10 Bold College Football Predictions Heading Into Week 13
TJ Inman
Host · Writer
We are in the middle of November, and the “business end" of the 2025 college football season has arrived. Week 13 is an exciting slate, with huge games all day and gigantic stakes across the country. Here are some bold predictions!
1. North Carolina State Topples Florida State
The ACC has been chaotic, with four teams remaining with only one league loss apiece and still hoping to make the ACC Championship Game. North Carolina State and Florida State are not a part of that pack of teams, as the two have combined for a league record of 4-9. Both clubs are sitting on the doorstep of bowl eligibility at 5-5, but it’s North Carolina State that will punch its bowl ticket on Friday night in Raleigh. The Wolfpack are capable of exploding on offense, scoring 48, 34, 33, 35, and 56 points this season, and Florida State has not shown any consistency. North Carolina State finds its best defensive game of the season and pulls the upset.
Week 13: Florida State (-4.5) at North Carolina State
2. Ohio State’s Sayin Becomes Heisman Favorite
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin have been at the top of the Heisman Trophy odds for the past couple of weeks. In this article last week, I predicted Mendoza would throw for four touchdown passes and seize the lead in the race. That’s precisely what happened, as IU’s record-setting quarterback is now at +100, while Sayin is at +190. The Hoosiers are on a bye this week, while Ohio State gets to play the Big Ten’s worst defense as they take on Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 109th in the country in points allowed, giving up 32.2 points per game, which includes giving up 244.2 yards per game through the air. If Ohio State chooses to push the ball vertically, Sayin could have a huge day and surge forward to retake the lead in the Heisman Trophy odds. It seems highly likely that the winning quarterback of the Big Ten Championship Game could capture the Heisman as well.
Week 13: Rutgers at Ohio State (-31.5)
3. Missouri Stuns Oklahoma in Norman
The Oklahoma Sooners return home after a mammoth win at Alabama, and they know that if they can win out, they will be in the College Football Playoff (and likely host a game in Norman). Oklahoma had only a 4% post-game win expectancy, as they were significantly outgained and needed to force three turnovers to escape. After an emotional win like the one at Alabama, it’s only natural to expect some potential letdown. Still, the Sooners have no room for error with the rushing attack of Missouri coming to town. The Tigers have the SEC’s best running back in Ahmad Hardy, and injuries at quarterback have caused the offense to lean into the rushing attack fully. They put up nearly 50 points on Mississippi State, and while the Oklahoma defense is much more stout, OU’s offense is really struggling, and that opens the door for an upset in Norman.
Week 13: Missouri at Oklahoma (-7.5)
4. JMU Falls to Washington State
The James Madison Dukes have spent the past week hearing about two things: the College Football Playoff and their chances of making the field, and whether head coach Bob Chesney is pursuing another job (UCLA is the hot rumor of the week). They’ll need to be focused on the task at hand, as the Washington State Cougars are in town for an out-of-conference clash. Washington State has narrow losses this season to ranked teams, Ole Miss (24-21) and Virginia (22-20), and recent blowout wins over Toledo and Louisiana Tech. The defense is playing really well and has allowed only 17 points over the past three games.
Week 13: Washington State at James Madison (-13.5)
5. Baylor Tops Arizona in Tucson
The Arizona Wildcats have won three straight games, beating Colorado and then edging out Kansas and Cincinnati. However, they are only 6.5-point favorites at home against a reeling Baylor Bears team. That’s a suspicious line, and Sawyer Robertson and the Bears are poised to catch the Wildcats off guard. Baylor has an excellent offense that will test Arizona’s passing defense in a way their past three opponents could not do. Robertson throws for 300+ yards and Baylor gets the win in Tucson.
Week 13: Baylor at Arizona (-6.5)
6. Oregon Secures Impressive Win Over USC
The Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Saturday, and it is one of the biggest Big Ten games of the season. The Trojans desperately need a win to surge into the College Football Playoff bracket, while Oregon can essentially stamp its ticket by getting a win over the Trojans in Autzen. This matchup doesn’t really line up well for Lincoln Riley’s team, as USC is 120th in defensive stop rate and 78th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. The game script seems clear for the Ducks: hand it off to battering rams Dierre Hill, Jordon Davison, and Noah Whittington, and lean on the running game, get a lead, and then force USC to pass against a fierce pass rush and Oregon’s top passing defense.
Week 13: USC at Oregon (-9.5)
7. Vanderbilt Slips Against Kentucky
The Vanderbilt Commodores are on the bubble for the College Football Playoff, knowing they need to win at rival Tennessee next weekend to sneak into the bracket. They’ve had a bye week to think about the stakes and what’s coming, all while head coach Clark Lea is being linked to other jobs, and contract extension negotiations carry on with no resolution. Before they can take on the Volunteers, they have to play the Kentucky Wildcats. UK head coach Mark Stoops was on the hottest of seats a month ago, but the Cats have knocked off Auburn, Florida (38-7), and Tennessee Tech since, and are now sitting at 5-5, and Stoops is almost certainly back. The big change has been the play of freshman quarterback Cutter Boley. Boley was excellent in a close loss to Texas, had five touchdowns against Tennessee, and was superb against Florida in the blowout of the Gators. Kentucky has shown a lot of life, and Vanderbilt gets caught looking ahead.
Week 13: UK at Vanderbilt (-9.5)
8. Iowa Shuts Out Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans have lost seven straight games after starting 3-0. That includes a dud of a performance against Penn State, in which they scored only ten points at home and were blown out 28-10. The Spartans now go on the road to Kinnick Stadium and take on an angry Iowa Hawkeyes team. MSU has a poor offense and won’t have any answers for the Hawkeyes on Senior Day in Iowa City, and Iowa takes out its frustrations on the Spartans with a shutout.
Week 13: MSU at Iowa (-16.5)
9. AAC Chaos Continues at Temple
Which team is going to emerge as the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff? Most have assumed it would go to the American Athletic Conference champion. Still, the league has been chaotic with Navy, Tulane, North Texas, and East Carolina all sitting with one league loss, and favorites South Florida and Memphis now looking out of the picture with two or three league defeats. The water is about to get even muddier as 5-5 Temple pulls off a stunner against Tulane. At home under K.C. Keeler, Temple has a win over UTSA and a one-point loss to Navy, a game they appeared to have won. Tulane has blowout road defeats at Ole Miss and a concerning 48-26 loss at UTSA. The Owls are ready to take flight and surprise Tulane as the Green Wave tries to handle the distraction of Jon Sumrall’s pursuit of the Auburn job.
Week 13: Tulane (-7.5) at Temple
10. Colorado Runs Wild in Boulder
There is not much to be optimistic about in Boulder right now, as the Colorado Buffaloes have dropped three straight games and sit just one game ahead of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 basement. Deion Sanders swears he’s in it for the long haul at Colorado and is the right man for the job, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this were his final home game there due to his health issues. Colorado rallies for an excellent performance against the beat-up Arizona State Sun Devils without quarterback Sam Leavitt. Arizona State is allowing 23.6 points per game, and Colorado wins an ugly game over Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils.
Week 13: Arizona State at Colorado (+6.5)
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