Week 14 Predictions – 2021
Last Week: 15,893,000 fans watched Michgan defeat the Buckeyes, the largest audience ever for a Fox sports broadcast. Certainly a big win for the Michigan program but it may have been an even bigger wake-up call for the Buckeye program, particularly their defensive. It appears that not all the questions created after the Oregon game have been answered, and for the first time in several years, Ohio State is not playing for a conference championship. For our season long predictions, Joe-S-U at 47-15 continues to lead our standings, and with this being the last week, will only need one correct prediction to secure the 2021 crown. Clearly better than ESPN’s Bear, who is currently 19-21-1.
This Week’s Games: This is championship week which means conference championships are on the line but there may not be too much more to decide as to which teams still have a shot at the playoffs. But our four games will basically shape that outcome. Michigan and Iowa will play for the Big Ten. Can Michigan get focused once more or will they still be dining out on the victory over the Buckeyes? …. Cincinnati is trying to stay in the playoff hunt, will a victory over a ranked Houston team be enough to get them in? …. Oklahoma State is playing Baylor for the Big 12 title, can they beat them a second time this season and stay alive for a playoff birth? …. The biggest game will be in Atlanta as Georgia and Alabama square off for the SEC crown. Forget all that nonsense that Alabama would get in even with a loss. The question is can they win and give the conference two teams in the playoffs once again?
Buckeye Greats: As with the past, we will continue to include former Buckeye players in our prediction fun and we are thrilled to have Vaughn Broadnax back with us as a regular participant for the seventh straight year.
Here we go with our Championship Week Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
(9)Baylor vs (5)Oklahoma State
Andy: Who would have thought that Baylor and Oklahoma State would be the two best teams to emerge from the Big 12? With Oklahoma State having very legitimate playoff hopes if they win this game. If you have read any of my previous write ups about Oklahoma State they are very balanced on offense with almost as many passing yards as rushing yards, but where they shine is their offensive line play. They can run block really well and they can pass protect really well, quarterback Spencer Sanders is a poor mans’ version of an RGIII. Any time you have a dual threat quarterback in an offense running the spread RPO concepts it can put a lot of strain on an opposing defense. But where Oklahoma State has really shined this season is on defense, boasting units that rank in the top 10 nationally across the entire defensive side of the ball. Baylor has all been about efficiency under head coach Dave Aranda. He does not have the athletes to go head to head with teams like Texas and Oklahoma so he needs his team be disciplined and mistake free. On top of that Aranda has been known as a defensive guru and his team this year reflects that coming in as the 17th best scoring defense in the country. I think Oklahoma State will win this game, but it will be close. Oklahoma State 28 Baylor 21
Dave: Baylor 21 Oklahoma State 20
Gregg: Oklahoma had a nice come from behind win over the Sooners last week, knocking Oklahoma out of the title game and maybe contributing to an early exit for their coach Lincoln Riley to USC. The Cowboys handled Baylor earlier in the season but they always say it is tough to beat a team twice in the same year. I feel this one will be close but OSU will come out on top. As for their playoff hopes, they will need this win and an Alabama or Cincinnati loss to crack the top 4. But if all the favorites win and they Cowboys somehow jump the Bearcats, that would be a crime. Oklahoma State 27 Baylor 24
Jason: Oklahoma State
Joe-S-U: Oklahoma State
John: Baylor
Josh: Oklahoma State
Steven: Oklahoma State
Trout: I think I will have to go with the Cowboys on this one. Although I don’t think they are head and shoulders better than the Bears, I do think they are more disciplined and are slightly more talented. They were obviously better that day against Oklahoma , but their mistakes kept the Sooners in that game. I can see the game being a back and forth affair with both teams taking the lead at certain points of the game. Both teams have the ability to score points, so I see the game being a classic Big 12 shootout. However, in the end the Oklahoma State Cowboys do just enough to get by and keep their playoff hopes alive. (Oklahoma State, 42-38)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Oklahoma State is this game Because of good defense. Baylor’s played well on both sides of the ball. My hope for today MAYHEM! The Cowboys lose to the Bears 42-38
Final Score: Baylor 21 Oklahoma State 16
(1)Georgia vs (3)Alabama
Andy: In most years you could just give this game to Alabama. Not because Georgia isn’t good, but because Nick Saban has only lost two times to his former assistant coaches in his career and none of those have been to Kirby Smart. This year Georgia has separated itself from the rest of the college football pack, including Alabama. Georgia is the top scoring defense in the country allowing less than 7 points per game on average and they’re also the number 6 scoring offense in the country. They’re simply dominating everybody they play. Alabama is struggling right now both on offense and on defense. The Tide offensive line gave up a ton of pressures and quarterback hits to Auburn last week and couldn’t run the ball to save it’s life. On top of those struggles Alabama’s top two running backs will likely miss this game with injuries. When the top receiving threat for Alabama was ejected last week for targeting the Tide passing attack struggled and Alabama was barely able to win in overtime to a much worse Auburn team. I see this game being in favor of Georgia. Georgia 38 Alabama 14
Coach Rick: xxx
Cory: xxx
Dave: Georgia 48 Alabama 24
Gregg: Unlike the Big 12 championship, their is no seasonal rematch in the SEC. That is partly because we don’t expect Alabama to play a team with a pulse if they don’t have too. Expect them to play a 7-5 Tennessee or a 6-6 Florida team in their cross over games. They ‘should’ have lost last week in the Iron Bowl to Auburn but it took 4 overtimes for them to sneak out with a win. Yet they find themselves still in the playoff picture and if Saban can getn it together for one week, they will be in the playoffs once more. I just find it hard to believe that the Tide will be able to score enough on this defense, their only hope is to keep it a low scoring game. Dawgs, please put us all out of our misery. Georgia 31 Alabama 10
Jason: Georgia
Joe-S-U: Georgia
John: Georgia
Josh: Georgia
Steven: Georgia
Trout: It’s been Georgia’s MO to fold in big games. However, I don’t think it’ll be the case this year. I don’t think Alabama is that great. They had to take a .500 football team in Auburn to four overtimes to beat them. They have had too many close calls with average to bad teams this year. I really don’t think they will be able to keep up with Georgia the whole game. I think it’ll be close for a while. Obviously Alabama is a talented team. Their quarterback has been involved in the Heisman conversation. But at a certain point, the Bulldogs will get a few scores ahead and the Crimson Tide won’t be able to catch up. Alabama loses and misses the playoff. (Georgia, 35-24)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): It’s hard to believe, but Alabama’s luck is about to run out. Since Jimbo Fisher ended the former Saban assistant curse, Kirby Smart bo longer has that pressure. Mayhem dictates Georgia blows out Alabama 35-10.
Final Score: Georgia xx Alabama xx
(4)Cincinnati vs (21)Houston
Andy: Cincinnati has been the cinderella team of college football this year, going 12-0 so far and being ranked in the CFP top 4 which would net them a spot in the playoffs. Houston has a chance to derail those dreams in the conference championship this weekend. Cincinnati is an incredibly balanced team and behind senior quarterback Desmond Ridder, they have been unshakable on offense. A true dual threat quarterback, Ridder is now expected to be one of the first quarterbacks drafted in the spring. On top of that Cincinnati is one of the top defensive teams in the country. When you’re in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense it is going to be hard for anybody to beat you. Don’t sleep on Houston though, they’re in the top 10 for scoring offense and the top 20 for scoring defense, this should be a good close game, but I will defer to the team with the better quarterback to win. Cincinnati 28 Houston 24
Dave: Cincinnati 38 Houston 21
Gregg: Go Bearcats! Houston has not lost since the opening week but I think that Cincinnati will be focused enough to not let this one slip away like they did last year. Cincinnati 35 Houston 28
Jason: Houston
Joe-S-U: Cincinnati
John: Houston
Josh: Houston
Steven: Cincinnati
Trout: I think the Bearcats pull it off. They are clearly the best team in the AAC and they know what is at stake with this game. If they win, they are in the playoffs. FOckell will have his team ready to play. It won’t be easy. Houston is a pretty good team. The Cougars should be able to hang with the Bearcats for a while. I see this game being extremely close. Potentially it comes down to a last second field goal. I see the CIncinnati Bearcats pulling it off and being the first Group of 5 school into the College Football Playoff. (Cincinnati, 27-24)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Houston upsets UC 31-28. More mayhem.
Final Score: Cincinnati 35 Houston 20
(2)Michigan vs (13)Iowa
Andy: After the biggest win of the Jim Harbaugh era last week vs Ohio State, I think Michigan will come into this game with a bit of a hangover. Even though Jim Harbaugh has stated he respects Iowa, I still believe these teams are built very similar they’re physical on the line of scrimmage, they run the ball and they play tough defense. Even though Iowa is usually known for having an elite offensive line, they’re very young this year and have given up pressures and quarterback hits. That is not a good look when you’re going against a defensive line that just abused the Ohio State offensive line. Despite this, Michigan’s offense goes as their run game goes. Iowa has one of the best rush defenses in the country allowing only an average of 2.9 yards per carry to opposing teams and allowing just 10 rushing touchdowns this entire season. I think Michigan will have a very tough time moving the football this weekend, but will be able to do it just enough to get a win. Michigan 24 Iowa 14
Dave: Michigan 32 Iowa 24
Gregg: Michigan (can’t bring myself to do a write-up on this one.)
Jason: Michigan
Joe-S-U: Iowa
John: Iowa
Josh: Michigan
Steven: Michigan
Trout: I wish Iowa would win this game, but I don’t think they will. I’m really hoping for mass chaos this weekend. I would love to see the Wolverines fall flat on their face, but I just don’t think it’ll happen. Michigan is flat out better than the Iowa Hawkeyes. I think the WOlverine defense is as talented as the Iowa defense and I think their offense is vastly better than whatever Iowa will throw out. I could see the game being a defensive struggle for a while, but then the Wolverines get up by a score or two. Iowa will be unable to answer and Michigain keeps a hold of that lead until the end of the game. Michigian wins the Big Ten Championship and cements their place in the CFP. (Michigan 28-17)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): M stands for mayhem and the Wolverweasels will sleep like a cicada after busting their 10 year nut against the Hawkeyes losing 27-24.