It\u2019s my sad duty to remind you all that the final week of the college football regular season<\/a> is upon us.<\/p>\n These three months have flown by, and we\u2019re left with just one last full slate of madness.<\/p>\n But what a rivalry weekend it is shaping up to be, with plenty of teams looking to lock up College Football Playoff spots while others are seeking to emerge from convoluted tiebreaker scenarios to earn conference title game berths next week.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the coaches and teams with the most on the line this weekend:<\/p>\n Nick Saban set an unattainably high bar for his Alabama successor. And yet, Kalen DeBoer has done pretty well filling those shoes<\/a>, with an 18\u20135 record over his first two seasons.<\/p>\n With a win over Auburn on Saturday, the Crimson Tide would effectively clinch their first CFP appearance under DeBoer \u2014 and their ninth in 12 years.<\/p>\n Alabama is certainly a much better team than 5\u20136 Auburn. But DeBoer\u2019s only real issue early in his tenure has been losing to less talented teams. Look how poorly that opening loss to Florida State has aged. Last year, losses to a pair of 6\u20136 teams in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma left the Tide as the first team out of the playoff.<\/p>\n Plus, Iron Bowls at Auburn always seem to get weird. Just two years ago, in Saban\u2019s final season, No. 8 Alabama needed a fourth-and-31 miracle to beat a 6\u20135 Auburn team.<\/p>\n DeBoer absolutely cannot afford a slip-up this weekend \u2014 or he\u2019ll enter Year 3 with far fewer fans in his corner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A strong case can be made that Miami is being mistreated by the CFP selection committee.<\/p>\n Despite a head-to-head win over Notre Dame and an identical record, the Hurricanes sit three spots behind the Irish in the rankings. Notre Dame seems safely in the playoff with a win over Stanford, while it\u2019s entirely possible Miami ends up just short for the second straight season.<\/p>\nKalen DeBoer<\/h2>\n
Miami<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back CharMar Brown (6) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n