It’s conference title weekend across the country and heading into the Thanksgiving Weekend, the only league that has its title game set is the Big 10, which will feature a rematch at No. 1- ranked Oregon will face off against No. 2-ranked Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
These two teams met on Oct. 12 in Oregon, with the Ducks pulling off a 32-31 win over the Buckeyes. Ohio State has not lost a game since that meeting in Eugene, but then again, neither have the Ducks.
That loss seemed to be a wakeup call for Ryan Day’s team, especially the defense, which has allowed just 52 points since that game.
Ohio State could very well be the best team playing at this juncture of the season and that could be bad news for the Ducks. No matter what happens in Indy on Saturday, both teams should earn berths in the College Football Playoffs now that it has become a 12-team tournament. The winner of this one could very well earn the No. 1 seed and earn a very important first round bye, while the loser should host a first-round game.
While the Big 10 is settled, that can’t be said for the other major conferences, especially the SEC and Big 12. Two weeks ago, a plethora of upsets clouded the picture of who would play in each of those respective conference title games.
Texas appears headed to the SEC title game if they beat Texas A&M on Nov. 30. Their opponent could very well be Georgia, thanks to Alabama’s stubbing its toe at Oklahoma (a 24-3 loss). The Aggies hurt their chances to earning their firstever trip to the SEC title game by being upset by a five-win Auburn team in four overtimes. Mike Elko’s team fell behind 21-0, but rallied to tie things up in the fourth quarter, only to lose in the fourth OT and badly hurt their SEC title game and CFP chances.
Colorado was upset at Kansas to slow their roll in the Big 12. Deion Sanders’ team could earn a berth in the league title game with a season-ending win against disappointing Oklahoma State.
But with so much still to be decided, the only college game we will pick this week will be the Oregon-Ohio State tilt.
In the NFL, the Texans get a much-needed week off after losing at home to a then two-win Tennessee team. The Houston secondary was torched all afternoon and the offensive line had QB C.J. Stroud running for his life. Things only get tougher in the coming weeks as the Texans have games against a hot Miami team, Kansas City on Dec. 21 and Baltimore on Christmas Day. That’s three games in a stretch of 10 days. Wow!
Week 14 kicks off with a good one in the NFC North on Thursday Night Football as the Packers visit the first-place Lions. On Sunday, Atlanta visits Minnesota in a key game for both team’s playoff chances, while Seattle visit Arizona in an important NFC West contest. This will be the second time in three weeks these two have met. Two weeks ago, the Seahawks earned a hard-fought 16-6 home win over the Cardinals to force a tie in the division.
Buffalo heads west to take on the Rams, and there’s a good one in the AFC West on Sunday Night Football as the Chargers visit the defending Super Bowl champs in Kansas City. Monday Night Football has the Bengals visiting the Cowboys, in a meeting of two disappointing teams this season.
Before we take a look at this weekend’s game, let’s review last week’s record. A 6-6 week brought the season record to 93- 39 (68%).
Now, onto this weekend’s games.
NCAA
Ohio State vs. Oregon, Big 10 title game – The first game between these two was a barnburner with the Ducks outlasting the Buckeyes, 32-31. The rematch should be just as good. I think playing in a neutral environment will be a big plus for the Buckeyes, who have been here before. Oregon has played in the Pac 12 title games a few times, but the Buckeyes are used to playing in Indy and will be out to revenge that Oc. 12 loss in Eugene. The Buckeyes are playing as well as any team in the country at this time, and that includes the top-ranked Ducks. OSU will look for a big game from QB Will Howard (2,685 yards, 26 TDs), running back Quinshon Judkins (759 yards, 8 TDs) and TreVeyon Henderson (730 yards, 6 TDs) and big–play wideouts Jeremiah Smith (52 receptions, 899 yards, 9 TDS) and Emeka Egbuka (56 receptions, 652 yards, 9 TDs). The Ohio State defense has been a force as of late, but that unit will face a very good offense in Oregon, led by QB Dylan Gabriel (3,066 yards, 22 TDs), running back Jordan James (1,067 yards, 11 TDs) and steady wideouts Tez Johnson (64 receptions, 649 yards, 8 TDs) and former Aggie Evan Stewart (47 receptions, 609 yards, 5 TDs). I think the OSU defense will be the difference maker in this one as the Buckeyes earn the Big 10 title. My pick, Ohio State 24, Oregon 17
NFL
Green Bay at Detroit – A good one to start Week 14 pits the Packers against the divisionleading Lions. Two weeks ago, Green Bay dismantled a beat up SF team at home, 38-10, while the Lions won a tough road contest at Indy, 24-6. Detroit is tough to beat at home and QB Jared Goff (2,761 yards, 20 TDs), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (886 yards, 10 TDs) and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (71 receptions, 747 yards, 9 TDs) will be a handful for a solid GB defense. The Packers have a few offensive weapons of their own in QB Jordan Love (2,244 yards, 18 TDs), running back Josh Jacobs (944 yards, 7 TDs) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (41 receptions, 669 yards, 4 TDs). The Lions want that top seed in the NFC, so don’t expect them to slip up against their division rivals on Sunday. My pick, Detroit 26, Green Bay 23
Atlanta at Minnesota – A big game for both teams who are squarely in the playoff hunt. Atlanta has upgraded at QB with Kirk Cousins (2,807 yards, 17 TDs) and they have a dual-threat at running back in Bijan Robinson (783 rushing yards, 6 TDs/45 receptions, 359 yards, 1 TD). They also have a big-play wide receiver in Drake London (61 receptions, 710 yards, 6 TDs) and a go-to guy in Darnell Mooney (48 receptions, 711 yards, 5 TDs). The Vikings have a stout defense that plays well at home. Minnesota has gotten a nice season out of Sam Darnold (2,717 yards, 21 TDs), steady running back Aaron Jones (798 yards, 3 TDs) and two dependable wide receivers in Justin Jefferson (61 receptions, 939 yards, 3 TDs) and Jordan Addison (32 receptions, 521 yards, 4 TDs). Look for the Vikings defense to make things tough on Cousins all afternoon as they pick up a big late-season win. My pick, Minnesota 30, Atlanta 22
Seattle at Arizona – The Cards will look to extract revenge from their loss at Seattle two weeks ago. Kyler Murray and his offensive mates were limited to just six points in that loss, and will look to play much better on Sunday. Seattle will look for QB Geno Smith (3,035 yards, 12 TDs), running back Kenneth Walker III (493 yards, 7 TDs) and wide receiver Jaxson Smith- Njigba (66 receptions, 755 yards, 4 TDs) to step up in the desert come Sunday. Look for Murray to get the offense back on track as the Cards pick up a bigdivision win on Sunday. My pick, Arizona 31, Seattle 24
Buffalo at Los Angeles Rams – The Bills head across the country to take on a Rams team that needs to get back on the winning track if they hope to remain in the NFC West race. Two weeks ago, the Bills enjoyed the weekend off, while the Rams fell at home to the Eagles, 37-20. Buffalo is not scared to play on the road and with QB Josh Allen (2,543 passing yards, 18 TDs/316 rushing yards, 5 TDs), under center, the Bills always have a chance to win at home or on the road. Buffalo also has a strong running game led by James Cook (696 yards, 10 TDs) and dependable receivers in wideouts Khalil Shakir (56 receptions, 599 yards, 2 TDs) and Keon Coleman (22 receptions, 417 yards, 3 TDs) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (34 receptions, 356 yards, 2 TDs). The Rams can put up points as well behind QB Matthew Stafford (2,800 yards, 15 TDs), running back Kyren Williams (822 yards, 9 TDS) and wideouts Cooper Kupp (55 receptions, 548 yards, 5 TDs) and Puka Nacua (37 receptions, 490 yards, 1 TD). Look for Allen to be the difference maker in this one as the Bills get a big road win. My pick, Buffalo 31, Los Angeles Rams 26
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City – A big one in the AFC West for the Sunday Night Football crew has the Chargers visiting the Chiefs. LA will need a big game from QB Justin Herbert (2,186 yards, 13 TDs) and running back J.K. Dobbins (726 yards, 8 TDS) against a solid KC defense. Wide receivers Ladd McConkey (43 receptions, 615 yards, 4 TDs) and Quentin Johnson (22 receptions, 365 yards, 6 TDs) will also need to step up as well. Two weeks ago, the KC defense gave up 27 points to the lowly Panthers, but something tells me defensive coordinator Steve Spagnolia will have his troops prepared for this one. The KC offense will once again rely on QB Patrick Mahomes (2,673, 18 TDs), running back Kareem Hunt (577 yards, 5 TDs), tight end Travis Kelce (68 receptions, 569 yards, 2 TDs) and wide receiver Xavier Worthy (28 receptions, 353 yards, 4 TDs) to make plays. KC is tough to beat at home, which the Chargers will discover come Sunday. My pick, Kansas City 30, Los Angeles Chargers, 23
Cincinnati at Dallas – Week 14 concludes with a Monday Night Football meeting between the Bengals and Cowboys. Both teams entered the season with high aspirations, but both have been huge disappointments thus far in the season. The Bengals have one of the best QBs in the league in Joe Burrow (3,028 yards, 27 TDs) and one of the top receivers in Ja’Marr Chase (73 receptions, 1,056 yards, 12 TDs), but their defense has let them down in numerous games this year. Look for running back Chase Brown (607 yards, 5 TDs) to have a big night against a porous Dallas defense. Two weeks ago, the Cowboys did step up with an upset win at Washington, 34-26, as the Pokes returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Dallas backup QB Cooper Rush (813 yards, 4 TDs) had a nice game throwing for 247 yards and two TDs. He should have another solid game going up against a suspect Cinci secondary. Look for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (77 receptions, 841 yards, 4 TDs) to have a big night on Monday, but I think Burrow will be too much for a bad Cowboys secondary. My pick, Cincinnati 33, Dallas 26