College football week 13 consecutive picks
Week 13 candidates for Before The Snap include USC-Oregon, BYU-Cincinnati, Pitt-Georgia Tech, Missouri-Oklahoma, and Utah-Kansas State.
- USA TODAY sports experts are predicting some big upsets in Week 13 of the college football season.
- Two experts believe Florida will upset Tennessee at home in their opponent’s game.
- Other expected upsets include Nebraska vs. Penn State and Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt.
It’s the penultimate weekend of the regular season, and there are still several teams battling for College Football Playoff spots, conference championships, and bowl positions.
The biggest showdown in Week 13 will be between the SEC and the Big Ten, with teams like Oklahoma, Southern California, and Oregon looking to make a run for the playoffs again.
The stakes are higher, and so is the pressure on teams to deliver results. That pressure not only motivates you but also supports you when things don’t go well. So which teams are potentially on alert?
USA TODAY Sports’ college football staff of Matt Hayes, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Meyerberg, Eric Smith, Eddie Timanas and Blake Topmeyer offer bold predictions for Week 13 of the college football season.
Florida finally pulls off an upset by defeating Tennessee.
Under interim coach Billy Gonzalez, Florida played two close games against two playoff teams (Georgia and Ole Miss), but only appeared to lose the road game against Kentucky. They’re in the Swamp, it’s a rivalry game, and Tennessee will have a hard time stopping the runs. It’s a bad combination for the Volantes, who are looking to advance and win a bowl game to reach 10 wins. — matt haze
Kentucky defeats Vanderbilt to secure bowl spot
While not the best prospect, Vanderbilt still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff unless the Commodores lose one more game. Next up is the Kentucky team. The team has been very impressive lately, not allowing more than 10 points in the last three games. The Wildcats’ defense will step up and give Diego Pavia a fit, while the Wildcats’ offense will try to make a final push to get past Vanderbilt. Kentucky clinched a bowl berth, wiping out Vanderbilt’s best shot at the playoffs. — jordan mendoza
Matt Rhule is happily back at Penn State
Matt Rhule made a successful return to Happy Valley, and Nebraska defeated Penn State by a touchdown and won eight games for the first time since 2016. Playing with backup quarterback TJ Lateef for the second consecutive game, the Cornhuskers avoided costly turnovers and shined on special teams, slowing down the Nittany Lions’ running game enough to steal a win that would move them into the top 25 with Iowa and close out regular contention. season. — Paul Mayerberg
Oregon loses to USC, puts playoff fate on the brink
Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest environments in college football, but we’ve already seen the Ducks lose at home this season. Now comes the Southern California city, where Lincoln Riley’s prolific attack begins. Oregon struggled to slow down Indiana in its only loss and also struggled to move the ball well in that matchup. The Ducks will struggle again at home, as the Trojans have done enough to boost their postseason hopes and acquire a big-width to hurt Oregon State’s future. — Eric Smith
Arkansas gets over the hump and beats Texas
You have to give Arkansas credit. It’s not easy to find so many ways to lose painfully every week. The Razorbacks are the only winless team in the SEC, with all six league losses coming by single digits, with four of those losses coming by field goals or less. This week will be more of the same, but you can at least take some solace in the fact that the opposing fans will be just as furious when Texas has to claw its way to a win that’s closer than it needs to be. — Eddie Timanas
The swamp proves too tough again for Tennessee
There’s nothing about the direction of Florida State’s season that suggests the Gators should beat Tennessee. But I had seen the Vols wither in the swamp so many times that I couldn’t believe Tennessee would win. For better, worse, or somewhere in between, Florida beat Tennessee in The Swamp. These are the rules. In a broader sense, it’s a shame that this rivalry will be removed from the annual record starting next season. When I first became a college football fan in the ’90s, there were few rivalries this big. The rivalry hasn’t reached its peak yet, but I covered this game when both teams were underdogs, and it’s still exciting. And with Tom Petty playing before the fourth quarter and Gators fans singing, you could be forgiven for forgetting that neither team is a playoff contender. — blake topmeyer
