College Football Picks: Week 14 Predictions for Every Game

College Football Playoff berths at stake when 10 of the nation's top 12 teams take the field during championship week.

There's an excellent chance that the winner of the ACC, Big Ten and SEC title games will earn a place in the four-team tournament, while Oklahoma could secure a berth with a victory in the Big 12 championship.

Most of the nation's attention will be focused on those matchups, though a showdown between Memphis and UCF is worth monitoring as well. The AAC title will determine which program represents the Group of Five conferences in a New Year's Six bowl.

The Sun Belt dominates the remainder of the 16-game schedule, which only has one power-conference team playing in a non-championship. Florida State needs this victory to keep its 35-year bowl streak intact.

We've offered a prediction for every game on the decisive slate.

Saturday Power-5 Conference Championships

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

No. 11 TCU (10-2) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (11-1), 12:30 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Oklahoma beat TCU 38-20 in November.

One week after ceding 52 points to Oklahoma State, a criticized Oklahoma defense responded by holding TCU to just 20. Repeating that performance will be challenging. Fortunately for the Sooners, they have the likely Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield. His overall efficiency—particularly in the red zone—will propel OU in a tight finish.

Prediction: Oklahoma 34, TCU 27

No. 6 Georgia (11-1) at No. 2 Auburn (10-2), 4 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Auburn beat Georgia 40-17 in November.

Auburn is the hottest team in college football. Entering the SEC Championship Game with a banged-up Kerryon Johnson is hugely concerning, though. During the Iron Bowl, he recorded a positive gain on 18 of his 19 first-down carries to help limit passing situations. But if Johnson can't handle 30 touches because of the shoulder injury, an inspired Georgia team will take advantage and limit Auburn's offense.

Prediction: Georgia 24, Auburn 20

No. 7 Miami (10-1) at No. 1 Clemson (11-1), 8 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Clemson beat Miami 58-0 in October 2015.

When the big plays disappear, so does Miami's offense. In a loss to Pitt last week, Malik Rosier averaged a meager 5.5 yards per attempt—his worst mark in 12 career games as a starter. If the 'Canes are unable to attack Clemson vertically, the ACC title will hardly be competitive. Clemson will outlast a stout Miami defense as long as Kelly Bryant and Co. are successful on third down.

Prediction: Clemson 31, Miami 24

No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) at No. 4 Wisconsin (12-0), 8 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Ohio State beat Wisconsin 30-23 in October 2016.

Over the last three weekends, the Badgers have allowed just 2.9 yards per snap. It's hard to overstate the excellence of this defense. But with interceptions in nine of his 12 games this season, Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook is a wild card. Unless the rushing attack has an unexpected surge opposite a stout front seven, Hornibrook needs to play a mistake-free game. While that could happen, we're not expecting it.

Prediction: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17

Saturday Group of 5 Conference Championships

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

No. 20 Memphis (10-1) at No. 14 UCF (11-0), noon ET

Last meeting: UCF beat Memphis 40-13 in September.

Memphis has scorched just about every defense since UCF smashed the Tigers. After seeing Southern Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers obliterate the Knights last week, UCF looks beatable. However, we're going to give the defense a little benefit of the doubt, since it hadn't given up more than six yards per snap all season. The unit will make enough stops to support the nation's No. 1 scoring offense.

Prediction: UCF 48, Memphis 38

Akron (7-5) vs. Toledo (10-2), noon ET

Last meeting: Toledo beat Akron 48-21 in October.

Toledo waltzed past Akron in the regular-season matchup, and a change of venue won't do much for the Zips. They rank seventh nationally in interceptions but are 105th in passes of 10-plus yards allowed. Logan Woodside will patiently pick apart the Akron secondary and guide Toledo to its first MAC crown since 2004.

Prediction: Toledo 38, Akron 24

North Texas (9-3) at Florida Atlantic (9-3), noon ET

Last meeting: FAU beat North Texas 69-31 in October.

Lane Kiffin, first-year coach and master of shade, has engineered a deft turnaround at FAU. The Owls, who finished 3-9 last year, are 11-point favorites in the C-USA Championship Game, per OddsShark. North Texas will hang around thanks to its balanced offense, but its 104th-ranked run defense won't be able to contain Devin Singletary and the nation's No. 6 ground game.

Prediction: FAU 48, North Texas 38

No. 25 Fresno State (9-3) at Boise State (9-3), 7:45 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Fresno State beat Boise State 28-17 last week.

Despite both teams finishing Mountain West play 7-1 and Fresno State earning the head-to-head tiebreaker, Boise State will host the championship clash. That's a huge advantage for a Boise State defense that is 7.5 points and 87.4 yards better at home, where it forced 13 turnovers in six games. Fresno might need a non-offensive score to spring the upset.

Prediction: Boise State 23, Fresno State 20

Rest of Saturday Games

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Louisiana-Monroe (4-7) at Florida State (5-6), noon ET

Last meeting: FSU beat ULM 34-0 in September 2011.

Will this be Jimbo Fisher's final game at Florida State? Texas A&M is pursuing him as the replacement for Kevin Sumlin. The Seminoles are in no danger of falling to the nation's second-worst defense, but they could be lose their head coach after earning bowl eligibility.

Prediction: Florida State 41, Louisiana-Monroe 20

UMass (4-7) at Florida International (7-4), noon ET

Last meeting: UMass beat FIU 21-13 in September 2016.

Like the preceding matchup, this one was rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma. Florida International probably would've preferred catching the Minutemen when they were struggling, but the Panthers can still survive a surging UMass team. FIU is 5-1 when surrendering fewer than five yards per carry, and UMass enters averaging just 3.7.

Prediction: FIU 31, UMass 24

Georgia Southern (2-9) at Coastal Carolina (2-9), 1 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Georgia Southern beat Coastal Carolina 43-26 in September 2010.

Georgia Southern has collected 350-plus rushing yards in consecutive games for first time since Willie Fritz's departure. The Eagles are playing hard for now-permanent head coach Chad Lunsford. Coastal Carolina snapped a nine-game losing streak last week, but the Chants will likely struggle to keep up with the renewed GSU offense.

Prediction: Georgia Southern 34, Coastal Carolina 24

Idaho (3-8) at Georgia State (6-4), 2 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Idaho beat Georgia State 37-12 last December.

Save for a season-opening loss to Tennessee State, Georgia State has defeated teams its supposed to beat and lost when expected during the 2017 campaign. The trend will continue into bowl season for the Panthers, who aren't particularly special but should be stingy enough defensively to curb Idaho.

Prediction: Georgia State 24, Idaho 20

Louisiana-Lafayette (5-6) at Appalachian State (7-4), 2:30 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Appalachian State beat Louisiana-Lafayette 24-0 last October.

Appalachian State can secure a share of the Sun Belt with a victory. As long as the Mountaineers don't have a complete letdown on offense, they should cruise past a Louisiana-Lafayette defense that has ceded 34-plus points in four of the last five games.

Prediction: Appalachian State 41, Louisiana 27

South Alabama (4-7) at New Mexico State (5-6), 4:30 p.m. ET

Last meeting: South Alabama beat NMSU 35-28 last December.

With victories over championship contenders Troy and Arkansas State and a loss to then-winless Georgia Southern, South Alabama is easily the most nonsensical team in the Sun Belt. New Mexico State should dispatch the Jaguars and their below-average offense, but logic hasn't followed South Alabama this year.

Prediction: NMSU 38, South Alabama 27

Troy (9-2) at Arkansas State (7-3), 7:30 p.m. ET

Last meeting: Arkansas State beat Troy 35-3 last November.

Pending Appalachian State's result, the winner of this matchup will either claim a share of the Sun Belt crown or win it outright. Troy folded in stunning fashion during the 2016 matchup, but history won't repeat itself. The methodical Trojans will limit possessions while the secondary contains an explosive Arkansas State attack.

Prediction: Troy 31, Arkansas State 27

Friday Pac-12 Championship Game

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

No. 12 Stanford (9-3) vs. No. 10 USC (10-2), 8 p.m. ET

Last meeting: USC beat Stanford 42-24 in September.

Sam Darnold and the Trojans racked up 623 yards of offense when the Pac-12 powers met earlier this year. While undeniably impressive for USC, Stanford likely won't struggle so mightily again. The Cardinal haven't surrendered more than 24 points in a game since September. As long as Stanford defense wins the third-down battle, K.J. Costello and Bryce Love can propel the team to a relatively low-scoring win.

Prediction: Stanford 27, USC 23