who has been linked to OU’s OC vacancy. His young quarterback Darian Mensah has been impressive in the offensive scheme, taking the reins as a redshirt freshman.
Navy has lost a couple of times since their blistering undefeated start, but the Midshipmen are looking to get back into the race in the AAC. With their annual bout with Army still on the schedule, they don’t want to get too many games back of their arch-rival when mid-December rolls around. The American champion could have a shot at a playoff spot if Boise State stumbles in the Mountain West.
Tulane at Navy will kick off on ESPN2 at 11:00 a.m. central time.