B/R Experts' November Bold Predictions for College Football

It's hard to believe, but we've reached the tail-end of college football's regular season. Although the remaining College Football Playoff contenders aren't too surprising, there's plenty of intrigue with respect to who will emerge from the Pac-12, if Michigan can overcome its sign-stealing allegations scandal, and which teams will go bowling in 2023.

This part of the year is when we find out just how good each team really is. Bleacher Report college football experts David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Joel Reuter and myself, Morgan Moriarty, have some bold takes on how things will shake out in the last month of the regular season.

Without further ado, let's run through our staff's bold predictions for the month of November. From Michigan's and USC's finishes, to Oregon and James Madison, let's dive in!

Kramer: Oregon Becomes One of CFB's Elite Teams

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 21: Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs for a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter during a college football game between the Oregon Ducks and Washington State Cougars on October 21, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.(Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

One could argue, quite frankly, that the Ducks are already there.

Are they in the top four? Not yet. But if a few things play out over the next few weeks, that could change in a hurry.

Despite having a loss on the resume, Oregon looks the part of one of the nation's most balanced, dangerous teams. And while this team did lose to Washington, it also has all the pieces to still push for a conference championship or something more.

Over the next month, however, expect this sentiment will spread. Oregon will not lose a game in November. This run will include wins over USC and Oregon State. (It will eventually translate into a Pac-12 Championship, although we'll get there in time.)

Along the way, Bo Nix will become one of the favorites to win the Heisman. He's close right now, although he'll be the favorite by the time December arrives.

With three home games still left, Oregon is poised to make a sizable impression the rest of the way. Forget about just winning football games and getting back into the mix. In a year without a truly dominant team, Oregon will put itself in a position to be a national champion.

Reuter: Michigan Will Lose Multiple Games This Season

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EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 21: The Michigan Wolverines celebrate with the Paul Bunyan trophy after a 49-0 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on October 21, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

It's only a matter of time before the ominous cloud currently hanging over the Michigan football program starts to become an on-field distraction.

The Wolverines are off to an 8-0 start and currently sit No. 2 in the latest AP poll and No. 3 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. They are averaging 40.6 points per game on offense with the ultra-efficient J.J. McCarthy under center and a terrific running game behind him, while the defense is allowing an FBS-low 5.9 points per game.

But who have they really played?

Their non-conference schedule was a breeze through East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green, while their five Big Ten wins have come against opponents that are a combined 9-16 in conference play, including their past two victories, which have come against scuffling Indiana and Michigan State squads.

The Wolverines get to ease back into things against Purdue coming out of a bye week before finish with Penn State on the road, Maryland on the road and Ohio State at home. Here's predicting they'll go 1-2 in those final three games to miss out on a spot in the College Football Playoff as the outside noise simply becomes too loud.

Moriarty: USC Is Going to Lose at Least a Couple More Games

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans looks on against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

It's still kind of hard to believe how far USC has fallen from grace this season. The Trojans entered as the preseason favorite to both win the Pac-12 and put a team representing the conference into the playoff for the first time since 2016.

Instead, USC was out of the playoff hunt entirely by Oct. 21 following its 34-32 loss to Utah. It was USC's second loss of the year and the program's fourth straight loss to the Utes dating back to 2021.

Unfortunately for the Trojans, I don't think that will be the last game USC loses on the year. USC closes out the regular season with three consecutive ranked opponents in No. 5 Washington on Saturday, No. 6 Oregon on Nov. 11 and No. 19 UCLA on Nov. 18.

I think Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. will have a field day against this atrocious USC defense. The Alex Grinch-led unit gives up 248.8 yards in the air per game, good for 107th in the nation. Penix is averaging 10 yards per attempt. Yes, I know Washington's offense hasn't looked great in its past two games against Arizona State and Stanford, but I like it to get back on track this week.

Next week, the Trojans have to travel to Eugene to take on Oregon. The Ducks are undefeated at home, and quarterback Bo Nix looks like he'll have a strong end to the year. Oregon has a top-20 defense nationally, so I expect this to be one of the toughest units USC has faced all year. Give me Oregon by a couple scores in this one.

And lastly, the Trojans close out the season with rival UCLA. The Bruins are 6-2 with losses to Utah and Oregon State. If UCLA can win two straight over Arizona and Arizona State, the Bruins will come into this one with a ton of momentum. This matchup came down to the wire last season, as USC needed a game-sealing interception to put UCLA away. It's a bit too early to pick a winner for me, but the Bruins pulling off an upset doesn't seem entirely out of the realm of possibility—and by the time that game comes around, it might not even be an upset at all.

Regardless, USC losing two more in November would be a shock few of us saw coming at the start of the season. I wouldn't be surprised if the Trojans drop three.

Kenyon: Forget NCAA Rules: James Madison, Jacksonville State Make Bowls Anyway

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Phoenix Sproles #0 and Zach Horton #44 of James Madison

James Madison and Jacksonville State have quietly become two of the best stories in the 2023 season.

Heading into November, JMU is unbeaten and boasts the nation's most disruptive defense. Nobody has collected more tackles for loss than the Dukes, who are 8-0 overall with a 5-0 mark in Sun Belt play.

Jacksonville State, meanwhile, has raced out to a 7-2 record with its lone Conference USA setback to undefeated Liberty. Most notably, the defense ranks sixth nationally in yards allowed per carry—a category James Madison leads, by the way.

In a typical situation, both programs would effectively be assured of a bowl appearance. Because of NCAA rules, however, there's a possibility neither one plays in the postseason. JMU joined the Football Bowl Subdivision last season, and 2023 is JSU's debut year in the FBS.

The only way either team can receive a bowl invitation is if there's not enough six-win teams to fill 82 bids. The bad news is there haven't been two spots available since 2016.

However, I believe that's going to happen.

Any number of scenarios exist, but JMU and JSU should be (silently) rooting against teams from the AAC and Sun Belt in particular. I, on the other hand, am not-so-quietly pulling for that outcome.