Week 14 of the college football schedule kicks off today with an early slate of Black Friday games that include some important conference matchups and key rivalry clashes that will have a direct influence on what the postseason eventually looks like, including the College Football Playoff.

Two of the teams in action today can greatly improve their standing in the College Football Playoff picture, while one appears to be a lock for the format, and another is hoping to make a good enough impression to force the selection committee into rethinking their case.

That last team is Ole Miss, a few weeks ago apparently a sure thing for the playoff after beating Georgia, but appearing to play itself out after a loss at Florida last week.

Still, a dominant showing in the Egg Bowl rivalry game could help the Rebels, provided they get enough help from other teams losing over the weekend, too.

Georgia has already clinched a place in the SEC Championship Game, but is hoping to avoid a late loss that would force the committee to re-evaluate its credibility when it comes to final seeding.

And there’s one very important matchup in the Big 12, with Colorado sitting in a logjam of a four-way tie for first place in the conference standings and hoping to take an important step forward with a win against the league’s worst team.

All times Eastern

Oklahoma State at Colorado
Fri., Nov. 29 | 12 p.m. | ABC
Line: Colorado -16
FPI pick: Colorado 81.5% to win

Why watch?

It’s awfully crowded at the top of the Big 12, and the Buffaloes hurt their championship hopes with that loss at Kansas last time out, but this week offers a clear shot at redemption.

Oklahoma State is winless in conference play and defends worse than any team in the league, and Colorado’s offense can put some serious numbers with Shedeur Sanders at the helm.

But not only do the Buffaloes have to win, they also need Arizona State, BYU, and Iowa State to do some losing, and for Texas Tech to beat West Virginia.

Need to know: Big 12 title scenarios, explained

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Oregon State at Boise State
Fri., Nov. 29 | 12 p.m. | Fox
Line: Boise State -18.5
FPI pick: Boise State 91.6% to win

Why watch?

To see if Boise State really is the selection committee’s obvious choice out of the Group of Five.

It has been all along ever since the committee started revealing its rankings, even getting promoted to the projected No. 4 seed with a first-round bye in the last two polls.

But the Broncos have won two of their last three games by one possession against losing teams and can’t afford to get caught looking ahead to that spot they clinched in the Mountain West title game.

The engine behind Boise State’s success is tailback Ashton Jeanty, tops nationally with 2,062 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns, and 2,164 all-purpose yards.

Oregon State is coming off a signature upset over ranked Washington State in the honorary Pac-12 title game, but allows more than 178 rushing yards per game.

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Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Fri., Nov. 29 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Line: Ole Miss -26.5
FPI pick: Ole Miss 94.9% to win

Why watch?

To see if the Rebels come out guns blazing in their last-ditch effort to impress the playoff committee or unmotivated, knowing their chances are shot.

Ole Miss looked like a sure thing for the College Football Playoff after that 28-10 win over Georgia a few weeks ago, but last week’s shocking loss at Florida could prove to be the coup de grace to those hopes, a heartbreaking turn of events after this team played its way back into contention after a 1-2 start in SEC play.

Still, things are unsettled around the middle of the pack in the committee’s most recent rankings, and this team could capitalize on any potential late-season chaos.

That long-shot chance, however, depends on the Rebels winning this game, and doing so dominantly.

It’ll also be interesting to see how the Bulldogs respond to the rivalry game. They’re 0-7 in conference play and in the SEC basement and hoping to avoid their first winless conference season in 22 years and snap an 11-game SEC losing skid.

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Georgia Tech at Georgia
Fri., Nov. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Line: Georgia -18
FPI pick: Georgia 89.8% to win

Why watch?

To see how the Bulldogs react with a chance to solidify their College Football Playoff ranking and stake a stronger claim on being one of the top dozen teams in the country.

Georgia has already clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game, but with two losses already on the books, there’s no margin of error left for this team.

A third loss, either against rival Georgia Tech (unlikely), or against Texas or Texas A&M in the SEC title game (somewhat more likely), could be enough for the committee to pass on the Bulldogs.

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1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. SMU
10. Indiana
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
15. South Carolina
16. Arizona State
17. Tulane
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. Missouri
22. UNLV
23. Illinois
24. Kansas State
25. Colorado

Playoff seeding is not necessarily the same as the CFP top 25 rankings position, given some teams will be given higher seeds as conference champions

First-Round Byes

No. 1 Oregon
Projected Big Ten champion

No. 2 Texas
Projected SEC champion

No. 3 Miami
Projected ACC champion

No. 4 Boise State
Projected Mountain West champion

First-Round Games

No. 12 Arizona State at
No. 5 Ohio State
Winner plays No. 4 Boise State

No. 9 Tennessee at
No. 8 Georgia
Winner plays No. 1 Oregon

No. 11 Indiana at
No. 6 Penn State
Winner plays No. 3 Miami

No. 10 SMU at
No. 7 Notre Dame
Winner plays No. 2 Texas

First team out: Clemson

Second team out: Alabama

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