Ohio State vs. Michigan. Alabama vs Auburn. Big Ten royalty, followed by the hard-hitting Iron Bowl. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you love college football, Saturday's matchups are a dream come true. On the heels of Pittsburgh upsetting No. 2 Miami on Friday afternoon (Nov. 24), the Michigan Wolverines and Auburn Tigers will also try to upset the NCAA playoff apple cart on November 25.
Harbaugh, Michigan look for revenge
The Michigan Wolverines are not where they want to be in terms of the top ten CFB standings, but a win against the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday afternoon and they could end the regular season on a high note.
Just one year after Michigan and Ohio State met as two of the nation's top three ranked teams playing for a spot in the Big Ten title game, this season is not quite as dramatic. However, don’t tell fans in Ann Arbor that. With a win over Michigan and a Big Ten championship, OSU could still make the CFP. As for the Wolverines, finishing 9-3 wasn’t the plan, but knocking the Buckeyes out of a postseason berth is something that they would love to have the honor of doing.
No. 9 Ohio State (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) will look to beat Michigan (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) for the third straight time since Jim Harbaugh took over as coach.
Is coach Harbaugh upset that more isn’t on the line this Saturday afternoon? Of course.
However, the Wolverines can gain a lot by taking down the Buckeyes. A great bowl bid and knowing they beat their arch rival in a game that is very big for the Bucks.
"It's our team's opportunity to put that exclamation point on the season," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told CBS Sports. "I really like seeing the progress being made," Harbaugh said.
"I feel like our team has improved each week and it's already showing they can play to the level of anybody in the country."
This game will be tough for Michigan, even though they are at home. Vegas oddsmakers have the Buckeyes listed as 12.5-point favorites, with the over/under point total set at 50. The points are too tempting to pass up.
Pick - Michigan +12.5
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 PM ET from Ann Arbor and can be seen on FOX nationally.
Auburn ready to Roll Tide
Alabama has arguably been the best team in college football for the last decade. The Auburn Tigers believe they can put a halt to that, at least for this season, when these two teams clash on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. For Bama, it is simple, win and you are 99 percent assured a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Auburn, on the other hand, has to do a bit more work, but a victory against Alabama will have them in the postseason talk.
For the first time in four years, the Iron Bowl features a winner-take-all matchup for the SEC West Division.
The winner of this clash between No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) and No. 6 Auburn (9-2, 6-1) on Saturday will move on to play Georgia in the SEC Championship game on December 2 in Atlanta.
If the Tigers win, they will be facing the Bulldogs for the second time in less than a month. This time it would be for the SEC Championship and a chance to play for a national title.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have Alabama listed as a five-point favorite, with the over/under point total set at 47. The Tigers proved they have a lot of bite when they manhandled Georgia. This game could come down to the last possession and has the makings of being one of the best Iron Bowls ever. You gotta love home underdogs.
Pick -- Auburn +5
Game time is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET and will air live nationally on CBS.