Rivalry week in college football always gives us matchups with major implications.

Saturday’s showdown between the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 5 Michigan Wolverines isn’t just the most highly anticipated game of the year to date, it’s also the game with the biggest implications.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet in a Big Ten showdown that is essentially a playoff elimination game.

The winner will advance to the conference championship game, with either team expected to be a heavy favourite once they reach that Big Ten title game.

Ohio State versus Michigan is always appointment television, regardless of each team’s record. Considering what will be at stake on Saturday, this year’s showdown should be as good as it gets.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are set to clash in another classic Big 12 showdown on Saturday.

The Cowboys have a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff if they can win this game and the Big 12 Championship Game next weekend.

The Sooners will look to play spoiler and make their own case as a potential one-loss, Power Five conference champion.

Oklahoma versus Oklahoma State always seems to deliver, and the intensity will be ratcheted to another level again this time around with so much on the line.

Here are my best bets for Saturday’s NCAA football slate.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 5 Michigan Wolverines
Spread: Ohio State -8
Total: 64.5

The Buckeyes are coming off a blowout win over another Big Ten rival in Michigan State. Heisman Trophy favourite C.J. Stroud led the way with nearly 400 yards and six touchdown passes in the first half of that 56-7 win over the Spartans. He’ll have a chance to solidify his position as the Heisman frontrunner with another strong performance versus Michigan. When Stroud is on his game and this offence gets going, it’s downright scary. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have been outstanding for Ohio State, which makes it that much stranger that neither was nominated to win the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in the country. Meanwhile, the Wolverines have surprised this season, thanks in large part to the defensive end duo of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. Those two defenders have combined for 19 sacks and are both likely to be Day 1 picks in the NFL Draft come April. While my heart says Michigan and I would love to see Harbaugh finally get a win over Ohio State, my head says the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time and I don’t know if the Michigan offence can go score for score with them. I’ll take Ohio State minus the points.

The Pick: Ohio State -8

No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers
Spread: Alabama -19.5
Total: 57

Alabama can inch closer to securing a playoff berth with a win over Auburn this weekend. The Tigers would love to play spoiler here against their bitter in-state rival, but the loss of Bo Nix took some of the luster out of this game. Auburn is coming off a loss to South Carolina without Nix last week, and his absence will be a major hindrance again versus the Crimson Tide. More than any other coach in college football, Nick Saban knows how to identify and attack the weaknesses of his opponents. With so much on the line, Saban will have Alabama ready for a strong performance on Saturday. I don’t like laying the points with a massive favourite, but there’s a good chance that the Tide score 40+ points on their own, so I’ll take the over 57 as my best bet for this contest.

The Pick: Over 57

Oregon State Beavers at No. 11 Oregon Ducks
Spread: Oregon -7
Total: 60.5

The Ducks saw their playoff hopes come to an end last weekend in a blowout loss to Utah. In addition to the loss, the reports that head coach Mario Cristobal could be on the move could be a distraction, with rumours that he could be in line for the jobs at Florida and Miami. Meanwhile, the Beavers have surprised with a 7-4 record, including back-to-back blowout wins the past two weeks. Oregon has dominated this rivalry with an 8-2 head-to-head record over the past decade, but I’m wary of this being a potential letdown spot. Oregon State has been better than expected and should be motivated to give the Ducks all they can handle in this one. I’ll take the points with the Beavers.

The Pick: Oregon State +7

No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners at No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Spread: Oklahoma State -4
Total: 49.5

Nobody expected Oklahoma State to improve this season after losing several key players on both sides of the football, including Chuba Hubbard, Tylan Wallace and Amen Ogbongbemiga. However, this team is 10-1 and their playoff hopes could certainly get a boost with a win over rival Oklahoma this weekend. The Sooners were starting to look like a playoff team before Caleb Williams came back down to earth, but any chance they had has disappeared over the past couple of weeks, which included a bad loss to Baylor. While I’m not particularly high on either side here, I think this game has the potential to be high scoring. These schools have combined for 50 points or more in every meeting since 2010, so I’ll bank on that trend continuing and take the over in this one.

The Pick: Over 49.5

No. 23 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks
Spread: Clemson -11.5
Total: 43

South Carolina and Clemson are set to clash in yet another rivalry game on Saturday’s loaded slate. Both teams have improved in recent weeks. However, even with the improvements the Gamecocks have made under head coach Shane Beamer, they could struggle to keep up with a Tigers’ offence that has really turned the corner. Clemson has scored 30 point or more in four straight games, and it’s no surprise that they are 4-0 over that stretch, including last week’s blowout win over a decent opponent in Wake Forest. While Clemson has undoubtedly underachieved in a letdown season, a big win over a good opponent could take some of the sting out of missing the playoffs. I’ll take the Tigers to win and cover as an 11.5-point favourite.

The Pick: Clemson -11.5