Today: The path for Michigan, Texas, and Arizona State, chaos in the ACC, YouTube TV/Disney update, and top games of the week.

~8 minute read (1,965 words)

If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe.

NCAA FOOTBALL

How Michigan, Texas, and Arizona State could still make their conference title games

Kenny Dillingham, Arch Manning, Bryce Underwood

Conference realignment has left the new supersized leagues with unbalanced schedules and messy tiebreaker systems. That means teams once thought out of the race, like Michigan, Texas, and Arizona State, still have paths to their conference title games. Using mred's tiebreaker calculator, here is how each long shot could sneak in.

Big Ten: Michigan needs help from out West

An Indiana versus Ohio State showdown in Indianapolis still looks most likely, but Michigan's rivalry game could throw everything into chaos. If the Wolverines beat Ohio State, it could open the door for Michigan, Oregon, or USC to crash the Big Ten title game.

For Oregon: Michigan beats Ohio State, and Oregon wins out against Minnesota, USC, and Washington.
For USC: Michigan beats Ohio State, and USC beats Iowa, Oregon, and UCLA.
For Michigan: Beat Northwestern, Maryland, and Ohio State, then get help with Oregon and USC taking additional losses.

The odds are not great, but if Michigan wins The Game, the Big Ten's season could end with a tiebreaker frenzy.

SEC: Texas needs chaos and a miracle

The SEC race mostly belongs to Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. However, Texas still has only one conference loss and a narrow, improbable route to Atlanta.

Here is how it could happen:

Texas A&M loses at home to South Carolina.
Texas beats UGA in Athens.
Texas then beats Arkansas and A&M to close the season.

That scenario would give the Longhorns a one-loss conference record and the tiebreaker edge over Ole Miss. The catch is that it all starts with South Carolina, a 19.5-point underdog, upsetting A&M. The odds are long, but the Longhorns will be watching closely before kickoff.

Big 12: Arizona State's dream scenario

It sounds impossible, but Arizona State is not finished yet. The Sun Devils, 4-2 in league play and now relying on a backup quarterback, could still defend their Big 12 crown if a few dominoes fall.

They would need to:

Beat West Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona.
Have TCU beat BYU and Cincinnati.
Have BYU beat Cincinnati.

That combination would create a three-way tie with Utah and BYU, and the tiebreaker would favor Arizona State based on common opponents, putting the Sun Devils back in Jerry World against Texas Tech.

Read the full breakdown.

NCAA FOOTBALL

ACC Championship Game Chaos: Looking at the path for seven teams still alive

Wake Forest's win against Virginia and Cal's upset at Louisville last week plunged the ACC into full-blown chaos. With three Saturdays remaining, five teams have one conference loss, and two have two. That means we're in for a wild sprint to the finish. So what does each of the seven contenders need to do to make the ACC title game? Andy Staples broke it all down so you don't have to.

Georgia Tech and Virginia both have the most straightforward path, so we're going to skip them here. But Staples laid out their path in his article, too.

Duke (5-4, 4-1 ACC)

This is where things start to get tricky. Duke could win the ACC and still miss the College Football Playoff because of its non-conference résumé. The Blue Devils lost to Illinois, Tulane, and UConn, so the fear is that even as ACC champions, they might not be ranked among the top five conference winners.

As far as reaching Charlotte, the formula is simple. Beat Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. Win those games, and they are in.

Pittsburgh (7-2, 5-1 ACC)

Pat Narduzzi raised eyebrows when he said he did not care if his team gave up 100 points to Notre Dame because it was not an ACC game. Tone aside, he is right because it does not affect the standings.

What does matter are the next two weeks. If the Panthers beat Georgia Tech and Miami, they will be in Charlotte. That is a tall order given both opponents are among the highest-ranked ACC teams in the CFP rankings, but the math is that simple.

SMU (7-3, 5-1 ACC)

The Mustangs shook up everything with their win over Miami on Nov. 1. To get back to the title game, they need to win at Louisville and at Cal and also get help. Specifically, they need Georgia Tech to lose to Pittsburgh, and for Pitt to then lose to Miami. That would hand SMU the tiebreaker edge.

Louisville (7-2, 4-2 ACC)

The Cardinals' two overtime losses to Virginia and Cal left them needing outside help. They have to beat Clemson on Friday and then SMU next week, but they will also need Miami to beat Pitt in the finale. That is the chain of results that could pull Louisville back into the race.

Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC)

Miami owns the ACC's best win over Notre Dame, but its midseason slide means it needs a lot to go right. First, the Hurricanes must win out against N.C. State, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. Then they need Georgia Tech to lose, likely to Pitt, Clemson to beat Louisville, and Louisville to beat SMU.

That complicated set of results would create a four- or five-way tie at 6-2, with Miami grabbing the second spot because of its head-to-head record and opponent win percentage.

Read Andy Staples' full breakdown.

SPORTS BUSINESS

Latest on the Disney/YouTube TV dispute after Disney's earnings call

There appeared to be renewed momentum this week toward a deal that could bring ESPN and other Disney networks back to YouTube TV, but comments from Disney executives Thursday morning suggest the dispute might still take time to resolve.

During Disney's quarterly earnings call, CFO Hugh Johnston said the ongoing negotiations "could go on for a little while," while CEO Bob Iger said the company is "working tirelessly" to reach an agreement. The remarks came nearly two weeks after Disney pulled its channels from YouTube TV on Oct. 30, leaving the service's 10 million subscribers without ESPN, ABC, FX, Freeform, and National Geographic.

Earlier reporting from The Athletic indicated that talks had recently gained traction, with top leadership from both sides now directly involved. Disney CEO Bob Iger and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have joined the discussions, along with Disney's entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro. Their involvement was viewed as a sign that negotiations had entered a more serious stage before Disney's earnings call.

In the meantime, YouTube TV has offered subscribers a $20 credit for the loss of channels. That gesture has done little to calm frustration among sports fans who have already missed two weekends of college football and Monday Night Football broadcasts.

On Monday, FCC chair Brendan Carr publicly urged the companies to "get a deal done and end this blackout." For now, though, both sides appear dug in, with no timeline for ESPN and ABC to return to YouTube TV.

Read the full story.

🚨Headlines

NCAA FOOTBALL

Top games to watch in Week 12 of college football

Marcus Freeman, Lincoln Riley, Steve Sarkisian, Brent Venables

Week 12 of the college football season is packed with high-stakes matchups that will shape the playoff race. Three top-25 showdowns headline the slate, led by a massive SEC clash between Texas and Georgia.

1. No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia (7:30 PM, ABC)

Last season, Georgia beat Texas twice, once in Austin and again in the SEC title game in overtime. The Longhorns now head to Athens with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Sitting at 7-2, Texas cannot afford another loss. Georgia, 8-1, is focused on securing a win that would strengthen its College Football Playoff seeding.

2. No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama (3:30 PM, ABC)

Alabama continues to grind out wins behind its resurgent defense. The Crimson Tide held LSU to nine points in a 20-9 victory last week and have not lost since their Week 1 setback at Florida State. Oklahoma, 7-2, comes off a bye week after beating Tennessee and enters Tuscaloosa with its postseason hopes on the line.

3. No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 Pitt (Noon, ABC)

Notre Dame dominated Pitt 58-7 last year, but this matchup feels different. The Panthers have won five straight games since turning to true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. The Fighting Irish, who started the season 0-2, have rallied behind running back Jeremiyah Love, now a serious Heisman contender with 988 yards and 13 touchdowns.

4. No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC (3:30 PM, Big Ten Network)

USC improved to 7-2 after Friday's win over Northwestern and remains in control of its playoff fate. If the Trojans can beat Iowa, Oregon and UCLA, they will finish 10-2 with a strong postseason case. Iowa enters reeling from a last-second loss to Oregon and looking to rebound against a USC offense that is hitting its stride.

5. No. 19 Virginia at Duke (3:30 PM, ESPN2)

This one has major ACC title implications. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris exited last week's 16-9 loss to Wake Forest with an injury, leaving his status unclear. The Cavaliers are part of a five-way tie atop the ACC standings, while Duke, 5-4 overall and 4-1 in league play, looks to stay in the conference title hunt at home in Durham.

See the full top 10 games of the week.

TRIVIA

Now here's a guy...

Below, you'll find 3 facts about a random college football player. You'll try to guess who the player is based on the facts. Let's go.

In my senior season at Stanford, I led the country in rushing yards (1,871) and touchdowns (28), while breaking the school's single-season rushing record.
I finished second in the 2009 Heisman Trophy race, losing by just 28 points, the closest margin in the award's history at the time, but won the Doak Walker award and was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
I also played baseball in college, starting in the outfield before passing on the 2009 MLB Draft to come back for one final football season.

Answer at the bottom.

SHAREWORTHY