5 Bold College Football Predictions for Week 12
With just three weeks left in the 2015 college football season, unpredictability has been a common thread across the nation. Two weeks ago, five unbeaten teams fell by the wayside. Last week, four Top 10 teams went down to defeat.
And as we enter Week 12, only five unbeaten teams (Clemson, Houston, Iowa, Ohio State and Oklahoma State) remain.
Plenty of twists and turns remain on the road to the College Football Playoff, and several are sure to unfold on Saturday.
How will Week 12 shake out? Here are five bold predictions on just what will happen in a week that features six Top 25 matchups and a pair of Top 10 clashes. Just another college football Saturday in November, right?
Georgia Southern Will Upset Georgia
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This has been a hard season for Georgia fans to stomach.
The Bulldogs were expected to compete for the SEC East title, the SEC title and a College Football Playoff berth behind Nick Chubb’s churning legs. Instead, Chubb is done for the season following a serious knee injury and Georgia is 7-3.
Making matters worse, Mark Richt’s team has already been eliminated from the SEC East race, with rival Florida clinching the division crown.
A late-season home game against Georgia Southern might look like a gimme to the uninitiated, but it is really anything but. Two years ago, the Eagles won at Florida as an FCS team, and last year in their first FBS season, they pushed both N.C. State and Georgia Tech—who combined to win 19 games—to the wire before falling by a combined five points.
Led by Matt Breida (1,242 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns), Georgia Southern leads the FBS with 378.9 rushing yards per game.
The Eagles will grind out the clock, keep Georgia’s shaky offense off the field and take a stunning victory in Sanford Stadium, putting Richt’s UGA future in even greater peril.
J.T. Barrett Will Pace Ohio State vs. Michigan State
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When Ohio State rolled to the 2014 national title, it was a surprise. Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes were believed to be a year away but looked dominant in blasting past Alabama and Oregon for the national title.
A year later, they haven’t snuck up on anyone.
Ohio State is 10-0, but it hasn’t been easy. The Buckeyes have been pushed by the likes of Northern Illinois and Indiana, and their offense has been inconsistent while shuffling Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett at quarterback.
Barrett has finally established himself under center, and it’s no coincidence that the Bucks found their rhythm in routs of Rutgers and Illinois.
Michigan State rolls into Columbus with an air of urgency. The Spartans already have one loss on their record—a controversial 39-38 defeat to Nebraska—and must win to keep their hopes of a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth alive.
Barrett has yet to throw for 250 yards in a game this season, but he’ll find his groove against the Spartan defense. Expect Barrett to go for 250 through the air and 100 on the ground, and Ohio State will take an emphatic two-touchdown win over Michigan State.
LSU Will WIn at Ole Miss
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My, how two weeks have changed the tone of LSU’s season.
Two weeks ago, the Tigers were unbeaten at 7-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally heading into an SEC West showdown at then-No. 4 Alabama, with a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in sophomore tailback Leonard Fournette.
But following a 30-16 loss at the Tide’s hands and a 31-14 loss to Arkansas, reports have emerged that veteran coach Les Miles could be coaching for his job in the regular season’s final two games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, per Scott Rabalais of the Advocate.
That seems hard to believe, given Miles' reported $15 million buyout, but the Tigers clearly could use a strong finish to 2015.
Ole Miss is also dealing with a disappointing season. The Rebels rose as high as No. 2 nationally following an early upset at Alabama, but a wild 53-52 overtime loss to Arkansas dropped them to 7-3.
With a talented core highlighted by defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and wideout Laquon Treadwell likely playing its final games in a Rebel uniform, Hugh Freeze knows that the time to win is now.
If you’re at all familiar with college football, you know better than to bet against an angry Les Miles. He’ll have his team ready for Oxford.
Fournette has a combined 122 yards on 38 carries in his past two games after rushing for at least 150 in each of his first seven. He’ll get back on track with a 200-yard rushing game, and the Tigers will extend Ole Miss’ misery and get a much-needed victory.
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Oklahoma Will Roll TCU
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TCU entered 2015 as a legit College Football Playoff contender, but defensive inexperience and a host of injuries have finally caught up with the Horned Frogs.
Two weeks ago, Oklahoma State ruined TCU’s unbeaten record with a 49-29 rout, and last week, Gary Patterson’s bunch gutted out a 23-17 squeaker over winless Kansas with star senior quarterback Trevone Boykin limited by injury.
This week, Boykin is questionable with an ankle injury and star receiver Josh Doctson (79 receptions, 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns) has been ruled out for the season with a wrist injury, per CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli.
Those are major problems heading into Norman for a road matchup against No. 7 Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has been white-hot since losing to Texas, its only loss of the season. The Sooners have won five consecutive games while averaging 55.2 points per game in that stretch. OU quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has 3,082 passing yards with 31 touchdowns against five interceptions, has emerged as a legit Heisman Trophy candidate.
Mayfield will strafe the Frogs’ beat-up defense. Oklahoma will take another step toward a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth, and it won’t be close.
Oklahoma State Will Upend Baylor
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Oklahoma State is one of the best stories of the 2015 season.
Following a streaky 2014 that wound up with a 7-6 record, Mike Gundy’s Cowboys have taken momentum from a strong finish and built on it this fall, rolling to a 10-0 record that has them firmly in College Football Playoff contention.
Baylor just missed the College Football Playoff last fall following a one-loss regular season, and the Bears again have a potent offense keyed by wide receiver Corey Coleman, who has 61 receptions for 1,229 yards and an incredible 20 touchdowns.
But who will throw him the ball?
Starter Seth Russell is out for the season following neck surgery, and while freshman backup Jarrett Stidham has been excellent, he is questionable for Saturday with a back injury, per SI.com.
Breaking in a new quarterback against an Oklahoma State line led by talented defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is bad news for Baylor.
OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph (3,161 yards, 18 touchdowns) will have his way with Baylor’s defense, just as Baker Mayfield did a week ago. Rudolph, a South Carolina native, has been an excellent fit with the Cowboys' program, as he told ESPN.com's Chris Low.
"It's worked out great," Rudolph said. "I'm blessed to be in this position and to be on this team and to be a part of this program. I don't know how it gets any better than this."
The Cowboys and Rudolph will outscore Baylor and create a huge Bedlam matchup with the Sooners next week.
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