College Football Picks Week 13: Predictions for Top 25 Games on Updated Schedule
This is the week that Ohio State and Michigan football fans have been waiting all season for. It seemed quite likely that the Buckeyes and Wolverines would each be 11-0 entering their head-to-head matchup, and that's exactly what has happened.
On Saturday, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan will face off at Ohio Stadium. The winner of that contest will finish first in the Big Ten East and advance to the conference championship game, in which the Buckeyes or Wolverines will be the heavy favorite.
So there's a high possibility that Saturday's victor will be heading to the College Football Playoff as the undefeated Big Ten champion. The loser may not even get into the four-team CFP field.
Here's the full Week 13 schedule for teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, along with picks for each. Then, we'll take a closer look at the pair of games with the biggest CFP implications this week.
Top 25 Week 13 Schedule, Picks
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Thursday, Nov. 24
Mississippi State at No. 20 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 25
No. 19 Tulane at No. 21 Cincinnati, noon ET, ABC
Baylor at No. 24 Texas, noon ET, ESPN
NC State at No. 18 North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 17 UCLA at California, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Florida at No. 16 Florida State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Saturday, Nov. 26
Georgia Tech at No. 1 Georgia, noon ET, ESPN
No. 3 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox
South Carolina at No. 7 Clemson, noon ET, ABC
No. 23 Coastal Carolina at James Madison, noon ET, ESPNU
Auburn at No. 8 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 10 Oregon at No. 22 Oregon State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Iowa State at No. 4 TCU, 4 p.m. ET, Fox
Michigan State at No. 11 Penn State, 4 p.m. ET, FS1
No. 14 Utah at Colorado, 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
No. 6 LSU at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 25 UCF at South Florida, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 13 Notre Dame at No. 5 USC, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 9 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Kansas at No. 15 Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 12 Washington at Washington State, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Picks in bold.
Ohio State, Michigan Set to Clash with Highest Stakes
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An undefeated season, a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff berth could all be on the line Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium. There couldn't be a matchup with bigger stakes in the final week of the regular season.
It also likely means a disappointing finish for the loser of that game. Because unless a scenario unfolds in which the CFP selection committee believes both Ohio State and Michigan are worthy of inclusion, one of these teams won't play again this season.
The Wolverines' chances to win will take a major hit if they're without junior running back Blake Corum, who suffered a knee injury in the team's Week 12 win over Illinois. He's been Michigan's top player and a Heisman Trophy candidate, having rushed for 1,457 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.
Without Corum, the Wolverines may struggle to score against a Buckeyes defense that is allowing only 175.5 passing yards per game. Ohio State is more beatable on the ground, so Michigan would likely rely heavily on Corum if it's able to.
Either way, the Buckeyes remain the favorite for Saturday's game, which will be played on their campus. Plus, Ohio State junior quarterback C.J. Stroud is having a Heisman-worthy season, as he's passed for 2,991 yards, 35 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
The Buckeyes are also seeking revenge. Last year, the Wolverines won this matchup 42-27. It was the first time that Michigan had defeated Ohio State since 2011, as it had lost eight straight games in the rivalry series. The Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten title and reach the College Football Playoff.
This time, don't be surprised if the Buckeyes end up back on top. They're stronger this season, and they seem to be a slightly better team than the Wolverines. It should be a close game, but one that Ohio State will win.
Prediction: Ohio State 27, Michigan 21
Can USC Continue Its Push into CFP?
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When No. 5 Tennessee lost at South Carolina on Saturday, it opened the door for another team to capitalize and likely move up in the CFP rankings. That's exactly what USC did by notching a 48-45 victory over UCLA, and now, the Trojans are making a push into the Playoff.
With its most impressive win of the year, USC improved to 10-1 and solidified itself as the front-runner in the Pac-12. The Trojans have already clinched their spot in the conference championship game. But first, they have another challenging matchup in their regular-season finale, as they'll be hosting Notre Dame.
Even though USC knows it will be playing for the Pac-12 title, this is still an important game for the team. If the Trojans lose to the Fighting Irish, then they'll probably be out of the College Football Playoff conversation. So they need to win if they want to have a chance to reach the CFP for the first time in program history.
USC also needs to finish the season strong enough to prove it's more worthy of a Playoff spot than the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game, Clemson (the probable ACC champion) and SEC teams such as LSU, Alabama and Tennessee.
The Trojans have been playing well of late, mostly because of their offense. They've scored more than 40 points in nine of their 11 games, including in each of their victories during their active four-game winning streak.
In his first season at USC, sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams has been impressive, as he's thrown for 3,480 yards, 33 touchdowns and only three interceptions. So it'll be difficult for Notre Dame's defense to try to slow down Williams and the rest of USC's offense.
The Fighting Irish (8-3) are a solid team, as they've won eight of their past nine games after getting off to an 0-2 start. But the Trojans are better, and they have much more at stake. So expect USC to pull away in the second half and continue the momentum it is building toward the Pac-12 Championship Game and potentially the CFP.
Prediction: USC 38, Notre Dame 24
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