Week 12 Predictions – 2024
Last Week: After the Nebraska game, some Buckeye fans were disappointed OSU did not put the hammer down on a weaker opponent, but they had nothing to be upset about against Purdue last week as Ohio State defeated the Boilermakers 45-0. Everything is still in front of this team, just keep winning. With our staff predictions, Steven and Andy were both 5-0, six others were 4-1 so we are hitting our stride and getting ready for the final stretch. The results leave Steven all alone on top of the standings at 42-11, but six are within four games of one another so should be fun watching the rest of the way.
This Week’s Games: Ohio State not only hits the road this week to face Northwestern, but they will play in a baseball stadium. Not a lot of people are happy about the venue, but the Buckeyes need to just play within the lines and take care of business. Is there anything the Cats can do to pull off the upset? …. Somehow Colorado continues to play a factor in the playoff landscape and midway through November they are still in a position to win the Big 12 and get a first-round bye in the playoffs. Can Utah do anything this week to play spoiler to the Buffalos plans? …. Missouri coming off a huge win last week now go on the road to take on South Carolina. Will the favored Gamecocks win or do the Tigers have more gas in their tank? …. Georgia will host Tennessee in a must win situation. Can the Dawgs keep their thin playoff hopes alive and make things even more confusing in the SEC standings? …. BYU is doing everything they can to keep winning and keep their names in post season conversation. Any chance for Kansas to steal a road win against the Cougars?
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 tenth straight year.
Here we go with our Week 12 Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
(2)Ohio State(-28.5) @ Northwestern
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Ohio State will chew up the Northwestern Wildcats and spit them out 42-6 at Wrigley Field.
Andy: This game is kind of cool because of the fact that it is being played in Wrigley field in Chicago. Aside from that, this game should be an easy win for OSU. Why? Well for one Northwestern has one of the worst pass defenses in the country, coming in at the 100th spot for pass yards allowed OSU will have an advantage throwing the football against the Wildcat defense, on the flip side the Wildcats struggle running the football coming in as the 115th ranked rush offense at just 112 yards rushing per game and 11 rushing touchdowns on the season. With Northwestern’s only real strength being their rush defense I expect this game to be won easily by OSU. Ohio State 31 Northwestern 6
Cory: Ohio State has one more shot at a tune up before the final two games of the season, and they are two very big games – undefeated Indiana, and The Game. The Buckeyes go on the road this week to Northwestern, and the Wildcats are in a desperate fight to get bowl-eligible. The big problem with the Wildcats this season has been the offense. They can’t pass, they can’t run, and they can’t score. They’ve only scored more than 24 points once this season, their quarterbacks have combined for five passing touchdowns and six interceptions, and their top running back has 387 rushing yards. Yeah – it’s been bad. The Buckeyes are coming off a dominant win over Purdue last week and have a ton of confidence right now. The only way this game is close is if the Chicago winds wreak havoc in the stadium, like they did two years ago. I don’t expect this one to be too close. Ohio State 38, Northwestern 7
Dave: Ohio State 38 Northwestern 7
Gregg: For a couple of weeks now, there has been some social media comments about the poor job Jerry Emig is doing to promote the Ohio State football program. You will get no argument from me on that point but that is an entirely different topic, let’s keep it to the game. One of the biggest oversights at this time in my opinion is Will Howard. If you look at his stats and compare to those of Oregon’s Dillion Gabriel, you will be very surprised how close they are. Yet Gabriel is on top the list of Heisman favorites and Howard is nowhere to be found. I say give the passing game a chance and run up the score on the Wildcats. Our running backs will get their carries to but let’s sharpen our pass blocking and help this new offensive line grow to be the championship unit we need them to be the rest of the way out. This is the last ‘tune-up’ game of the season, make the most of it. I want 300 yards in the air and 200 yards on the ground, and hopefully the defense keeps the opponent out of the endzone once again. Ohio State 63 Northwestern 3
Joe-S-U: OSU
John: On the road against an overmatched opponent. Three key: 1) Just find a way to win (should not be a problem.) 2) Stay healthy, 3) Keep building cohesion on the offensive line. Do those three things, and then for all intents and purposes the playoff start next week. As the saying goes, win and advance. Ohio State 38 Northwestern 6
Josh: Like last week, the Buckeyes should have this game won before stepping on the diamond, but they play these games for a reason, so if the Buckeyes play their worst game of the season, that is Northwestern’s best chance of beating the Buckeyes. If Ohio State plays like they did last week, they are putting up another data point as one of the best teams in the country. I don’t think the starters play past the 3rd quarter, and we start to play keep away in the fourth quarter with Devin Brown, Julian Sayin, and James Peoples, while the starters put up of 400 yards of total offense. Ohio State 42- Northwestern 7
Steven: Admit it, you haven’t paid any attention to Northwestern football since Pat Fitzgerald was let go, right? Well, you’re in pretty good company because no one else has either. The Wildcats are 4th from the bottom in total offense. They are at least in the top 100 in offense, (that being 53rd, solidly in the middle). That being said, it is somewhat curious that Northwestern can hang their hat on the fact they are top 20 in rush defense. Alas, they have yet to meet the firm of Henderson, Howard and Judkins. The only thing that can throw a wrinkle into the Buckeyes path would be bad weather. It may be a bit gusty but the chance of rain is low. Like last week against Purdue, pass early, run late, and work on the QB runs. Look for the Buckeyes to feature Jeremiah Smith in the passing game. He needs 4 TDs to break Rondale Moore’s mark of 12. OSU rolls 41-6, and JJ gets 2 TDs.
Trout: This will be a weird game due to the fact that it will be played in a baseball stadium. However, I don’t think that will cause any major issues for the Buckeyes. They should be able to handle the Wildcats pretty easily. Northwestern is very bad. They may be a step up from the dumpster fire that is Purdue, but that’s not saying much. I expect Howard to have another solid performance, as well as another solid day for the running back duo. The Buckeyes have a tendency to start off slow, but once they get going, Northwestern will be powerless to stop them. Ohio State wins big at Wrigley Field. (Ohio State 42-13)
Final Score: Ohio State 31 Northwestern 7
Utah @ (17)Colorado
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): It is time to give Coach Prime his flowers. He has turned the Colorado program around and they are going to a bowl game. In addition, they are still in contention for the Big 12 championship. Utah has been playing tough, but I think Colorado wins 35-24.
Andy: This used to be somewhat of a rivalry game and good one to watch for those interested in what used to be the Pac 12. That said this is clearly a down year for the Utes with Utah coming into this game with a record of 4-5. This game should actually be a good one to watch as it is strength on strength. Colorado has the 58th best offense in the country led by quarterback Shaduer Sanders who will be going against the 15th best scoring defense in the country in Utah. Utah has had basically no offense this season after losing quarterback Cam Rising, with this game being at home for Colorado I will give them the edge. Colorado 33 Utah 16
Cory: Utah narrowly upset previously-undefeated BYU last week, yet instead they lost their fifth straight game. Four of those losses were one-score games. I believe the Utes are a better team than their record indicates, but the offense is struggling mightily right now. The 21 points from last week were the most they’ve scored since Week 3. Yikes. Colorado is 7-2 and finds themselves in the top 20, but it seems like a bit of a mirage. The best wins so far have been over Cincinnati, Baylor, and Texas Tech. I am of the opinion the Buffaloes are still pretenders despite their record, but with how poorly Utah is playing right I’m not sure the Utes will put up much of a fight. Colorado 28, Utah 20
Dave: Colorado 28 Utah 14
Gregg: At one time, Utah was considered for the playoffs, but injuries have changed the landscape for them. Maybe if they didn’t have so many 25-year-olds on the team, they would not be hurt so much. I keep hoping for the Buffalos to get enough loses where they become insignificant to the collage landscape but they keep doing enough to win. So now that we are at mid-November, I have to give them their just due. They have a high caliber offense, their defense is coming around and they have not one but two candidates for the Heisman. Colorado should take care of business and keep themselves on a path to the Big-12 championship game. I don’t think Utah goes down easy, but they do not have enough to sustain a victory over 4 quarters. Colorado 31 Utah 24
Joe-S-U: Colorado
John: Utah felt they got the shaft against BYU. Tough to bounce back after losing to your rival after a controversial late penalty doesn’t go your way. Colorado, surprisingly, is contention for the Big XII title game and possibly the CFB Playoffs. Colorado 38 Utah 17
Josh: This game should be interesting on which team decides to show up for the Utes. They took BYU to the limit last week, and since Cam Rising announcing he might be back for his 15th year as a student athlete, Utah has not been consistent. Colorado is on the rise and has a lot of confidence. I think Colorado gets the win and gets another step closer to the Big12 Championship Game. Colorado 35 – Utah 21
Steven: How will Utah bounce back from a tough loss against BYU? The Utes stood toe to toe with BYU last week, and were it not for a controversial call at the end of the game, could easily have knocked off the unbeaten Cougars. They will have their work cut out for themselves this week as they bring the 18th ranked passing defense to Boulder to meet the 8th ranked passing offense. It is strength against strength. Can the Utes maximize their time of possession to keep Colorado’s offense off the field? Texas Tech has a significantly better offense than Utah and could not keep up with Shadeur Sanders and the Buffalo passing game last week. Once again, without Cameron Rising, Utah is good, but cannot push over the top. Colorado gets another win and marches toward their first playoff berth. CU 41-24.
Trout: I think Utah keeps it close, but the Buffaloes pull off the win. It’s hard to know if Colorado is actually good, but it’s clear they have improved dramatically in Coach Prime’s second year. They aren’t going to win it all, but they are the better team in this matchup. The Buffaloes have been able to put themselves in a good spot to potentially win the Big 12 and nab a spot in the CFP. They do have talented players. Travis Hunter is one of the frontrunners for the Heisman, and Sanders should be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in this year’s draft. On the other side, the Utes can be a headache for teams. They nearly had BYU beat, if it wasn’t for some controversial late penalties. They will challenge Colorado the whole game. However, the Buffaloes should be able to get a score late, and keep the Utes at bay. Colorado wins and gets one step closer to that Big 12 Championship game. (Colorado, 24-17)
Final Score: Colorado 49 Utah 24
(23)Missouri @ (21)South Carolina(-13.5)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Missouri has been living a charmed life so far this year. However, South Carolina is running on all cylinders. The Gamecocks beat the Tigers 35-21.
Andy: This game initially looked like it was going to be a better match up at the beginning of the season as Missouri went 10-2 last year going into the bowl season before upsetting Ohio State in a bowl game. While Missouri has declined this season South Carolina has taken a few steps forward as a team especially on defense. Missouri’s offense has had trouble getting into the endzone this season, currently ranked as the 66th best scoring offense in the country, South Carolina has the 12th best scoring defense. With tough conference games like this if you can’t play defense and run the football on the road it is very difficult to win and I can’t see Missouri winning either of those battles against South Carolina. The Gamecocks will win this game. South Carolina 27 Missouri 13
Cory: The loss to Alabama was bad, but Missouri bounced back with a win over Oklahoma last week. South Carolina used the momentum from their big upset over Texas A&M to beat a plucky Vanderbilt squad last week. Both teams are in the ‘pretty good’ category, but I will give the edge to South Carolina in this game. Missouri will likely be without star quarterback Brady Cook, who’s dealing with multiple injuries, and his replacement is Drew Pyne. Pyne cannot win a game by himself, and this is the type of game where you need some good plays from the quarterback. LaNorris Sellers will take some negative plays, but will have some game-breaking ones, as well. South Carolina 30, Missouri 17
Dave: South Carolina 32 Missouri 14
Gregg: This game is the perfect example of the SEC hype machine. Will we ever know if that conference is simply evenly matched or, as ESPN would have you believe, are they all great teams and they are all just feeding off each other. To be honest, I don’t think either of these teams would be ranked if they were in another conference. But we find ourselves staring at a top 25 match up and the home team is a 2 touchdown favorite. The winning team will drop out of the top 25 and two more SEC teams will take their place, that is just how it works. Missouri was shut out 34-0 over spotty Alabama team on the road and I think they perform equally bad in Columbia this week. Give the edge to the Gamecocks who will still need a ton of help to get to the SEC championship game. South Carolina 38 Missouri 13
Joe-S-U: South Carolina
John: South Carolina 27 Missouri 21
Josh: Missouri’s head coach stated that Missouri was in the playoff hunt after beating a bad Oklahoma team. South Carolina just beat Vanderbilt to knock them out of the top 25, but in true SEC Hydra fashion, just replaced them in the poll. South Carolina is starting to play with good energy, and should be able to take care of the paper Tigers. South Carolina 34 – Missouri 31
Steven: Both these teams are currently ranked, but one’s going down Saturday, and the other will follow shortly thereafter. Mizzou has played a dreadful schedule and have been crushed by the two decent teams they have played, (Alabama and Texas A&M). The Gamecocks have fared a little better. They have lost to LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama, but they were only truly out of the Ole Miss game, losing 27-3, while losing only by 3 to LSU and 2 to Alabama. This might go the other way, but the eye test says take the Gamecocks at home. SC 33-17.
Trout: This game is a bit of a toss up for me. I think I will have to go with the Gamecocks to win. I just feel like they’ve played better against like competition. South Carolina and Missouri have both played Alabama and Texas A&M. South Carolina had the Tide on the ropes and lost in the last minute. And they also beat the Aggies by double digits. Now when you look at Missouri, they lost by 31 to A&M, and were completely shut out by Alabama. Now I know teams can have off days, and matching like opponents isn’t always a good metric, but what this shows is that the Gamecocks can at least keep up with the notable teams in the SEC. When the Tigers have faced good teams, they have folded. I think the game will be close, with South Carolina getting the go-ahead score late. The Gamecocks win, handing Missouri their third loss and finally kicking them out of the top 25. (South Carolina, 27-23)
Final Score: South Carolina 34 Missouri 30
(7)Tennessee @ (12)Georgia(-9)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Tennessee will challenge Georgia’s aligned defense and Georgia will have to find a way to score. I think the Bulldogs score enough at home to edge the Volunteers 38-35.
Andy: In what is likely the game of the week, Tennessee with one loss can all but eliminate Georgia from the college football playoffs with a win. Georgia’s offense has struggled greatly this season, in particular Carson Beck has turned the ball over, since week 5 Carson Beck alone has turned the ball over 14 times, throwing 12 interceptions and allowing 2 fumbles in that time. Beck has had little help from his rush offense as the Bulldogs are currently ranked with the 112th worst rush offense in the country. Tennessee’s defense this season is elite, allowing only 6 pass touchdowns on the season and an average of 171 pass yards per game, their run defense is also 9th best in the country. Pair an elite defense with one of the best running attacks in the country led by Dylan Sampson and I think Tennessee wins in Athens Georgia. Tennessee 28 Georgia 20
Cory: Well, this game should be interesting. Tennessee enters the game with a terrific offense, but they’re not as pass heavy as you would think. In fact, running back Dylan Sampson has almost as many carries (201) as quarterback Nico Iamaleave has pass attempts (221). They will need every bit of offense to beat a reeling Georgia team. The Bulldogs are coming off a brutal 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last week. In that game the Bulldogs averaged 1.9 rushing yards per carry, and quarterback Carson Beck was sacked five times. Georgia looked completely out of sync, and it’s not the first time that happened this season. Despite how bad the Bulldogs were last week, I am picking them to pull the upset this week. It’s hard to see them losing at home, and losing a second consecutive game. Georgia 28, Tennessee 24
Dave: Georgia 32 Tennessee 21
Gregg: Smokey versus UGA, clearly going to be a dog fight and this is the toughest for me to predict this week. I don’t think Georgia is as bad as they looked last week but they are favored in this game and the Dawgs area 1-7 ATS when favored. Tennessee on the other hand is 3-0 against ranked teams, but Georgia has not lost a home game since 2019. I think the difference will be the Vols defense and they will keep pressure on Beck who has become an interception machine with 9 interceptions in last 4 games. Tennessee 35 Georgia 24
Joe-S-U: Tennessee
John: Georgia keeps their fading playoff hopes alive. Georgia 30 Tennessee 27
Josh: Even with Nico possibly out for Tennessee, I think they are the better team overall. I think with Georgia, the easy thing is to look at them with recent dyansty glasses, but they are not as good as they have been, and have had more close games that showed their flaws. I think the Volunteers have the better defense on the field, and will be the difference in this game. Tennessee 28 – Georgia 21
Steven: Wow, did Georgia look awful last week. They couldn’t get anything going and when behind and pressed, Bulldog QB Carson Beck looked positively shell shocked by the relentless Mississippi defense.Tennessee doesn’t match the Rebels in QB sacks, but their overall defensive numbers are better. They are currently allowing 12.6 points per game. If the Volunteers get a consistent game from QB Nico Iamaleava, they could pull the upset. Tennessee’s schedule has not been spectacular by any means, but they did beat Alabama. The game really comes down to the Bulldogs’ psyche. Can Kirby Smart get the team’s head straight after the loss to Mississippi. If this game was against a lesser opponent, I’d say yes, but Tennessee is too strong. UT knocks the Bull dogs from playoff contention. Vols 27-21.
Trout: I feel like the Bulldogs are in freefall. Although I am not very high on Tennessee, I think they should be able to beat this Georgia team. Georgia has just looked awful these last few weeks. They let a bad Florida team with their third string quarterback hang around the entire game, only pulling away late. And then this past week, they let Ole Miss win by double digits. Even looking back at the Texas game, they won in spite of themselves. It was their defense that kept them in that game. Also, Carson Beck has been terrible as of late. He currently has 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the year. He has completely regressed as a quarterback. Tennessee wins this game close. The Bulldogs are still talented, so they won’t be complete pushovers, but they have shown that they are not the elite team that they have been. I can see the Volunteers pulling away late and going up by at least 2 scores. Tennessee wins and hands Georgia their third loss of the season. (Tennessee, 31-21)
Final Score: Georgia 31 Tennessee 17
Kansas @ (6)BYU(-2.5)
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): BYU continues its winning ways in Provo as Kansas struggles with the elevation and wins 27-17.
Andy: Kansas is a much better football team than their record would indicate, they just upset Iowa State and have lost most of their games this season by a score or less. Kansas is actually really good at running the football really at nearly 2,000 yards on the season. Jalon Daniels, the Kansas quarterback, has struggled this season a lot throwing just 13 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. BYU on the other hand has managed to win every game this season with good offense and defense, ranked the 25th best scoring defense in the country and the 26th best scoring offense in the country, I think BYU will be able to pull away and win at home. BYU 31 Kansas 26
Cory: No way around it – Kansas has been a disappointment this season. Not like we expected them to make the playoffs, but they enter this game with just three wins and have to win out just to become bowl-eligible. BYU, on the other hand, is in the middle of a dream season as the Cougars are currently one of four remaining undefeated teams. The big challenge for BYU in this game is to avoid a letdown as they’re coming off a come-from-behind win over rival Utah. As long as they don’t come out completely flat I don’t see this game being much of a challenge for BYU. BYU 35, Kansas 24
Dave: BYU 24 Kansas 21
Gregg: Let’s face it, this year it is a two conference race in college football, the B1G and the SEC. And the ACC and the Big-12 will be lucky to get a second team in the playoff field. BYU is in a great position to win the Big 12 but they still need to take care of business. Depending on how Colorado finishes, it should be the Buffs and BYU in the championship game. If that happens and Sanders and the boys win, can the Cougars get in as a lower seed. To do so, they cannot afford to lose any other games. Kansas should give them a good game and it should be close but, I think BYU does enough to win this one and stay in the playoff hunt. BYU 38 Kansas 28
Joe-S-U: BYU
John: BYU 31 Kansas 17
Josh: Kansas is actually playing better than their record, but BYU is still playing with a lot of fire and luck at the moment. I think BYU wins this one to stay perfect. BYU 28 – Kansas 13.
Steven: Kansas can definitely score, but can they keep up with the Cougars in a night game in Provo? Probably not. This will be fun to watch. Points will be scored, but the game will not be in doubt. BYU cruises 35-24.
Trout: The Cougars should win this game. The Jayhawks are not very good. Granted, they did just beat a ranked Iowa State team, but that might not be all that impressive once the season is over. The game may be closer than people think, but I can see BYU pulling away in the second half and winning by a few scores. The BYU Cougars win the game comfortably and remain unbeaten as they remain the top team in the Big 12. (BYU, 35-14)