It will be another fun weekend in college football, as it is Rivalry Weekend and Notre Dame will travel to California to take on the Stanford Cardinal.
There will be plenty that happens between when this is posted and when the Irish’s game concludes, as the College Football Playoff implications could be massive. There are more than a few games, starting on Friday, that could shape how this postseason plays out.
With all that in mind, the staff here at Fighting Irish Wire of Tim Healey, Dave Miller and Michael Chen make their best guesses at who wins the biggest games of Week 14 along with Notre Dame at Stanford.
No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) at No. 23 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2)
Game data: Friday, Nov. 28th at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC
Healey – Georgia should win, though it is a rivalry game and Tech is ranked. Monitor this one for upset potential.
Miller – Call me crazy, but I almost like the Yellow Jackets even more in this one following their home loss last week to Pittsburgh.
GT head coach Brent Key will have his team ready for this rivalry game, which will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium—the first time these programs are meeting at a neutral site since 1912. And the Yellow Jackets are looking for revenge after close loss in a wild game against the Bulldogs last year.
Ultimately, I think UHG’s ground game behind Nate Frazier, Bo Walker and Co. will be too much for a GT defense that has allowed an average of 511 yards per game the last three weeks while failing to force any turnovers.
Chen – There a lot riding on this game, both teams are in the CFP mix, and a loss for either could make it even more interesting. I think a Bulldogs loss still keeps them in the field, but a Yellow Jacket loss knocks them completely out. This top-25 contest will be a knockout blow for Georgia Tech, as Georgia gets the rivalry road win.
No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (11-0) at No. 16 Texas Longhorns (8-3)
Game data: Friday, Nov. 28th at 6:30 p.m. CST on ABC
Healey – Texas is a mess but has managed to win eight games and is playing better than it did early. Texas A&M survived a recent scare but has earned its place in the top three. A&M in a barn-burner.
Miller – The Aggies won in their last visit to Austin (they beat Texas 24-17 in 2010). A victory here would give A&M its first unbeaten regular season since 1939 and a first SEC championship game appearance. A win would also knock the Longhorns out of CFP contention.
Expect a dog fight, but it’s hard to trust a Texas defense that has allowed more than 30 points in four straight games. I like A&M in a tough, four-quarter battle.
Chen – I just can’t buy into Texas this year, even though they might be one of the most talented teams in the country. It don’t always work out for those teams to have big years, as the Aggies have had one of their own. I think their dream season stays alive, and they end the regular season undefeated.
No. 25 Arizona Wildcats (8-3) at No. 20 Arizona State Sun Devils (8-3)
Game data: Friday, Nov. 28th at 8:00 p.m. CST on FOX
Healey – These types of games are toss-ups for me, and I usually go with the home team in that case. ASU in a close one.
Miller – The Sun Devils need to win and get help to make the Big 12 title game. Arizona has won four straight, while ASU has won three in a row. The Sun Devils are really tough to beat at home, but the ‘Cats are looking for revenge from last year’s 49-7 blowout loss to ASU.
A possible Big 12 title game appearance and bid to the CFP gives the motivated Sun Devils an edge as Kenny Dillingham’s squad earns a tight win to claim the Territorial Cup.
Chen – A Friday night Big 12 rivalry game is kinda what you’d expect from this conference, and two teams that really don’t have a chance at a top-12 finish. It will be a fun contest, but I think ASU has the better program at the moment, and that’ll show.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0) at No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (9-2)
Game data: Saturday, Nov. 28th at 11:00 a.m. CST on FOX
Healey – An on-the-rise Michigan team would love nothing more than to shake up the CFB world — and perhaps the CFP race — with a win at the Big House, but OSU has been head-and-shoulders above almost everyone. I expect the Buckeyes to win a close, low-scoring contest that is typical of the Big Ten and Midwestern football in late fall.
Miller – The best rivalry in college football (no offense, ND-USC).
The Wolverines have owned the rivalry as of late (after the Buckeyes’ incredible stretch of dominance), as Ryan Day’s squad is 0-4 in The Game but 58-4 in all others since the start of 2021. The weirdest one of them all in this stretch? Perhaps last year’s contest in which OSU couldn’t muster any offense yet went on the win the national title.
Bryce Underwood and Co. should be at their best. Meanwhile, Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin has completed 79 percent of his passes with 27 TDs against just 4 interceptions. But he has yet to really face a ton of adversity outside of the Penn State game.
Day and the Buckeyes are poised to break the losing skid, but I expect another great chapter of The Game.
Chen – There is so much riding on this game for both teams, as Michigan can throw a huge wrench into the Big Ten and College Football Playoff races. A win by the Wolverines over the Buckeyes puts them into the conference title game, and another victory earn them the automatic CFP bid. For Ohio State, a win erases some demons of the past, and puts them in the championship game. We saw this story last fall, and it went for Michigan, but I think that loss changed the Buckeyes and they’ll figure out a way to win this weekend.
No. 12 Miami Hurricanes (9-2) at No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers (8-3)
Game data: Saturday, Nov. 29th at 11:00 a.m. on ABC
Healey – Pitt could shock Miami, and Pitt’s coaches are focused on winning the ACC. On the other hand, the Panthers seemed to give up against Notre Dame when the Irish tilted the score in their favor. A focused Pitt could win, but Miami has deeper talent. Miami wins. Probably.
Miller – Mario Cristobal and the ‘Canes know there is no room for error, and they know that they have to be a little flashy for those CFP style points, too. But can that happen against a Pat Narduzzi-coached bunch that just helped spoil Georgia Tech’s season?
Miami’s defense has been strong throughout the season and could give fits to Panthers QB Mason Heintschel, but the offense has been inconsistent. I’d take the ‘Canes at home, but I like the Panthers in this spot to ruin Miami’s CFP dreams.
Chen – Miami got some vindication this week, as the CFP committee finally put them inside the top-12. The Hurricanes have a great team, but haven’t found a way to take advantage of a very weak ACC. They’ll drop another game, as Pitts plan to punt its game against Notre Dame to try and win the conference takes another step closer to fruition.
No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores (9-2) at No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers (8-3)
Game data: Saturday, Nov. 29th at 2:30 p.m. CST on ESPN
Healey – Vanderbilt is having an awesome season, but Tennessee is a blue-blood for a reason. And is hosting. I expect the Vols to win a close one late.
Miller – I love that we finally have a Top 25 matchup between these schools on Thanksgiving weekend, and I’m planning to enjoy the Diego Pavia-Joey Aguilar showdown while simultaneously enjoying continued Thanksgiving leftovers.
Give me the Vols by a late field goal.
Chen – I’m a huge Clark Lea fan, and he’s really turned around the Vandy program. Not sure how much longer he’ll be around, but the former Irish coordinator is one of the hottest head coaching names in the country. That won’t change his weekend, as the Commodores are close to a CFP berth.
Tim Healey – contributor
If Notre Dame doesn’t beat itself, it should win against a 4-7 Stanford squad. It won’t be as easy as Syracuse was, especially on the road and three time-zones behind home. I foresee yet another Irish win where Notre Dame starts a little slow and the game is within two scores at half — and then Notre Dame rolls in the second half.
Notre Dame 31, Stanford 17
Dave Miller – contributor
One more game for the Fighting Irish before preparation begins for another CFP appearance.
ND has won its past three games by an average margin of 41 points, while the Cardinal are improved and coming off a win over rival Cal last week. This one will end late in the night/Sunday morning Irish fans, but it will complete a 10-2 regular season.
Notre Dame 37, Stanford 20
Michael Chen – site lead
After what we saw last weekend, I don’t think that Notre Dame is going to hold anything back in its chase for a spot in the CFP. They saw how effective it was to blow out Syracuse, as the positive view of the Irish continued and no one has been questioning if they deserve to be in the field.
Marcus Freeman knows that, and he’ll push all the buttons this weekend against Stanford. Notre Dame won’t run up the score, but they’ll put up plenty of point before getting the second-team in.
Notre Dame 48, Stanford 6
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW staff picks Notre Dame at Stanford and best Week 14 games
