Friday Forecast: Saturday Football staff picks for hate-filled Week 13 slate
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The Saturday Football crew is back for another week to provide picks against the spread for 10 of the biggest games in college football.
Here’s how things stand after 12 weeks:
- Spenser Davis: 64–52–4
- Ethan Stone: 61–55–4
- Paul Harvey: 56–60–4
- Derek Peterson: 55–61–4
Let’s dive in.
No. 17 Iowa at Nebraska (-2.5)
Spenser Davis: The total for this game is down to 25 points and continuing to drop. The fact that Nebraska is favored against a ranked opponent is surprising, but I’ll ride with the home team. PICK: Nebraska
Paul Harvey: If this were any other program in Iowa’s spot, I would expect a letdown ahead of the Big Ten Championship. I expect the Hawkeyes to be ready to go, but it doesn’t change the prospects of this being a defensive struggle between the two with Deacon Hill or Chubba Purdy needing to make plays. I think Nebraska can win this, but in this type of game, I’ll at least go Iowa +2.5. PICK: Iowa
Derek Peterson: Nebraska snapped a seven-game losing streak in this series last year with a seven-point win in Iowa City. This game means so much to the Huskers, who also have one last opportunity to secure the program’s first bowl since 2016. I just don’t know if I can trust the team with the most giveaways in all of college football against what is the No. 3 defense in the country according to SP+. PICK: Iowa
Ethan Stone: This game is at Nebraska and the Huskers are fighting for bowl eligibility. Iowa has locked up its fate in the Big Ten title game. I tend to lean with teams that have their backs against the wall, so I’ll begrudgingly go with the Huskers here. PICK: Nebraska
No. 16 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon (-13.5)
SD: Oregon State has had a great season, but Oregon is a different caliber of team. The Ducks should be playing for style points, too, with a potential CFP spot on the line if they win out. PICK: Oregon
PH: This line has my gut twisted in knots. But, I think the Beavers are able to block out the noise surrounding Jonathan Smith in a rivalry game. Two touchdowns feel just a touch too high here. PICK: Oregon State
DP: I was going to pick the Beavers until I heard what Oregon’s players said this week. PICK: Oregon
ES: I think I like Oregon to torch the Beavers here. Oregon State has to feel a little dejected for letting Washington slip, and I think these Ducks are for real. PICK: Oregon
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No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan (-3.5)
SD: I think Ohio State’s offense is significantly better than anything Michigan has seen this season. The Buckeyes’ defense is also elite and proved itself in a win over Notre Dame on the road earlier this season. I like Ohio State to make this a tight game in Ann Arbor. PICK: Ohio State
PH: Despite a recent trend of blowouts, no one will be able to run away with this version of The Game. I actually think it’s one of those games where a special teams play makes the difference. Either way, it’s likely to be decided by a field goal. PICK: Ohio State
DP: Legitimately shocked that picking Michigan has me on an island. The Wolverines have trucked everyone this season and they’ve been a straight bully in this matchup over the last two years. Jim Harbaugh built this team to do one thing: beat Ohio State. Lou Holtz gets his day in the sun. PICK: Michigan
ES: The Game! If you follow my bowl projections, I’ve rolled with Michigan this whole season until recently. I like how Ohio State’s offense has progressed since the start of the year and JJ McCarthy looked a little off against both Penn State and Maryland without Harbaugh on the sidelines. I’ll take OSU to snap the steak in Ann Arbor. PICK: Ohio State
Texas A&M at No. 14 LSU (-11)
SD: Texas A&M’s offense didn’t have much juice last week against Abilene Christian in its first game without Jimbo Fisher. Jaylen Henderson will also be making his first road start of the year. I think LSU will find a way to cover double digits. PICK: LSU
PH: The only drama in this one is whether Jayden Daniels adds enough stats to run away with the Heisman vote. PICK: LSU
DP: After last week, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the LSU coaching staff let Jayden Daniels throw 80 passes to try and secure the Heisman. PICK: LSU
ES: I applaud Elijah Robinson for a good win over Abilene Christian, but I’m not sure LSU doesn’t make this a little one-sided early. I’ll roll with the Tigers here. PICK: LSU
Kentucky at No. 10 Louisville (-7.5)
SD: Louisville has been mostly dominant at home this season. The Cardinals are also the much better team — I think this line is at least 2.5 points too low. PICK: Louisville
PH: I was prepared to go with Kentucky because of Louisville’s close wins this season, but the Wildcats have been brutal of late. This UK team screams running out of steam in the finale. PICK: Louisville
DP: Give me the Cards. PICK: Louisville
ES: I’ve had a lot of success picking against Kentucky this season, and I’ll do it again. PICK: Louisville
No. 8 Alabama (-14) at Auburn
SD: I think Auburn probably got caught in a look-ahead spot last week against New Mexico State. The Tigers aren’t good enough to win this game, but I do think they could keep things close enough to cover. PICK: Auburn
PH: I acknowledge the Iron Bowl can get weird quickly. However, I think Alabama fits the bill of a team getting better each week this season. PICK: Alabama
DP: The last game at Jordan-Hare was decided by two points. The game before that was decided by three points. The talk this week has been about the kick-six. Lots of buzz about Auburn making this interesting. My gut is saying Alabama, though. Based on my record this year, maybe that’s not a good thing, but I’m going to listen to it nonetheless. PICK: Alabama
ES: I like Alabama to win this game, but I’m not sure about that line. Sure, Auburn just fell to New Mexico State, but the Iron Bowl is the Iron Bowl. This will be a tough, close battle. PICK: Auburn
Washington State at No. 4 Washington (-16)
SD: Washington is the much better team, but I like the Cougars here. Washington State is coming off of its best performance in weeks while the Huskies edged out Oregon State in an emotional road win last week. Washington also has a looming Pac-12 title game vs. Oregon to look forward to. PICK: Washington State
PH: I don’t know what happened to the Cougars after a solid start to the season. But I’m not going against Michael Penix Jr. with all that’s on the line. PICK: Washington
DP: This is just not a good matchup for Washington State. They don’t run the ball, so I’m not concerned about Washington’s defense there. The Cougs’ top corner is questionable for the game after missing four straight, which isn’t good when you have to face Rome Odunze. And I think Bralen Trice will enjoy his afternoon against a suspect Wazzu offensive line. PICK: Washington
ES: I want to root for chaos here, but I don’t think the Cougars will have it in them for this version of the Apple Cup. PICK: Washington
No. 5 Florida State (-6.5) at Florida
SD: The injury to Jordan Travis was devastating on a number of levels, but I don’t think it’s something that will take the Noles out of the game here. Florida will also be without its starting quarterback in Graham Mertz. I think FSU is ready to make a statement about the type of team it can still be under Tate Rodemaker this weekend. PICK: Florida State
PH: Florida is not great, but road favorites by more than a few points always make me nervous. I think Tate Rodemaker is probably alright in this game, but I’ll go with things being close late. PICK: Florida
DP: The Seminoles are top-10 across the board in SP+. This is not a “Jordan Travis and parts” kind of team. That being said, I think Florida State puts forth an emotional display for their quarterback. Graham Mertz was having his best season by far, and his absence will also be felt going the other way. PICK: Florida State
ES: Here’s my chaos. I’ve not been high on Florida much this season, but I do understand just how tough their schedule has been. The Gators are fighting for bowl eligibility, Florida State is without its starter at QB and it’s at The Swamp. PICK: Florida
No. 24 Clemson (-7.5) at South Carolina
SD: Clemson has won 3 games in a row in dominant fashion. The Tigers have had no issues winning comfortably in Columbia in recent seasons and I expect that trend to continue this weekend. PICK: Clemson
PH: I hope you bought stock in Clemson earlier this season. Not really, the Tigers still have plenty to work on, but South Carolina isn’t a struggle. PICK: Clemson
DP: Give me the Tigers. PICK: Clemson
ES: I think Clemson torches South Carolina here. Clemson has looked like a different team since Dabo scolded Mr. Tyler from Spartanburg, and I’ll have them exacting some revenge from last year in Week 13. PICK: Clemson
North Carolina (-2.5) at No. 22 NC State
SD: I’ll be frank — I think North Carolina is counting the days until this season is over. The Tar Heels have completely collapsed late in the year and I don’t think they have nearly enough fight to keep up with a highly-motivated NC State team on the road. I like the Wolfpack to win this one outright. PICK: NC State
PH: It’s amazing how the seasons have flipped for these two programs. Ultimately, UNC as a road favorite doesn’t make sense here with the recent trend of the Tar Heels. PICK: NC State
DP: The season has come off the rails a bit for the Tar Heels. How willing will Carolina be to engage in a fistfight? And will the fight remain if it gets popped in the mouth early? NC State has won four in a row, and it has outscored opponents 62-20 in the first half of those games. PICK: NC State
ES: This being at NC State is the decider for me. I’ll admit I don’t know much about either of these teams, but I do know NC State has looked good across recent weeks, having won 4 straight. They’ll make it 5 this week. PICK: NC State
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
