Bold Predictions for Week 12 - 2024 College Football

Based on the way this column has gone over the past few weeks, it would be wise to take every prediction that I have laid out here and create a parlay that is betting the exact opposite of all three outcomes. These bold predictions have not been shaking out cleanly, but I have a good feeling about this week.

Week 12 doesn’t have a ton of high-profile games at first glance, but when you look deeper, there are so many games with playoff implications. 

Boise State, one of the hottest teams in the sport, has to travel on the road to take on a 6-3 San Jose State team. Colorado, fighting weekly for a Big 12 championship spot, faces a Utah team that nearly knocked off BYU last week. Tulane takes on Navy in a pivotal matchup for the American Conference, which could earn a playoff bid if Boise State falters. And of course, Georgia hosts Tennessee as it aims to play itself back into the playoff field after last week’s loss. Let’s dive into this week’s bold predictions.

Tennessee Beats Georgia with Backup Quarterback

Tennessee’s sophomore sensation quarterback Nico Iamaleava was knocked out of the game last week with a concussion. It remains to be seen if Iamaleava will be able to play this week on the road against Georgia in a must-win game for the Dawgs.

BREAKING:@chrisfallica says Nico Iamaleava is NOT EXPECTED to play against Georgia due to a concussion pic.twitter.com/90ogsqgGho

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 13, 2024

If Iamaleava can’t go, it would likely be career backup Gaston Moore drawing his first career start as a senior in one of the bigger games in recent history for the Vols. All signs would point toward the Dawgs blowing Tennessee out, but with how poor Georgia has looked, I like Josh Heupel to take advantage of utilizing a quarterback with no film on him and to pick apart the Dawgs to hand them a third loss.

Pitt Snaps Two-Game Losing Skid

Pitt was undefeated a few weeks ago, but back-to-back losses to SMU and Virginia have put an end to any playoff hopes. This week, it is in danger of dropping a third straight as it hosts Clemson. 

The home environment at the stadium formerly known as Heinz Field is one of the more underrated spots in the sport, and it will affect Saturday’s game. Give me the Tigers to drop a third game and quarterback Eli Holstein to rebound from back-to-back lackluster showings.

Nebraska Becomes Bowl-Eligible For First Time Since 2016

Matt Rhule’s Cornhuskers looked like one of the surprise teams early on in the season, but they have now dropped three straight as they face the reality of potentially missing out on a bowl game yet again. This week, they are nine-point underdogs on the road against a similarly struggling USC team.

Here’s Lincoln Riley talking about building a game plan for new starting QB Jayden Maiava and what he can bring to the offense.

Full video and transcript of Riley’s comments after practice here ⬇️https://t.co/o2PTbb3LYY pic.twitter.com/NMMigKMskx

— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) November 13, 2024

After getting blown out by Indiana, Nebraska came very close to a monumental upset over Ohio State and then lost to a surging UCLA team. USC just benched quarterback Miller Moss in favor of former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava. Both teams are searching for a get-right game, but only one can prevail. I like Nebraska to pull off an upset and to hit six wins for the first time in eight years.

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