For the second straight week, Ohio State, LSU and Clemson are college football’s only remaining undefeated teams, and we’re predicting they keep their perfect records in Week 14 in their final regular-season games of the season.
We always want to see chaos and wild upsets, but with the way these top-3 powerhouse teams have been playing in the last several weeks, losses seem particularly unlikely.
With victories Saturday, Ohio State, LSU and Clemson will remain undefeated going into their respective conference title games next weekend, which means there’s a good chance three of the four College Football Playoff teams won’t have a loss. Last year, there were four overall unbeaten teams going into bowl season (Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame and UCF), three were in the playoff and Clemson was the only one to finish with a perfect 15-0 record — and a national championship, of course.
And with three almost certainly playoff-bound teams without a loss yet, we could be looking at another undefeated national champ.
So ahead of Week 14’s games, here are our predictions for how the three remaining undefeated teams will play. They’re based on their upcoming opponents, how they’ve played so far, the College Football Playoff rankings and ESPN’s Football Power Index projections.
(All games are on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 11-0
Wins: Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State
Chance of winning out: 64.1 percent
Week 14 game: Michigan (Noon ET, FOX)
Undefeated after Week 14: Yes
For the first time this season, the Buckeyes were tested and survived. In what was their smallest margin of victory this season, they beat Penn State, 28-17, to keep their perfect record intact in their first of two big tests to close out the regular season. Ohio State has cruised through its first 11 games, while Michigan has been trending upward since its loss to the Nittany Lions in October. But despite the Wolverines playing four ranked teams so far, Ohio State is unlike any opponent they’ve faced this season.
[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]
Going into Week 14, the Buckeyes still lead the nation averaging 49.4 points per game and are sixth in yards per game (530.4). Oh, and their defense is No. 1 in the country in points against (10.5), yards allowed (217.4) and yards per play (3.52). They’re the most balanced team in the country with three players, quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young, in the Heisman Trophy conversation. This team is on another level, and since beating Penn State, its chance to win out — which includes the Big Ten championship game — got a big boost from 56.4 percent last week.
Even though this rivalry game is in Ann Arbor and, with momentum, Michigan is only an 9.5-point underdog, we’re still picking Ohio State to come out on top.
No. 2 LSU Tigers 11-0
Wins: Georgia Southern, Texas, Northwestern State, Vanderbilt, Utah State, Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas
Chance of winning out: 44.0 percent
Week 14 game: Texas A&M (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Undefeated after Week 14: Yes
In the preseason, everyone had high expectations for Texas A&M, and it was even ranked for the first seven weeks. But the Aggies have been beat up throughout a rough schedule that ends with what will surely be another tough loss to one of the best teams in the nation. Led by quarterback and Heisman frontrunner Joe Burrow, LSU’s offense has been dominant all season and enters this weekend ranked second nationally with 48.5 points and 561.1 yards per game. Burrow is on fire with the best completion percentage in the country (78.9), while running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is practically unstoppable. The Aggies’ defense — which is ranked 21st with 321.5 yards per game and gives up 4.99 yards per play — won’t be able to slow the Tigers down.
Last season’s game between these two teams ended in a wild seven-overtime shootout with Texas A&M ultimately winning, 74-72. Not this year. Although LSU’s defense isn’t the commanding force fans have come to expect over the years, it should be enough to hold off the Aggies’ offense, which is averaging 419.6 yards per game (57th nationally) and relies heavily on quarterback Kellen Mond, who has only a 63.5 completion percentage.
LSU is a 17-point favorite at home, “where opponents’ dreams come to die.”
No. 3 Clemson Tigers 11-0
Wins: Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Wofford, NC State, Wake Forest
Chance of winning out: 87.7 percent
Week 14 game: South Carolina (Noon ET, ESPN)
Undefeated after Week 14: Yes
Here’s the thing about this matchup: If Clemson and South Carolina played each other in mid-October when the Tigers’ one-point win over UNC was fresh in everyone’s minds and the Gamecocks had just upset Georgia in overtime, we’d probably have a different answer about which team wins. But since the defending national champs’ iffy start to the season, they’ve absolutely wrecked the rest of their schedule with the No. 3 offense and No. 2 defense. Their margin of victory is more than 35 points, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a 27-8 touchdown-interception ratio and hasn’t been picked off since October 19. Clemson struggled early but recovered nicely, even if it does play a relatively weak schedule that currently features no ranked opponents.
And even if the Tigers were still having issues, we have no idea which South Carolina team is going to show up Saturday. Will it be the one that beat playoff-hopeful Georgia or the one that lost to Appalachian State (don’t ever pick against Appalachian State)?
Regardless, Clemson’s got this as a 27.5-point favorite on the road.
[jwplayer SaUsBquR-q2aasYxh]
[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]