CFB Week 12 Preview (National):
NC State-#16 Miami, #11 Oklahoma-#4 Alabama,
#10 Texas-#5 Georgia Games In Huge Spotlights
(DG’s “This Week In CFB” YouTube Show = Below)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Nov. 12, 2025)
The 2025 college football season continues through Saturday with a compelling Week 12 schedule.
The most prominent games nationally this time (each previewed below) include intra-league clashes on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference: NC State at #16 Miami (3:30 p.m., ESPN), #11 Oklahoma at #4 Alabama (3:30 p.m., ABC) and #10 Texas at #5 Georgia (7:30 p.m., ABC).
Meanwhile, in the Old North State, Duke hosts Virginia and East Carolina hosts Memphis in games with league title implications, UNC travels to Wake Forest in a classic Big Four matchup, and Johnson C Smith and UNC Pembroke compete in their respective conference championship games.
Here are more details on our “Three To See” selections from this week’s national schedule:
National “Three To See,” Game One
NC State (5-4) at #16 Miami (7-2), Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NC State coach Dave Doeren is in his 13th season as the leader of the Wolfpack, and his 2025 team is, in many ways, symbolic of his entire tenure in Raleigh.
The Pack is well-coached and has enough talent — including some very special players (e.g., quarterback CJ Bailey, running back Hollywood Smothers, tight end Justin Joly, linebacker Caden Fordham) — to compete against almost anyone, as shown by State’s impressive 48-36 victory over eighth-ranked and previously undefeated Georgia Tech just two weeks ago.
However, at the same time, the Pack rarely looks so dominant and well-rounded that victory can be assumed or will come easily.
Indeed, this year, only the Pack’s trip to Notre Dame looked and felt like a certain loss, and only the Pack’s home game against Campbell (an FCS team) looked and felt like a sure win. Every other game felt up for grabs, like it could go either way, and that’s often been the Pack’s vibe under Doeren.
Yes, the Wolfpack has been bowl-eligible in 10 of the past 11 seasons. But, no, the Pack has never reached the 10-win plateau, never played in the ACC title game, never finished higher than #19 in the national polls.
To this day, Doeren has a sub-.500 record in ACC games for his career, and his average overall record for the regular season is roughly 7-5, which could be exactly where the Wolfpack lands once again this year.
Regarding this NC State trip to #16 Miami, with the Wolfpack (a 14-point underdog) coming off an open week, there are several reasons to believe that it will be a more difficult challenge than the game against Georgia Tech.
First, it’s on the road. Second, whereas the Yellow Jackets were vulnerable defensively, and the Wolfpack exploited that well with both the passing of Bailey and the running of backup tailback Duke Scott (in for the injured Smothers), Miami plays the best defense in the ACC.
Under fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal and coordinator Corey Hetherman, the Hurricanes are far and away #1 in the conference in scoring defense, at only 15 points per game, and they have — among other weapons — really effective edge rushers in Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
Even if the Wolfpack offense somehow makes this game interesting, which is certainly possible, the bigger question will be whether the Pack’s defense — which is giving up more than 30 points per game – can keep in check a Miami offense that struggled in the Canes’ losses to Louisville and SMU, two teams with high-quality defenses. Both the Cardinals and the Mustangs slowed the UM running game, got pressure on Canes QB Carson Beck and generated multiple turnovers as a result.
NC State’s defense hasn’t yet shown the ability to follow that sort of script, so that will be perhaps the Pack’s biggest obstacle at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
National “Three To See,” Game Two
#11 Oklahoma (7-2) at #4 Alabama (8-1), Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Although these are two of the more famous brand names in college football history, Oklahoma and Alabama have played each other only seven times, with the Sooners holding a 4-2-1 advantage.
Among opponents the Crimson Tide have played on the gridiron six times or more, they have a losing record against only four schools: Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma.
The Sooners joined the SEC just last year, so this matchup will happen more frequently moving forward. A year ago, OU won this matchup 24-3 in Norman.
This year, Bama (a five-point favorite) gets the rematch in Tuscaloosa, and a victory would keep the Tide — who have won eight straight games since dropping their season opener at Florida State — undefeated in conference play and on an inside track for a trip to the SEC championship game. Both Alabama and Oklahoma are squarely in the running for this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff, too.
After posting a disappointing 9-4 record in his Alabama debut a year ago, coach Kalen DeBoer has that prominent program back where it almost always was under legendary coach Nick Saban — near the top of the rankings and in position to challenge for an SEC and/or national championship.
On the other sideline, fourth-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables — the former Clemson defensive coordinator under Dabo Swinney (Dabo did a hilarious impression of Venables during his press conference just this week) — will be able to claim his best season with the Sooners only if he can manage to win this road game, then beat Missouri and LSU in Norman to conclude the regular season. That won’t be easy.
Both Alabama and Oklahoma are playing elite defense this season, and neither team has had an outstanding rushing attack offensively, so it will be interesting to see which prominent quarterback — Ty Simpson of the Crimson Tide or John Mateer of the Sooners (they’re both NFL prospects) — can make more big plays under pressure.
Simpson is second in the SEC with 273 passing yards per game, with 21 touchdown passes against only one interception. Mateer, a highly touted Washington State transfer, has lots of talent, too, but he has struggled mightily while dealing with a hand injury he suffered earlier this season.
National “Three To See,” Game Three
#10 Texas (7-2) at #5 Georgia (8-1), Sat., 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
It sounds incredible to say, but this is yet another head-to-head SEC matchup in which both teams are part of the College Football Playoff conversation, although both Texas and Georgia need help in this year’s conference title chase right now.
Neither #3 Texas A&M nor #4 Alabama has lost a league game, whereas the Longhorns fell at Florida and the Bulldogs fell to the Crimson Tide in Athens in late September.
Tenth-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart is already a two-time national champion and a three-time SEC champion; just last season, his Bulldogs edged Texas 22-19 in overtime to claim the league crown in Atlanta.
Fifth-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is still trying to get the Longhorns to the promised land, but he seems to be getting closer each year. His win totals at Texas have gone from five to eight to 12 to 13 last season, the Longhorns’ first as a member of the mighty SEC, when his team made the CFP semifinals in the aftermath of that conference title game loss to the Bulldogs.
Regarding the matchup on Saturday night in Athens, Texas (a five-point underdog) is one of the best defensive teams in the nation but has struggled at times on offense, whereas Georgia has been mostly reliable and consistent on both sides of the ball.
Among the elite NFL prospects in this game are Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., Georgia linebacker CJ Allen, Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller, Texas tight end Jack Endries (formerly of the Cal Bears) and Georgia H-back Oscar Delp.
Ultimately, for the Longhorns to grab an upset victory in this one, they’re going to have to at least match the Bulldogs’ quarterback play, and that won’t be easy.
According to some metrics, Georgia’s first-year starter, Gunner Stockton, has been the most effective overall QB in the conference; while perhaps not elite in any single category, he runs better than most, he throws better than most, and he doesn’t make many mistakes.
On the Texas side, of course, Arch Manning went through all sorts of well-documented struggles earlier this season, although he has bounced back to lead the Longhorns to consecutive victories over Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, and he just had an open week, which allowed for extra time to prepare specifically for the Bulldogs.
NOTE: For the in-state edition of our Week 12 college football preview, including analysis on the highest-profile games, plus schedules and TV/streaming options for all 32 teams (FBS, FCS, Division Two, Division Three) in the Bold North State, please click HERE.
