The weather may be getting colder but the college football season is heating up.
Week 13 will be one of the last chances for teams to cement their place in the College Football Playoff or become bowl eligible. NBC Sports and Peacock provides front-row seats for the action with an exclusive tripleheader.
The No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 25 Army Black Knights headline the day as they meet at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. The game, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fabled Four Horsemen, can be seen on NBC and Peacock.
The tripleheader kicks off when the Illinois Fighting Illini travel to New Brunswick to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at noon ET on Peacock. It will conclude in Pasadena when the UCLA Bruins host the USC Trojans on NBC and Peacock at 10:30 p.m. ET.
When Notre Dame and Army take the field, it will mark the renewal of one of the best and oldest rivalries in college football. The teams first met in 1913, a shocking 35-13 win for the Fighting Irish, who revolutionized the forward pass during the victory.
Over 100 years later, both teams once again are the cream of the crop in college football, setting up what should be an entertaining game under the bright lights of the Bronx, where the teams have played each other over 20 times.
For quarterback Riley Leonard and the 8-1 Fighting Irish, the game will be their biggest remaining challenge of the regular season. If Marcus Freeman’s squad can beat the Virginia Cavaliers, Black Knights and Trojans to end the year, they very likely will march right into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
This will also be the biggest challenge of the year for the undefeated Black Knights, who are dominating opponents during their first season in the American Athletic Conference. Sitting at 9-0 for the first time since 1996, Army has won every game this season by at least 11 points, and head coach Jeff Monken declared that his team is “just getting started.’'
Earlier in the day and just a few miles away from New York City, Rutgers and Illinois will duel for the ninth time ever. The Fighting Illini are 5-3 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, winning three of the last four matchups between the two teams.
Rutgers snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 5-4 with a 26-19 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who were on a four-game winning streak. Greg Schiano’s club will conclude their season with games against the Maryland Terrapins, Fighting Illini and Michigan State Spartans — all they need is one win to clinch a bowl bid.
At 6-3, Illinois already clinched a bowl appearance, but they are looking to get back on track after losing 25-17 to Minnesota on Nov. 2. Quarterback Luke Altmyer and company had a bye week to prepare for a Senior Day duel with Michigan State, after which they will travel to New Jersey before ending their regular season on the road against the Northwestern Wildcats.
To wrap up the tripleheader on NBC Sports, two struggling California teams bring their iconic rivalry to the Big Ten for the first time.
UCLA currently has possession of the Victory Bell after beating USC 38-20 last November as members of the Pac-12. The crosstown foes have traded victories the past four years, but USC leads the all-time series 50–34–7, not including two vacated USC wins due to violating NCAA rules.
DeShaun Foster’s Bruins are 4-5, looking to play in a bowl game for the 39th time ever. In order to do that, they will need to earn two wins over their final three games against the Washington Huskies, Trojans and the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Seeking their third straight bowl appearance, Lincoln Riley’s Trojans have an identical path to the postseason, but their schedule to end the year is much harder. Games against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Fighting Irish sandwich their Rose Bowl Stadium duel with UCLA.
How to watch Illinois vs. Rutgers:
- When: Saturday, Nov. 23
- Where: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey
- Time: Live coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET
- Live Stream: Peacock
How to watch No. 25 Army vs. No. 10 Notre Dame:
- When: Saturday, Nov. 23
- Where: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
- Time: Live coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live Stream: Peacock
How to watch USC vs. UCLA:
- When: Saturday, Nov. 23
- Where: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California
- Time: Live coverage begins at 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live Stream: Peacock
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