The penultimate week of the 2024 regular season is here.

The weekend features three games between ranked teams, including two monster matchups that pit a traditional power program against a surprising contender. All eyes will be on these David vs. Goliath matchups and more.

Here’s what we’re following on Saturday. (All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.)

Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Ohio State -13.5 | Total: 51.5

The College Football Playoff discussion has been unfairly dominated by Indiana’s weak strength of schedule, so here’s the Hoosiers’ chance to prove their 10-0 record is no fluke. Indiana is powered by an efficient passing offense led by fringe Heisman contender Kurtis Rourke and a defense that’s forcing nearly two turnovers per game. Indiana will have to contend with a Buckeyes team that’s giving up the fewest points per game of any team in college football.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: Colorado -3 | Total: 59.5

The Buffaloes are two wins from clinching a spot in the Big 12 title game, but the first test will be a Kansas team that just ended BYU’s perfect season. Colorado has scored at least 34 points in each of those wins as Shedeur Sanders is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Kansas (4-6) isn’t far from having a winning record as the team has lost five games by one possession.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: Arizona State -3 | Total: 48.5

It’s time to start paying attention to Arizona State, which has fought its way into the Big 12 title picture thanks to an offense led by RB Cam Skattebo and his 1,500-plus all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns. BYU can still make the conference title game with two more wins despite last week’s loss to Kansas. The loser of this game is on the outside looking in.

Time: 7 p.m. | TV: NBC | Line: Notre Dame -14.5 | Total: 44.5

How long can Army (9-0) keep its magical season going against Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium? The Black Knights’ triple-option offense is not built to post a quick comeback, but they’ve given up just 10 points per game this season, albeit against a manageable schedule. Notre Dame isn’t far behind, giving up 11.4 ppg. This game is likely a playoff eliminator, so the stakes are sky high.

Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas A&M -2.5 | Total: 46.5

The Tigers are 1-5 in the SEC this season and need to beat both Texas A&M and Alabama to make a bowl game. A&M is tied with Texas atop the SEC and needs the win to make next week’s rivalry game a semifinal for the SEC title game. Can Auburn play the spoiler?

Playing at the speed of blur, the 10th-ranked North Carolina basketball team ran away to an 87-69 victory over Hawaii in Friday’s nationally televised game in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 8,377 saw the Tar Heels’ starting guards combine for 48 points and lead the charge into the lane.

The Tar Heels (3-1) colored the paint Carolina Blue, outscoring the ’Bows 26-6 at the rim in the second half. The Tar Heels also constructed a 19-1 advantage in fast-break points.

“One of the things we talked about was attacking the basket,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Penetration. We felt like our guards could get to the rim any time they wanted to. We put a lot of pressure on the rim.”

The ’Bows (4-1) went with three-guard lineups and even used a sliding 2-3 zone to slow lane entries.

“Kind of the theme was easy to say, hard to do,” UH coach Eran Ganot said of creating the “wall” to defend the paint from UNC’s driving guards.

All-America guard R.J. Davis led the Tar Heels with 18 points. Elliot Cadeau, who was limited to six first-half minutes because of early foul trouble, finished with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Sean Trimble contributed 13 points.

“We have good guards, good guards that compete on both sides of the floor,” Hubert Davis said.

Ganot noted the Tar Heels were able to parlay turnovers and UH misses into extremely fast turnarounds the other way.

“You saw the power of what they do when they get a miss or a turnover,” Ganot said. “They dominated us at the rim versus what we were doing at the rim.”

The ’Bows controlled the boards, building a 40-27 advantage, including 15-5 off the offensive glass.

Half of center Tanner Christensen’s 10 rebounds were grabbed off missed UH shots. Gytis Nemeiksa came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds and score a team-high 16 points. Nemeiksa and reserve wing Akira Jacobs each buried three 3s.

“You beat a team 13 on the boards — (against) a really good rebounding program — you put yourself in position,” Ganot said.

The Tar Heels used a 10-0 run to take a 13-2 lead with 13:41 left in the first half.

Spurred by a crowd of white shirts — some emblazoned with “Save Craig” in honor of recently fired athletic director Craig Angelos — the ’Bows cut a once 11-point deficit to 35-32 when Ryan Rapp pump-faked then scored on a floater with 1:16 left in the first half.

But R.J. Davis shuffled at the top of the key, then buried a 3 to extend the Tar Heels’ lead to 38-32.

UH guard Tom Beattie answered with a layup with 38.5 seconds to play. But then Ian Jackson got the ball on the right wing and swished a 3 for a 41-34 lead to complete the first-half scoring.

Christensen’s pivot-pivot-pivot dunk opened the scoring for UH in the second half. But the Tar Heels reeled off 11 unanswered points to make it 52-36 with 17:15 to play. The ’Bows would not get under double digits the rest of the way.

“Start of the game, start of the second half, really brutal,” Ganot said. “Maybe that’s what our team needs to go through. I do believe that. And as we have some of these new faces, we had a lot of lapses in possessions, disorganization. They took advantage of us.”

The Tar Heels’ drives also created free-throw opportunities. The Tar Heels hit 12 of 14 from the line in the first half, 26 of 34 overall. The ’Bows were 17-for-24 on free throws.

“Give them credit,” Ganot said. “Some bright spots we can build off of. But obviously, when we were good, we’re good, and when we were bad, we’re really bad. Good teams take advantage of that.”

Ganot also indicated the ’Bows would not settle for fighting the good fight.

“We’re not going to be OK with this,” Ganot said. “We’re not going to be OK with some of the bright spots. It’s not what we do.”

Officials with the Idaho State Controller’s Office told a legislative committee Friday that it may take two or three years for the new Luma business and IT system to be fully optimized.

On Friday, officials with the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluation presented their new evaluation report on the Luma business, finance, HR and IT system to the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee. 

“The key takeaway is clear; transitioning to Luma was the right decision,” Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf told the committee. “In visiting with other states, projects of this magnitude require two to three years to fully optimize, and we are firmly on the right path to success.”

Luma, which is based on software purchased from Infor, is designed to improve security and efficiency for state agencies by replacing legacy systems from the 1990s that had outlived their useful life and were vulnerable to security threats. But the $117 million Luma system, launched in July 2023, experienced a rocky rollout that included duplicated payments, payroll challenges, late payments, reporting and reconciliation challenges and the inability to independently verify cash balances, according to the evaluation and a series of previous audits of Luma.

In the latest Luma challenge, state budget officials said Tuesday that the state was not able to identify $14.5 million in state revenues by the deadline to use that money to reduce Idaho property taxes this year. 

After Friday’s presentation, Woolf issued a response and fielded questions from legislators. Luma is housed in the Idaho State Controller’s Office, which was also involved in purchasing Luma. 

Woolf told legislators his office takes accountability for the challenges with Luma, and believes sticking with Luma and optimizing it to see its full potential is the best option for the state moving forward.

Woolf said the Idaho State Controller’s Office is developing a “people-first” strategy working to repair relationships with state employees and rebuild trust. As part of that effort, the office is developing a sustainable training strategy and focusing on communication.

“As we move forward, we are guided by a clear vision – to restore trust, improve transparency and ensure that Luma delivers the value it was designed to provide,” Woolf said. “This is a collective effort, one that depends on ongoing collaboration and respect with all involved.”

Idaho Office of Performance Evaluation Director Ryan Langrill told legislators the best path forward for the state is improving Luma.

“We believe that moving forward with Luma, rather than migrating back to the legacy system or doing a whole new procurement for a new system, is the most realistic option,” Langrill said.

In the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluation report on Luma, evaluators suggest legislators consider changes to Idaho’s purchasing process and consider changes to the governance and accountability of Luma. In the report, Langrill’s team suggested the purchasing process the state used to get Luma may have limited choices available to the state.

Moving forward, Woolf said his top priority is improving the reporting processes in Luma. But Woolf stressed he believes in Luma and that it will bring security benefits to the state and standardize data entry across different agencies and divisions. 

“The narrative that Luma does not work is counterproductive and not accurate,” Woolf said. “Luma is functional but it’s not perfect – it processes transactions, handles payments and ensures everyone gets paid.”