FAVORITE TEAMS

10) #5 LSU AT TEXAS A&M- 4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN]

LSU sits atop at five in the rankings and has their only test against Georgia in the conference championship, right? Wrong! They shouldn’t overlook College Station before the conference championship. Texas A&M has been bad, but their defense and the 12th Man fans will pester the team throughout the game. Unless A&M’s offense can come to life in this SEC Southwest rivalry, LSU will silence them on the way to Atlanta.

MY PICK: LSU

9) SOUTH CAROLINA AT #8 CLEMSON – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ABC]

Clemson must tread lightly against South Carolina. The Gamecocks reeled off six wins in the last eight games, including two ranked wins against SEC East opponents (Kentucky and Tennessee). Clemson may have picked up after a loss to Notre Dame, but it doesn’t mean that everything is fine. But can South Carolina carve up Clemson’s defense like they did to Tennessee’s defense? Doubtful, but it’s a rivalry game and anything can happen. Clemson should survive this matchup though.

MY PICK: CLEMSON

T-7) PURDUE AT INDIANA – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [BIG TEN NETWORK]

Purdue is looking above Iowa and hoping to steal the title from them. But they shouldn’t look too far because they have in-state rival Indiana to deal with. Indiana’s season is over after this game, but they’ll play motivated at home to spoil Purdue’s opportunity. Bloomington hasn’t been kind to the Boilermakers, however, and Indiana will come out of nowhere to knock them out of the Big Ten West division opportunity.

MY PICK: INDIANA

T-7) NEBRASKA AT IOWA – 1PM PT/4PM ET [BIG TEN NETWORK ON FRIDAY]

There’s a potential chance for a low-scoring game, but Iowa will play as hard as possible to claim the Big Ten West and play for the Big Ten Championship. However, don’t expect this to be a cakewalk. Nebraska isn’t great this season, but they will compete to the very end. They kept games close with six opponents, including Purdue, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Also, Iowa and Nebraska’s last four meetings were decided by seven points or less. If Iowa’s not careful, Purdue could steal it if they defeat Indiana.

MY PICK: IOWA

6) #13 WASHINGTON AT WASHINGTON STATE – 7:30PM PT/10:30PM ET [ESPN]

Washington has an opportunity to appear in a Pac-12 championship but needs help from Oregon State to make it happen. The Beavers do play first and defeating Oregon would motivate the Huskies to play their best football. However, Wazzu’s not letting the Huskies walk all over them. Washington State is difficult at Pullman and will try to spoil Washington’s Pac-12 title opportunity. Depending on the Oregon State outcome, expect Washington to escape Wazzu with a close win.

MY PICK: WASHINGTON

5) #10 TENNESSEE AT VANDERBILT – 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [SEC NETWORK]

This has been a disappointing November for Tennessee after a surprising 8-0 start. Losing to Georgia is one thing but losing to South Carolina after holding on at #5 hoping for a playoff berth is inexcusable. What’s worse is that they carry on without Hendon Hooker for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury. Quarterback Joe Milton will take over, but is Tennessee motivated to carry on a lost opportunity? Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is hitting their stride at the best and most crucial time of the season. They sit at 5-6 after winning two straight at formerly ranked Kentucky and at home against Florida. Not only has their defense picked up in the past couple of weeks, but their offense has been more physical too.

Fun fact: the last two times that Vanderbilt was in a pinch for bowl-eligibility, they won at home in the regular season finale to go bowling. That was back in 2016 and 2018, and they won both times against Tennessee. Is it possible that Vanderbilt can beat ranked Tennessee? Yes! They did it back in 2016 to go bowling, and they are motivated and confident enough to beat Tennessee at home for the third time.

MY PICK: VANDERBILT

4) #19 TULANE AT #25 CINCINNATI – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ABC ON FRIDAY]

UCF has the luxury to watch this game prior to their matchup tomorrow at South Florida. Why? Because the loser of this matchup is at risk of missing out on an AAC championship berth if UCF wins. Who has more to lose though? It’s the Bearcats. After their loss to UCF, they picked up three straight wins to be in position for an AAC title return, and their defense will be key to making it there. After Tulane’s loss to UCF, they bounced back with a big win over SMU to keep their hopes alive.

As I said before, Cincinnati has more to lose than Tulane, but Tulane played their best football that almost resembles the 1998 team. It comes down to offensive execution more and winning the turnover battle. Tulane has the edge and have managed themselves on the road all season.

MY PICK: TULANE

3) #9 OREGON AT #21 OREGON STATE – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ABC]

Oregon’s playoff hopes are still alive but barely and will need some chaos to return there. For now, they focus on the Oregon Classic against Oregon State. The Ducks bounced back with a big win due to their defense keeping the pressure on Cam Rising while injury-riddled Bo Nix kept the offense moving. They’ll need more of it and a slightly healthier Bo against the Beavers that are as pesky as an actual beaver that’s trying to protect its home. Oregon State is playing as well as they should while quarterback Chance Nolan was sidelined with an injury for nearly two months. His availability is key to this rivalry, but it doesn’t mean Ben Gulbranson can’t play a key part too.

Both are similar in average points on offense and defense, so there’s a chance for a physical battle for all four quarters for the Platypus Trophy and more. Oregon State will be physical in the attack on Oregon whether Chance Nolan is available or not. However, unless Bo Nix gets hurt again and doesn’t return, he will carry the Ducks to victory for the right to play in the Pac-12 Championship.

MY PICK: OREGON

2) #15 NOTRE DAME AT #6 USC – 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [ABC]

USC finally adds a win over a ranked opponent to their résumé and will play for the Pac-12 championship next week. What’s even better is that they have this game and the Pac-12 championship against ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks. The Trojans fight on as each game becomes increasingly challenging. Notre Dame’s sudden bounce back and rise will pretty much test USC’s competition against a real non-conference opponent. The Fighting Irish were pardoned after five straight wins that included back-to-back victories over ranked ACC opponents. Their defense played a big part in their run while their offense figured things out.

USC is one win closer to a playoff spot and Lincoln Riley could find his way in for the fifth time in his career as coordinator/head coach. Their defense makes an impact with turnovers but needs to do more than just that. Notre Dame plays some physical football after figuring out that their run game is the strength. The Irish will try to slow the game down and keep the possession away from the Trojans as long as possible. USC should edge this win out as long as Caleb Williams doesn’t make a mistake.

MY PICK: USC

1) #3 MICHIGAN AT #2 OHIO STATE – 9AM PT/12PM ET [FOX]

This 2022 edition of The Game could be one of the biggest rivalry editions in college football history. Both Michigan and Ohio State overcame adversities last week to be here at this very moment. Michigan ran through their schedule for the majority of the season, but it took four big field goals by Jake Moody to win them the game. Ohio State slowly picked up each week with depth on their roster before dueling with Maryland for four quarters. It took their defense to come up with a game-ending scoop-and-score to solidify their win. Everyone should be aware that Ohio State’s offense and Michigan’s defense will be the focus of this matchup, but maybe Michigan’s offense and Ohio State’s defense will provide some entertainment too.

Here’s how I see this game plays out. Last week’s matchups became a war of attrition at the running back position. CJ Stroud and JJ McCarthy played some good football this season, but plenty of their success came from the running back position. With Blake Corum finished and Miyan Williams likely out, and Donovan Edwards and TreVeyon Henderson unsure of availability, the Buckeyes and Wolverines turn to new blood. So, who has the advantage? My money’s on Ohio State. As much as Michigan loves running the ball, they might become two dimensional despite JJ McCarthy being the answer at quarterback and Ohio State’s defense will feed off it. Ohio State’s offense should have faith in running back Dallan Hayden and CJ Stroud has better weapons than Michigan, which eventually carves out Michigan’s defense.

MY PICK: OHIO STATE

IN A PINCH SITUATION

5-win teams that are looking for a win to be bowl-eligible. It’s also unclear if some non-Power 5 teams with six wins will qualify.

GEORGIA TECH

MIAMI (FL)

MICHIGAN STATE

FAU

RICE

UAB

UTEP

BUFFALO (at 5-5, unsure if they’ll make up a postponed game against Akron)

MIAMI (OH)

BALL STATE

MISSOURI

VANDERBILT

AUBURN

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

SOUTHERN MISS

LOUISIANA