Can you believe Week 13 is here and Thanksgiving is already just a few days away? We have some big rivalry games this week for an appetizer before the full spread takes shape next weekend. Stay here for picks, betting tips, analysis and highlights and to avoid the forced conversation you'll have with your family in the coming week.

Jump to: Top 25 games | Best of Week 13

Injury updates and latest news

• Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders is out for the rest of the regular season.

• Oklahoma star tight end Grant Calcaterra announced he's retiring from football due to concussions.

• LSU linebacker Michael Divinity, who rejoined the Tigers recently, is ineligible for the rest of the regular season.

• South Carolina's president reaffirmed that coach Will Muschamp will return next season.

Picks and gambling tips

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Scott Van Pelt looks to get over .500 on the season with his Week 13 winners of the college football regular season.

• Our insiders make their picks and best bets.

• Stanford Steve and The Bear offer their top bets, nuggets and games to stay away from.

• Our betting tips from practice reports say Georgia is well prepared for the Texas A&M offense, plus other notes from around the country.

The coaching quiz: You make the call

Can you make the right late-game decisions? If you've ever screamed "GO FOR IT!" at your TV on fourth-and-1 or shaken your head as your school decided not to go for two, this is your chance to test your instincts and see what the percentages say are the best bets.

Take the college football coaching quiz here.

Top 25 games

In order of game time, with College Football Playoff rankings; lines courtesy Caesars Sportsbook.

No. 8 Penn State at No. 2 Ohio State
Time: Noon ET
How to watch: Fox
Line: Ohio State -18.5
And our best line: This will mark the 10th time in the AP poll era that the teams are meeting with both ranked in the top 10. The higher-ranked team has won eight of the previous nine meetings, with the lone exception coming in 2017, when No. 6 Ohio State beat No. 2 Penn State.

No. 5 Alabama 66, Western Carolina 3

If you were watching Saturday's game expecting a tentative Mac Jones at quarterback as he took over the reins from an injured Tua Tagovailoa, you had it all wrong. Jones, a redshirt sophomore making just his second career start, came out firing against Western Carolina, taking more than his fair share of deep shots. Not all of them connected, but he made enough to finish with 275 yards and three touchdowns passing in essentially two quarters of play. While no one will confuse his ability with that of Tagovailoa's, what Jones showed during Alabama's home finale had to give fans hope heading into next weekend's pivotal game rivalry game against Auburn. -- Alex Scarborough

No. 10 Minnesota 38, Northwestern 22

The Golden Gophers rebounded after a tough loss to Iowa and did exactly as expected against Northwestern, setting up a monster showdown against Wisconsin next Saturday with the Big Ten West title on the line. Tanner Morgan set the new school single-season record for passing touchdowns, and both Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman went over 1,000 yards receiving. Two contrasting offenses will be on full display next week. Minnesota has its second 10-win season in the last 110 years, but that win total will be even more meaningful if the Gophers can clinch their first appearance in the Big Ten championship game. -- Andrea Adelson

Samford at No. 15 Auburn
Time: Noon ET
How to watch: SEC Network and ESPN App
Line: N/A
And our best line: This is the fifth time Samford has played an opponent ranked in the AP poll; the Bulldogs lost the previous four by an average of 40 points per game. Their closest loss was by 24 points against No. 16 Auburn in 2014.

Illinois at No. 17 Iowa
Time: Noon ET
How to watch: Big Ten Network
Line: Iowa -15.5
And our best line: Illinois is seeking to reach seven wins for the first time since 2011. With a victory, the Fighting Illini will have their most wins through 11 games since 2007, when they started the season 8-3 and eventually went to the Rose Bowl.

No. 21 Oklahoma State at West Virginia
Time: Noon ET
How to watch: ESPN2 and ESPN App
Line: Oklahoma State -6
And our best line: Cowboys running back Chuba Hubbard has a rushing touchdown in 12 straight games dating back to last season. That is tied for the second-longest streak in Big 12 history. Only Missouri's Corby Jones had a longer streak (14 games in 1997-98).

Kansas at No. 22 Iowa State
Time: Noon ET
How to watch: FSN
Line: Iowa State -24.5
And our best line: The Cyclones are bowl-eligible for the third straight season. It's only the second time in school history Iowa State will appear in bowl games in three consecutive seasons. The only other time it happened was 2000-02.

Boston College at No. 16 Notre Dame
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: NBC
Line: Notre Dame -20
And our best line: Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book has thrown for at least four touchdowns passes in each of his past two games. If he throws four touchdown passes Saturday, he would become the first player in Notre Dame history to have four passing touchdowns in three straight games.

Texas State at No. 24 Appalachian State
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN+ and ESPN App
Line: Appalachian State -29
And our best line: Appalachian State is 9-1 for the first time since 2010, when the Mountaineers were still FCS members and in the Southern Conference; it has not been 10-1 since 2006, when it won the FCS national championship. The Mountaineers are seeking their second consecutive 10-win season and fourth such season since joining FBS in 2014.

Texas A&M at No. 4 Georgia
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS
Line: Georgia -13
And our best line: Georgia enters the week with a 39% chance to reach the College Football Playoff, the fifth-best of any team, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. That number would jump to 44% with a victory over Texas A&M and 85% if the Bulldogs win out.

No. 13 Michigan at Indiana
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: Michigan -9.5
And our best line: Michigan has won 23 consecutive games against Indiana, the most consecutive victories over a single opponent in school history. The most recent time the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines, coach Jim Harbaugh was a rookie quarterback in the NFL (1987).

Texas at No. 14 Baylor
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox Sports 1
Line: Baylor -6
And our best line: With a win, Baylor will clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game. The Bears, who have lost four straight against Texas, have never appeared in a Big 12 title game.

UCLA at No. 23 USC
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: USC -13.5
And our best line: UCLA must win its final two games to become bowl-eligible. The Bruins missed a bowl game last season and haven't missed a bowl in consecutive seasons since 1989 and 1990. According to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), UCLA has an 11% chance to reach six wins this season.

No. 25 SMU at Navy
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
Line: Navy -3.5
And our best line: SMU is 1-8 in its past nine meetings against Navy, but won last season's matchup. The Mustangs haven't won consecutive games against Navy since a three-game stretch spanning 1963-93.

Purdue at No. 12 Wisconsin
Time: 4 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox
Line: Wisconsin -24.5
And our best line: Wisconsin has won 13 straight games against Purdue, the longest winning streak in this series. The Boilermakers most recently beat the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in 2003, when both teams were ranked in the AP top 15.

No. 18 Memphis at South Florida
Time: 4 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPNU and ESPN App
Line: Memphis -14.5
And our best line: Memphis has a 61% chance to win the American Athletic Conference West division entering Saturday, according to FPI. With a victory, the Tigers' chances of winning the division improve to 72%; a loss would drop Memphis' chances of making the AAC championship game to 21%.

Arkansas at No. 1 LSU
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: LSU -42.5
And our best line: LSU QB Joe Burrow's favorite targets this season have been Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, who are both averaging over 100 receiving yards per game. They are currently on pace to become the first pair of teammates in SEC history to each average 100 receiving yards in a season. If Jefferson gets a receiving touchdown Saturday, he and Chase would become the second pair of SEC teammates to each have at least 12 receiving touchdowns in the same season.

Temple at No. 19 Cincinnati
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN2 and ESPN App
Line: Cincinnati -10
And our best line: Cincinnati can clinch the AAC East with a win. The Bearcats have never played in the AAC title game, which began with the 2015 season. The last time Cincinnati won the AAC was 2014, when it was co-champions with UCF and Memphis.

No. 6 Oregon at Arizona State
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: Oregon -14
And our best line: The Ducks currently have a 29% chance to reach the College Football Playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, sixth-best in FBS. A win doesn't do much for the Ducks' chances, but a loss would be catastrophic.

TCU at No. 9 Oklahoma
Time: 8 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox
Line: Oklahoma -18
And our best line: Oklahoma clinches a spot in the Big 12 championship game with a victory against TCU or an Oklahoma State loss at West Virginia. According to FPI, there's a 91% chance the Sooners clinch a championship game berth this week.

No. 7 Utah at Arizona
Time: 10 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox Sports 1
Line: Utah -22.5
And our best line: Utah is allowing 11.3 points per game, fourth-fewest in FBS. The Utes have held five opponents under 10 points this season, their most in a season since 1978.

No. 20 Boise State at Utah State
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
Line: Boise State -9
And our best line: With a victory, Boise State will clinch the Mountain West Mountain Division and host the winner of Saturday's San Diego State-Hawai'i matchup in the conference title game Dec. 7.

Best of the week

The King's Approval

Welcome back MONSTER!! #ChaseYoung

— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 23, 2019

Profiles in courage
Watch this incredible story. And then make sure to check out Adam Rittenberg's story from August on Lowe.

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Former Oregon receiver Keanon Lowe returned to his hometown of Portland to coach football and become a mentor. But in May 2019, Lowe became a hero when he prevented a school shooting.

Tua in the house

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Tua Tagovailoa thanks everyone from the Alabama fans to his parents as he recovers from hip surgery, and says supporting his team from the sidelines has been uplifting.

Watch and learn

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Pat McAfee teaches UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic how to crowd surf after leading the fans in an O-H-I-O chant.

A real challenge
Fans at the Minnesota-Northwestern game pass the time in very different ways ... like solving a Rubik's Cube.

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Fans at the Minnesota vs. Northwestern game pass the time in very different ways.