5 college football teams under the most pressure this weekend

College football fans are on the edge of their seat heading into the final week of the regular season.

With playoff spots and berths to conference title games on the line, the pressure couldn't be higher. We've already seen many teams falter under the pressure of big-time football and it will be interesting to see what happens as Rivalry Week gets into full swing.

Every time Rivalry Week is upon us, crazy things happen. Now, with so much on the line for so many teams, here's a look at the five who will be facing the most pressure this weekend.

It's pretty simple for Tennessee this weekend: Win and you're in.

The Vols have no path to the SEC Championship game, so they are playing for a playoff spot this weekend in Nashville. Vanderbilt has already played spoiler to a couple of teams this season, and it will be interesting to see if Diego Pavia has one more upset up his sleeve as he leads the Commodores on Saturday.

Tennessee is a favorite for a reason. The Vols just need to win and they not only lock up a playoff spot, but likely a home game in the first round. If they lose, though, talk about a monumental defeat. With a loss, Tennessee is likely sent packing and left on the outside-looking-in for their playoff hopes.

Miami has struggled the last few weeks and, now, the Hurricanes' berth in the ACC Championship is on the line.

Just like Tennessee, it's pretty simple for Miami: Win and you're in.

Miami is firmly in the field of 12 right now and a loss may not eliminate them, but there would certainly be conversations about dropping them from the playoff in favor of a three-loss SEC team. While it's not a guarantee that a loss would remove Miami from the 12-team playoff field, it would remove them from Charlotte.

If Miami loses, Clemson would lock up the ACC Championship bid to play SMU in Charlotte the next weekend. Syracuse isn't an easy place to win and, when the Orange are on, they've been a tough out for a lot of teams. The real question here is: Which Syracuse team will show up?

Clemson needs some help to get to the College Football Playoff, but the Tigers have bigger concerns on their hands.

There are two ways that Clemson could legitimately get to the CFP:

• A team in front of them loses, and they earn an at-large bid

• Miami loses to Syracuse, and they go onto win the ACC Championship

After a disappointing loss to Louisville a few weeks ago, no one thought Clemson would ever even sniff CFP contention. Yet, here they are. That being said, this weekend is much bigger than just having a College Football Playoff spot potentially on the line.

Dabo Swinney needs this win in the baddest of ways. South Carolina is a team on the rise and the Gamecocks seem to be trending in the right direction as a program, while Clemson has had its fair share of struggles. A win over your in-state rival this weekend and you are 10-2 with a puncher's chance at making the playoff field. A loss and you are 9-3, firmly out barring a Miami loss.

It seems like Clemson is finally starting to make strides in the NIL game with a new announcement this week and a win over South Carolina in Death Valley would go a long way in righting the ship for the Tigers, regardless of what their postseason looks like. A loss, on the other hand, could be a very tough pill to swallow.

Do you want to still be considered an elite program? Show us.

Alabama is likely out of the College Football Playoff, barring some major chaos happening in front of them.

That being said, you simply can't afford to lose the Iron Bowl this weekend.

There's no question why the Iron Bowl is one of the premier rivalry matchups in the country year-in and year-out. Alabama comes into this one following a disappointing loss to Oklahoma. Auburn, on the other hand, is riding high after an upset win over Texas A&M and the Tigers believe they have the ability to come into Tuscaloosa and pull off the upset.

Kalen DeBoer simply can't afford to go 8-4 at Alabama. The natives are already getting restless after a season that has seen losses to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. If you lose to Auburn, you're going to lose a large portion of the fanbase right off the bat.

DeBoer won't be sent packing for losing to Auburn, but his seat will be scorching hot heading into 2025, no doubt. Even missing the playoff, a win over Auburn is a nice consolation prize and would at least put out some of the fires being started. A loss, though, and you're talking about pandamonium this offseason in Tuscaloosa.

After disappointing losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati, Arizona State was left for dead in the Big 12 championship mix. Now, the Sun Devils are sitting atop the standings in a four-way tie.

Unlike any other team in the conference, Arizona State is simply "win and you're in." With a rivalry game against Arizona, though, the stakes are massive and the pressure couldn't be higher.

Arizona State escaped with a win over BYU last weekend. Now, they've got to go on the road to Arizona with not only their Big 12 championship hopes on the line, but also their College Football Playoff hopes. There is no room for error, and the Sun Devils will feel that pressure.

Can they escape and lock up their spot in Arlington? Or will they will fall under the pressure the way that essentially every Big 12 team has once they reach the top?

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