Week 12 of the college football season has arrived. Though the season is complete for a number of teams, it’s a weekend of monumental match-ups for teams still suiting up.
Here are some highlights followed by the complete schedule of games involving schools from the Old North State:
Playoff Action: SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne will host Shepherd in the opening round of the Division II post-season. Only 28 teams made the field, and the Bears were the only school from North Carolina included. The winner faces top-seeded Benedict.
Hunting Conference Titles: North Carolina (ACC), Gardner-Webb (Big South/OVC), Davidson (Pioneer Football League) and North Carolina Central (MEAC) are all still in the thick of conference championships.
UNC still has a mathematical chance to reach the ACC title game but will be eliminated if it doesn’t break a five-game losing streak to Clemson. Even with a win, the Heels may need help.
NC Central and Davidson also don’t fully control their own destinies. Both need wins in their FCS season finales and for other teams to lose. The Eagles and Wildcats will be scoreboard watching — the Howard-Morgan State game in NCCU’s case and the Drake-Butler game in Davidson’s case.
Spoiler Alert: ESPN College GameDay will be at James Madison on Saturday, and Appalachian State has a chance to play spoiler against the undefeated Dukes, who have been fighting the NCAA in a c ontentious battle to be eligible for the Sun Belt Conference title game and a major bowl. JMU knocked off the Mountaineers a year ago, ending what had been a magical early season for ASU. Wouldn’t payback be fitting in this budding rivalry?
Playoffs in their grasp: Western Carolina fell back in the Southern Conference with losses to Furman and Mercer, but the Catamounts still have a shot to make the FCS playoffs. WCU must win at VMI on Saturday. The pesky Keydets beat Davidson in a defensive grind at the beginning of the season.
The Sam Hartman Bowl: Wake Forest will play at Notre Dame, which features the long-time Demon Deacon quarterback under center. The Deacs have struggled at the quarterback position since Hartman departed and will likely start redshirt junior Michael Kern against the Irish.
Saturday, November 18 East Carolina at Navy Noon ESPN News/ESPN+ Western Carolina at VMI Noon ESPN+ Campbell at North Carolina A&T 1 p.m. FloFootball Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb 1 p.m. ESPN+ Hampton at Elon 1 p.m. FloFootball D2 Playoffs: Shepherd at Lenoir-Rhyne 1 p.m. Appalachian State at James Madison 2 p.m. ESPN+ Delaware State at NC Central 2 p.m. ESPN+ Rice at Charlotte 2 p.m. ESPN+ Duke at Virginia 3 p.m. The CW NC State at Virginia Tech 3:30 p.m. ACCN North Carolina at Clemson 3:30 p.m. ESPN Wake Forest at Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. NBC Dayton at Davidson 7 p.m.
