College Football 2024 Predictions: Tennessee vs. Georgia, Oregon vs. Wisconsin & More

David Kenyon Featured Columnist IV

College Football 2024 Predictions: Tennessee vs. Georgia, Oregon vs. Wisconsin & More

Michael Reaves/ The race to the 2024 College Football Playoff is a glorious mess.
If you hoped for clarity, the most recent slate only muddied the conversation. Georgia could have eliminated Ole Miss from CFP contention, for example, but there's instead an even greater logjam in the SEC.
Week 12 might continue that trend as UGA hosts Tennessee. Plus, after two weekends of upsets, more are probably on the way.
So, while the number of true Playoff threats is dropping, there's a whole lot of uncertainty still to be worked out.
Ahead is a brief preview of each Top 25 matchup—based on the latest AP poll, not the CFP selection committee's rankings—with a prediction for every game involving an FBS team.

AP Nos. 25-21

George Walker/Icon Sportswire via No. 25 Tulane (8-2) at Navy (7-2), Noon ET
Because of how much attention Army has deservedly received, Tulane has quietly flown under the radar. In conference play, though, the Green Wave are outscoring their opponents by nearly 30 points per game. Home-field advantage matters, but Tulane is the better team.
: Tulane 34, Navy 24
No. 24 Missouri (7-2) at No. 23 South Carolina (6-3), 4:15 p.m. ET
South Carolina seems to be peaking at the perfect time, rattling off three straight victories of 20-plus points over Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. While that streak will probably end opposite a good Mizzou defense, South Carolina's winning ways should continue.
: South Carolina 28, Missouri 20
No. 22 Louisville (6-3) at Stanford (2-7), 3:30 p.m. ET
Since upsetting Syracuse on the road in September, Stanford has dropped six consecutive games. Short of cross-country travel being a problem for Louisville's energy level, it's hard to argue for an upset.
: Louisville 38, Stanford 17
No. 21 LSU (6-3) at Florida (4-5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Regardless of who's playing quarterback for Florida, the pick is LSU. But if the Gators are able to start DJ Lagway (hamstring), they might at least be able to keep it respectable. My projection is based on Lagway not being available, so trim the margin if he does.
: LSU 33, Florida 13

AP Nos. 20-16

John E. Moore III/Arizona State (7-2) at No. 20 Kansas State (7-2), 7 p.m. ET
Neither side controls their path to the Big 12 Championship Game, but this is effectively an elimination matchup. Loser settles for a decent bowl invitation. ASU and K-State are high-variance teams, so have fun predicting! Since both programs are unbeaten at home and stumbled a couple of times on the road, K-State has the edge.
: Kansas State 27, Arizona State 24
No. 19 Washington State (8-1) at New Mexico (4-6), 9:30 p.m. ET
If you like points, enjoy a late-night clash between Wazzu and New Mexico. The teams have a combined scoring average of 66.3 and 71.7 points per game, respectively. However, the simple truth is it's easier to trust Washington State's defense than New Mexico's unit.
: Washington State 48, New Mexico 31
Utah (4-5) at No. 18 Colorado (7-2), Noon ET
Any ideas of an upset for Utah hinge on its defense. Unless an offense continuing to search for explosive plays can find an answer, the Utes probably need a defensive (or special teams) touchdown to stun CU.
: Colorado 24, Utah 13
No. 17 Clemson (7-2) at Pitt (7-2), Noon ET
November has been a slog for Clemson's offense, which staggered to 4.5 yards per play in the loss to Louisville and 4.7 during an unimpressive win at Virginia Tech. I'm still trusting this defense to win games, but Clemson's margin for error at Pitt isn't particularly high.
: Clemson 27, Pitt 17
No. 16 Army (9-0), Idle

AP Nos. 15-11

Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via New Mexico State (2-7) at No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2), 7:45 p.m. ET
On one hand, New Mexico State stunned SEC team Auburn last season. Texas A&M certainly knows that. On the other, that NMSU roster had Diego Pavia—now Vanderbilt's quarterback—and former coach Jerry Kill. Shouldn't be much of a problem for the hosting Aggies.
: Texas A&M 45, NMSU 7
Boston College (5-4) at No. 14 SMU (8-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Two weeks ago, SMU found itself on the wrong end of a theoretical tiebreaker with Clemson and Miami. Since then, both of those schools have dropped a game, leaving SMU unbeaten atop the ACC. The major storyline here is Boston College turning to backup QB Grayson James, though the bigger issue is BC's defense. The unit has yielded 31-plus points in three straight weeks, and it'd be surprising if SMU doesn't promptly make it four.
: SMU 43, Boston College 27
No. 13 Boise State (8-1) at San Jose State (6-3), 7 p.m. ET
In what's probably the toughest regular-season game remaining for Boise State, the Broncos travel to San Jose State. For good reason, Boise's offense has commanded most of the attention thanks to Heisman Trophy-contending running back Ashton Jeanty. But don't overlook a defense that has limited four straight opponents to 24 points or below.
: Boise State 31, San Jose State 20
No. 12 Miami (9-1), Idle
No. 6 Tennessee (8-1) at No. 11 Georgia (7-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
For prediction, see No. 6 Tennessee.

AP Nos. 10-6

Aric Becker/ISI Photos/No. 10 Ole Miss (7-2), Idle
Mercer (9-1) at No. 9 Alabama (7-2), 2 p.m. ET
The likely Southern Conference champion, Mercer is having a terrific season in the FCS. Technological golf-clap for the Bears. Alabama, as always, is still a-whole-nother animal for a lower-division team.
: Alabama 56, Mercer 14
Virginia (5-4) at No. 8 Notre Dame (8-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Last weekend's upset of Pitt suggests a confident Virginia team is headed to South Bend. Notre Dame, however, has surrendered more than 16 points just once all season; UVA is averaging a modest 26.0. Anything but a comfortable ND victory would be unexpected.
: Notre Dame 38, Virginia 13
Kansas (3-6) at No. 7 BYU (9-0), 10:15 p.m. ET
Speaking of great defenses, BYU will be tested in Week 12. Kansas has an ugly record, but five of the Jayhawks' six losses are by no more than six points. Expect a tight finish in Provo. While the combination of BYU's defense and home-field advantage is too much for me to pick against the Cougars, they are absolutely on upset alert.
: BYU 27, Kansas 26
No. 6 Tennessee (8-1) at No. 11 Georgia (7-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Georgia has rapidly become a confusing team. How do you go from dominating Texas on the road to slumping past Florida and getting overwhelmed at Ole Miss? I will stubbornly stick with UGA because of its defense, but I certainly don't feel great about it.
: Georgia 20, Tennessee 16

AP Nos. 5-1

Ali Gradischer/No. 5 Indiana (10-0), Idle
No. 4 Penn State (8-1) at Purdue (1-8), 3:30 p.m. ET
To date, Purdue's combined score against Top 10 opponents—Notre Dame, Oregon and Ohio State—is 146-7. .
: Penn State 41, Purdue 7
No. 3 Texas (8-1) at Arkansas (5-4), Noon ET
Can the Hogs rekindle some of that October magic? They knocked off Tennessee several weeks ago but have since fallen at home to LSU and Ole Miss by 24-plus points. The safe bet is a solid no.
: Texas 34, Arkansas 17
No. 2 Ohio State (8-1) at Northwestern (4-5), Noon ET
In the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, there will probably be a lopsided Ohio State victory. Northwestern has cracked 300 yards against only two of its seven power-conference opponents, while OSU's defense has yielded 300-plus yards in a single game.
: Ohio State 42, Northwestern 7
No. 1 Oregon (10-0) at Wisconsin (5-4), 7:30 p.m. ET
Wisconsin may frustrate Oregon's offense on occasion. The main concern, though, is that Wisconsin's scoring attack hasn't been much of one against its better competition, scoring 10 and 13 points, respectively, in losses to Alabama and Penn State. Oregon is a clear favorite.
: Oregon 32, Wisconsin 16

Rest of the Slate, Part 1

Justin Ford/East Carolina (5-4) at Tulsa (3-6), Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET Prediction: ECU 30, Tulsa 23
North Texas (5-4) at UTSA (4-5), Friday, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: North Texas 41, UTSA 37
Wyoming (2-7) at Colorado State (6-3), Friday, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: CSU 36, Wyoming 21
UCLA (4-5) at Washington (5-5), Friday, 9 p.m. ET Prediction: Washington 28, UCLA 20
Houston (4-5) at Arizona (3-6), Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET Prediction: Houston 27, Arizona 22
Liberty (6-2) at Massachusetts (2-7), Noon ET Prediction: Liberty 34, UMass 17
Louisiana Tech (3-6) at Western Kentucky (7-2), Noon ET Prediction: WKU 37, Louisiana Tech 21
Louisiana-Monroe (5-4) at Auburn (3-6), 12:45 p.m. ET Prediction: Auburn 31, ULM 10
Coastal Carolina (5-4) at Marshall (6-3), 1 p.m. ET Prediction: Marshall 30, Coastal Carolina 24
Murray State (1-9) at Kentucky (3-6), 1:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Kentucky 52, Murray State 7
Florida Atlantic (2-7) at Temple (2-7), 2 p.m. ET Prediction: Temple 28, FAU 24
Florida International (3-6) at Jacksonville State (6-3), 2 p.m. ET Prediction: Jax State 35, FIU 20
Michigan State (4-5) at Illinois (6-3), 2:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Illinois 27, Michigan State 19
Syracuse (6-3) at Cal (5-4), 3 p.m. ET Prediction: Cal 31, Syracuse 26

Rest of the Slate, Part 2

Bobby McDuffie/Icon Sportswire via Baylor (5-4) at West Virginia (5-4), 4 p.m. ET Prediction: WVU 34, Baylor 31
James Madison (7-2) at Old Dominion (4-5), 4 p.m. ET Prediction: JMU 30, ODU 24
Troy (2-7) at Georgia Southern (6-3), 4 p.m. ET Prediction: Georgia Southern 33, Troy 21
Arkansas State (5-4) at Georgia State (2-7), 5 p.m. ET Prediction: Arkansas State 35, Georgia State 30
Rutgers (5-4) at Maryland (4-5), 6 p.m. ET Prediction: Rutgers 27, Maryland 24
South Alabama (4-5) at Louisiana (8-1), 7 p.m. ET Prediction: Louisiana 34, South Alabama 23
Southern Miss (1-8) at Texas State (5-4), 7 p.m. ET Prediction: Texas State 37, Southern Miss 16
Wake Forest (4-5) at North Carolina (5-4), 8 p.m. ET Prediction: UNC 38, Wake Forest 31
Cincinnati (5-4) at Iowa State (7-2), 8 p.m. ET Prediction: Iowa State 26, Cincinnati 23
UAB (2-7) at Memphis (8-2), 8 p.m. ET Prediction: Memphis 40, UAB 24
San Diego State (3-6) at UNLV (7-2), 10:30 p.m. ET Prediction: UNLV 35, SDSU 20

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