College Football Week 12 Picks, Preview: What To Expect In UM-Northwestern, More

The regular season is nearing its end, and this weekend’s matchups can help to paint a clearer picture of the College Football Playoff. The most notable game is the one in Athens Georgia this weekend, when the 5th-ranked Bulldogs take on the 10th-ranked Texas. This was the only game in the top-10 of the weekend. Other ranked games are taking place around the league. One in the Big Ten could be a game that determines if a team’s hopes of making the CFP finals are on the line. The “Big Noon” crew will be at Wrigley Field to watch the match between No. We’ll preview the game and give our picks for Saturday’s other big games. It’s also setting up to be an interesting matchup for Michigan, which is taking on a Northwestern team that has played really well as of late. The Northwestern team is very strong, well-rounded and typical. I believe Michigan still has a good grip on its CFP destiny. The Wolverines bring in one of the nation’s top rushing attacks as well — and it doesn’t matter who is in the backfield. Whether it’s Jordan Marshall or Justice Haynes at running back, Michigan has been outstanding at running the ball against some decent defenses. Marshall has been the driving force for Michigan’s rushing attack, which has racked up over 250 yards in its last two games. Marshall has been averaging more than 140 yards per game in the last three games. He is filling nicely for Haynes, who was injured. Can Michigan’s running game remain dominant against Northwestern? Bryce Underwood is also improving for Michigan as a quarterback. I know it didn’t look great against Purdue, but Michigan really only had two mistakes, and it would’ve been a blowout victory otherwise. The Wolverines won the game by controlling the ball on the ground, while also turning it over twice just before the end zone. Northwestern’s defense should make Underwood work. The Wildcats don’t give up chunk plays. Northwestern is a team that relies on the run, so it’s possible this game will be short with few possessions and fewer points. Caleb Komolaf, Wildcats’ RB, has run for 100 yards back-to-back. Michigan’s defense is dealing with a lot of injuries as well, particularly at linebacker.If you recall, Georgia swept both matchups against Texas last year. Kirby Smart’s Georgia defense did a great job of unlocking Texas’ pass protection and getting to then-QB Quinn Ewers, getting 13.0 sacks over the two games.You would think that a similar thing could happen in this matchup. Texas’ offensive line has been a bit of an issue this season, although it has been a bit better recently. Because of a recent change the Longhorns made in the interior, Arch Manning has been better at quarterback as well, but we still haven’t seen a complete game from them this season. If we’re being honest, don’t we know it’s going to take a complete game from any team to beat Georgia in Athens? It’s what it took from Alabama earlier this year, playing one of the best halves of football this season. Which of the top 25 teams in CFP control their own fate? Which team would you choose if it came down to trust? That’s not a hard question to answer. I trust Georgia. It doesn’t mean it’s always pretty or dominant, but I trust that Georgia knows how to win, can do different things to win and knows what it’s doing situationally. I don’t trust this Texas team because we haven’t seen it play a full 60 minutes. Even in the win against Oklahoma, there were moments when it wasn’t clicking. It’s all about faith. Do I have faith that Texas will put something together that I’ve yet to see this season? I haven’t seen evidence that Texas can go into Athens and beat Georgia. I don’t think it’s suddenly going to do that, with Texas already having two losses and two overtime wins on the road this season.Pick: Georgia 31, Texas 24 (Georgia -5.5)No. 11 Oklahoma at no. 4 Alabama (3:30 p.m. ET)I have a different opinion about this game compared to Texas-Georgia. This is not a good matchup for Alabama when I consider Oklahoma. Can the Crimson Tide beat it? Certainly. It will be hard. Yes. You would want a defense capable of tackling the quarterback if you wanted to build a team that could beat Alabama. Oklahoma is ranked third in the country in sacks, and first in SEC for yards allowed per pass attempt. Florida State showed that if you can pressure quarterback Ty Simpson, there’s a path to beating Alabama. Alabama is more matchup-specific than some of the other top teams because it’s only elite in one area. The Crimson Tide lacks balance. That’s why I think we’ll know everything we’ll need to know about this game early on. Alabama is known for its ability to win games early before falling behind late. This was evident in the wins it had over Georgia and LSU. Will Alabama or Georgia cement their CFP positions this weekend by beating SEC opponents. Alabama’s defense has had trouble with running quarterbacks who are elusive. A few of the QBs they’ve faced this year (Diego Pavia, LaNorris Sellers, Beau Pribula) rushed for 65 yards against them if you take out sacks. Oklahoma has John Mateer playing quarterback, so I believe they have an advantage. When I boiled this down, I really wanted to take the Sooners, but I just can’t. I just don’t know how many points Oklahoma’s offense can put up to get a win.Pick: Alabama 24, Oklahoma 21 (Oklahoma +5.5)This matchup for Notre Dame will be a lot more difficult than people realize. Pitt has the best rush defense in the country, according to the numbers. This is the best rush defense in America, atleast in terms of yards allowed per carry. The Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Car will be tested if Pitt is able to stop the run. Carr’s clearly talented, but like most young signal-callers, there has been way too much up-and-down. He didn’t play well against USC, but Notre Dame overcame that because it ran the ball so well. Now, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi made a head-scratching comment earlier this week when he said, “I don’t care if we get beat by 100. We only have to win our ACC matches.” Why would you put that in your players’ heads? Play your butts off, be a competitor! If Miami beats ND, will they qualify for the CFP? Joel Klatt Show Pitt’s season changed after it went to freshman Mason Heintschel at quarterback. Notre Dame is the second-best scoring team in its last six games. He has thrown almost 300 yards per start. I believe Pitt lines up well against Notre Dame, but I don’t think it lines up well enough to upset the Fighting Irish. Pick: Notre Dame 20, Pitt 16 (Pitt +12.5)No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC (3:00 p.m. ET) ET)This is another fun strength-against-strength matchup. USC’s offense is ranked number five, while Iowa’s defense is ranked fifth. That said, I don’t love this matchup for USC. Will Iowa play a game similar to Iowa? Likely. Think about every time we’ve seen USC go up against a run game that’s going to just try and eat it alive with physicality, straight-ahead runs. It seems that teams who want to play physically can get away with this against USC. I know USC has explosive players, but Iowa doesn’t give up explosive plays. Iowa has a good zone defense that maintains its intensity. The Hawkeyes have a knack for grabbing passes and forming short fields. That’s going to be frustrating for the Trojans, who’ll want to be explosive. Pick: Iowa 19, USC 16, (Iowa -6.5)Joel Klatt, FOX Sports’ college football lead analyst, is the host of “The Joel Klatt show.” Subscribe to the “The Joel Klatt Show”, on YouTube, and follow him at @joelklatt. Join or create a FOX account to follow teams, leagues and players. You will receive a customized newsletter every day!
2025-11-14 21:41:50