Week 14 Predictions – 2022
Last Week: Anyone want to revisit last week? Didn’t think so.
This Week’s Games: It is possible the Buckeyes will know their playoff fate Friday night. The conference championship weekend starts with USC and Utah playing in Vegas. If the Utes walk away with the win, Ohio State strolls into the playoffs … Clemson and North Carolina limp into the ACC championship, both losing their final games last week. Which one will enter bowl season on a two game losing streak? …. Michigan makes it to Indy for the second straight year, this time they face Purdue. Can the Boilermakers find some kind of magic and make a game of it? There will be no mystery who will win the SEC championship between Georgia and LSU, the only question will be if anyone will actually watch the game. …. The Big 12 champhionship should be a good game between Kansas State and TCU. Would a Wildcat victory put Ohio State in the playoffs?
Buckeye Greats: As in 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 eighth straight year.
Here we go with our Championship Week Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
Purdue vs (2)Michigan
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Michigan tames Purdue 35-21
Coach Rick: TTUN
Cory: As hard as it is for us to admit, this Michigan team is terrific. The Wolverines are extremely well-rounded, they’ve got creative play calling on offense and even without Blake Corum managed to upset the Buckeyes last week. Purdue, on the other hand, struggled with a four-win Indiana team last week. Another thing that is hard for Ohio State fans to admit, is that this week we need to cheer for the Wolverines. A Michigan loss would still keep the Wolverines above Ohio State in the CFP rankings. Michigan 30, Purdue 13
Dave: Michigan 32 Purdue 14
Gregg: Michigan has proven to be a second half team this year, either coming from behind or making a huge separation after the break. Clearly they did a number on the Buckeyes the final two quarters last Satruday. Is Harbaugh responsible for these great halftime adjustments? Should not need that pattern this week as they will face an over-matched Purdue team. About the only thing that could cause a stumble here is if the Wolverines come in over confident. Michigan 56 Purdue 10
Jason: Michigan 27 Purdue 3
Joe-S-U: TBGUN
John: Michigan
Josh: I have no commentary for this one other than I wish it was Ohio State playing, but once again we lost the game we shouldn’t have. Congrats to Purdue for winning the West, but everyone knows last weeks game was the Big Ten Championship game. This one is just a data point for the Wolverines. Michigan 49 – Purdue 10
Steven: UM 24-17
Trout: That was a painful game to watch. Without taking away credit from the Wolverines, Ohio State kept shooting themselves in the foot. and ultimately lost the game because they played soft, played scared, and played undisciplined. But kudos to the Wolverines. They played mostly penalty free and stuck with a gameplan. On paper, Ohio State is the more talented team, but Michigan was the better team that day. Now, they basically get this cakewalk of a game against Purdue, to seal their spot in the CFP. The Big ten West is awful, so no matter who came out of that side, Michigan was going to beat. Purdue may be the best team out of that side, but they are still widely inconsistent. Michigan should have no trouble moving the ball down the field on them. The Boilermakers may get a few scores in. Their offense does have some firepower. But it will not be enough to hang with Michigan. Michigan should be able to get a head by a few scores and coast to a victory. Michigan wins and becomes Big Ten champs for the second year in a row. (Michigan, 38-10)
Final Score: Michigan 43 Purdue 22
(1)Georgia vs (14)LSU
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Georgia holds serve vs LSU 31-21
Andy: I don’t believe LSU is in for an upset here. Word is Jayden Daniels has been walking around LSU in a walking boot. This is huge if LSU’s dual threat quarterback cannot play or is limited and cannot run. I think Georgia has a big edge in this game. Georgia 31 LSU 27
Coach Rick: Georgia
Cory: LSU had a prime opportunity to put itself in position to potentially challenge for a playoff spot. A win against lowly Texas A&M and then a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship game surely would’ve given the Tigers an incredible resume. It didn’t happen though as LSU was upset by the Aggies in dominating fashion. Georgia continues to hum along, steamrolling everybody that gets in their way. Expect more of the same this week. Georgia 28, LSU 17
Dave: Georgia 38 LSU 32
Gregg: I am sorry, but you will never be able to convince me that the fix was not ‘in’ last year for the SEC championship. Alabama won it just so they could get two SEC teams into the playoffs and it was clear they did the seeding so that Alabama did not have to face each other in the semi-finals. There is no way to get two teams in this year from ESPN’s favorite conference so Georgia will domintate. Didn’t you see how bad the Bulldogs defeated Tennessee and how back the Volunteers pounded LSU. This one will be over at halftime, how often do you get to sit players in the second half of a conference championship game? Georgia 49 LSU 13
Jason: UGA 31 LSU 17
Joe-S-U: Georgia
John: Georgia
Josh: Georgia knows what is at stake, and a win will keep them in the 1 seed, with a chance to play USC if they win, or Ohio State if USC loses. If Georgia were to somehow lose this game, I think they would fall to the 2nd or third seed (which wouldnt matter really) and Michigan would move up the 1 seed. I think Georgia wants to be able to play in Atlanta for the first round to make it two games in a row this week, and this next game, and I think LSU getting beat by Texas A&M tells us everything we need to know about them. Congrats on beating Alabama this year Tigers, and likely keeping them out of the playoff, but this one is Georgia’s to lose. Georgia 31 – LSU 14
Steven: Georgia rolls 38-24
Trout: Georgia is going to destroy LSU. I don’t see this game being very close. The Tigers got exposed for the average team they are by getting beat soundly by a struggling Texas A&M team. Although Georgia has played some tight games with lesser opponents this year, I don’t think this will be the case. I see them laying a beatdown on LSU and cementing their spot in the college football playoff. The game might start off close in the beginning. LSU does have some talent, but I don’t think they will be able to hang for very long. Georgia will begin to separate from them early, and start racking up points. The game should be pretty much over by the third quarter. The Bulldogs win and remain the number one team in the nation going into the postseason. (Georgia, 56-17)
Final Score: Georgia 50 LSU 30
(4)USC vs (11)Utah
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Utah upsets(not really) USC 31-27
Andy: I think this game will not go the way Ohio State fans want it to, USC has already improved a lot since their last game against Utah and quarterback Caleb Williams is absolutely on fire the past 6 weeks. I really like Utah, but I don’t see them upsetting USC. USC 34 Utah 31
Cory: The ESPN playoff predictor has Ohio State with a higher chance to make the playoff over USC for the simple fact that it thinks Utah will win this game. USC has improved a lot since that loss to Utah. If you watched last week you saw USC’s offense firing on all cylinders against a good Notre Dame team. We’re all rooting for the Utah win this week, but it’s hard to see the Utes winning again. USC 35, Utah 24
Dave: USC 28 Utah 14
Gregg: USC’s only loass this year was at the hands of Utah, ususally this time of the year I go with the team that benefits the Buckeyes, so the Utes it is. Caleb Willams is playing his best ball though so expect more points in this game than in the first matchup. If I want to sound like Joe-S-U, I would say “Go with the Over” for this one. Utah 55 USC 49
Jason: Utah 48 USC 42
Joe-S-U: USC
John: USC
Josh: For Buckeye fans, this is the only game that matters if you are hoping there is a chance at the playoffs. Last time these two played, Utah won on a 2 point conversion, and USC could not get a score on their final drive. Caleb Williams could win this Heisman with our without a loss, and I think he would rather make the playoff rather than win the Heisman. I do think though that the key against USC is not creating turnovers on offense and scoring on over 50% of you drives, and pressing the receivers to make Caleb Williams have to make plays on the run, which opens up a chance to have him make mistakes. Utah did it before, and I think they have the chance to win it again, and make their second straight Rose Bowl. Utah 48 – USC 45
Steven: This is the one game where you might see an upset in the top 4. Utah is probably the strongest of the contenders, although they haven’t been great this year, they are still a dangerous team. If healthy, their offense is as good as anyones, so they could easily trade punches with the Trojans. Going with my heart a little on this one, but we’ll say they pull the upset. Utes in a shootout 44-38.
Trout: I will be pulling for Utah in this game, but I think the Trojans will ultimately get it done. It’s really hard to beat a team twice in one year. Not to mention, their last contest went down to overtime. I just think USC will have the advantage in this game, and ultimately pull it off. The game should be close. ALthough they started off the year on shaky ground, the Utes have turned themselves into a respectable PAC-12 team. I just think the USC is the better team at this point. Caleb Williams has really turned it on at this point in the season ,and with OSU losing in that fashion, I think CJ is no longer the frontrunner. This game should be a hard fought battle with both teams putting up points. However, USC’s superior talent will shine through eventually and lead them to victory. USC wins and makes it much harder for OSU to get into the playoffs. (USC, 42-38)
Final Score: Utah 47 USC 24
(9)Clemson vs (23)North Carolina
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): UNC outscore Clemson 49-42
Coach Rick: Clemson
Cory: Is Clemson’s star finally falling? The Tigers lost to rival South Carolina last week as quarterback DJ Uiagalalei completed just 9 of 29 passes. The once elite offense has disappeared. In true ACC fashion Clemson’s opponent this week does not exactly inspire much fear. UNC was having a great season but the Tarheels backed into this game on back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. UNC can move the ball, but Clemson will still find a way to win this one. Clemson 24, UNC 20
Dave: Clemson 21 UNC 14
Gregg: This may be one of the better games of all the championship games but of course they are basically just playing for a conference title, and neither team is that strong, they are simply evenly matched. Look for the Tigers to pull this one out in the 4th quarter. Clemson 24 North Carolina 22
Jason: UNC 38 Clemson 27
Joe-S-U: North Carolina
John: Clemson
Josh: North Carolina lost their last two games to teams it had the talent to beat, but once again, Clemson finds their way back into the ACC Championship. The winner plays in the Orange Bowl, and the loser is going to some Mayo Bowl potentially, but this game has zero consequence on the grand stage of things. I think Clemson will win because of their defense, but it doesn’t matter to me who ends up winning. Clemson 24 – North Carolina 17
Steven: Clemson is not playing up to their standards so I’ll go with the Tar Heels. UNC 31-27.
Trout: I am picking the Clemson Tigers to win, but I think it’ll be a very close game. Clemson has struggled this year. It’s weird to say that with a 10 win team, but a lot of their games have been fights with teams that are less talented than them. For example, they had to switch quarterbacks and come behind to beat a now 7-5 Syracuse team. More often than not, this team has had to fight tooth and nail to win games that they should be the heavy favorites in. They have also lost to average teams like Notre Dame and South Carolina. I still think they are the better team than the Tar Heels, but I don’t think by much. I can see the game being relatively low scoring, with Clemson maintaining a small lead for most of the game. And towards the end of the game,. the Tigers get another score, to which the UNC Tar Heels can’t come back from. Clemson wins in a hard fought, low scoring battle and becomes this year’s ACC champs. (Clemson 24-14)
Final Score: Clemson 39 North Carolina 10
(3)TCU vs (10)Kansas State
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Kansas State upsets TCU 33-31
Andy: I think this could be a big upset for Kansas State, however I don’t think it matters I believe TCU is in regardless of win or loss. Kansas State 42 TCU 37
Coach Rick: TCU
Cory: Another game most Buckeye fans will be keeping their eyes on this week will be the Big 12 Championship game between Kansas State and TCU. While TCU is absolutely rolling right now you can go back to the middle of the season when these two teams met. TCU ended up with a 10-point win, but at one point in the game Kansas State led 28-10. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard’s first game this season was against TCU in relief of the injured Adrian Martinez. He’s gotten better since then so expect another close game. TCU 31, Kansas State 28
Dave: TCU 32 Kansas State 21
Gregg: TCU has been having a magical season, does it keep going or has is magic carpet ride ready to land. Some feel they can lose and still make the playoffs. Not imagine the reaction if Ohio State sneaks in over Frogs like in 2014? TCU keeps this going one more week before that get embaressed by the Wolverines in Tempe. TCU 24 Kansas State 22
Jason: Kansas State 31 TCU 24
Joe-S-U: TCU
John: TCU
Josh: TCU is one win away from a perfect 13-0, and they can pretty much guarentee themselves a spot in the playoff. Kansas State played them close earlier this year, and has a chance to beat them. All that matters for TCU is outcome of the USC game. If the Trojan’s win, then TCU has to win to keep its 3 seed, and a loss would move it down to a 4 seed. If USC loses, then win or lose, TCU is a lock at the 3 seed, baring some sort of chaos in the SEC Champion and Big Ten Championship games, and fans can start planning their NYE plans to Glendale AZ. TCU 34 – Kansas State 31
Steven: Going with Max Duggan. He’s been phenomenal all year and it will be good to see some fresh blood in the CFP. TCU 31-28
Trout: This may be the Buckeye fan in me wishing for this to happen, but I could see Kansas State pulling off the upset. I know for the past few weeks , I have said that TCU is the best team in the Big 12, and for the most part that is true. But Kansas State has shown some talent. Except for a couple oddball games, they have shown the ability to score some points. Also, as I stated with the Utah/USC matchup, itr is very hard to beat a team twice in a year. The game should be very close as most of TUC’s games have been. I even see it being a bit of a shootout with both teams gaining the lead at various points in the game. However, the Wildcats get a few lucky plays and find themselves pulling ahead towards the end, and the Horned Frogs can’t catch up. The Wildcats win the game, and keep TCU out of the playoffs. (Kansas State, 38-35)