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Jackson's bold predictions for Week 13 of the 2025 college football season, including picks for USC, Oregon, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame.
Somehow, and sadly, we're already onto Week 13 of the college football season. There is just one slate left to go before rivalry week, and several top-25 teams are either on a bye or are facing inferior opponents. Some will call this "Cupcake Week" for the SEC, and I can't say I blame them. That said, we'll be treated to a handful of games with conference titles and/or College Football Playoff implications. Be sure to soak up all the football you can before it concludes.
We're back again for this week's version of College Football Bold Predictions. None of these are necessarily scoring hot takes, but they're all statistically unlikely to happen.
Read about the bold predictions for USC, Oregon, Missouri, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan, and Tennessee. Let's get to it!
Missouri Beats Oklahoma in Norman
Oklahoma beat Tennessee in Neyland Stadium and Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium in back-to-back games. Brent Venables seemingly entered the 2025 season on the hot seat, yet his stock has never been higher after those two gigantic wins. Now, the Sooners are College Football Playoff-bound if they can avoid upsets from Missouri and LSU at home. Simple enough, right? I'm not so sure.
Whether it's the step up in competition or it's John Mateer's thumb surgery following the Auburn game, the Sooners' passing offense has been less than impressive, and that includes in the wins over Tennessee and Alabama. Their disruptive defense has forced six turnovers over the last two games and scored two defensive touchdowns.
Listen, we're not here to take credit away from Venables and his defense. That unit has made incredible impact plays to score and give the offense short fields, but is this sustainable? Takeaways are not necessarily predictive stats, and if Oklahoma can't force at least two, the upset alert here is real.
Mateer is averaging just 190.5 passing yards per game against SEC foes, and he totaled just 297 yards, zero passing touchdowns, and one interception in the last two wins. And now he's heading into a matchup with Missouri, which has one of the better stop units in the conference. Missouri has allowed 169.9 passing yards per game (second in the SEC) and 107.6 rushing yards per game (fifth in the SEC). I don't see a path to offensive success from Oklahoma here.
On the flip side, Missouri could get Beau Pribula back for this matchup. Although the Sooners' run defense has been elite, I trust Eli Drinkwitz to find a way to get production out of arguably the best running back in the country, Ahmad Hardy.
Ahmad Hardy is at worst the second best RB in the country
Change my mind pic.twitter.com/TcHCGRPdEE
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) November 16, 2025
It's far from a certainty that Missouri pulls this off, but as long as it takes care of the football and runs with some success, the path is clearly there.
Maryland Gives Michigan a Scare in College Park
Maryland has not won a game since September and sits at 4-6 with the risk of not qualifying for a bowl game on the horizon. However, three of the Terps' losses have come by four or fewer points. Maryland isn't a good team, but it's not as bad as the record suggests.
Saturday brings an exciting battle between two of the nation's best true freshman quarterbacks, and it'll be a closer contest than the experts think. Michigan, much like Maryland, has been in a ton of tight contests, but it has ended on the right side of the score more often than not. The Wolverines have three wins by five points or fewer, two of those being against Northwestern and Purdue.
In true road games, Michigan has lost by 11 to Oklahoma, beaten Nebraska by three, lost to USC by 18, beaten Michigan State by 11, and beaten Purdue by five. This passing offense isn't consistent or explosive enough to consistently blow inferior teams out away from home, and the results show it. And Malik Washington should find some success against the Michigan passing defense, which ranks in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten.
Maryland has been looking for Malik Washington to run the ball more. He does just that on the second play of the game, and goes 73 yards for a score. https://t.co/0SYVAW1BhW pic.twitter.com/CqTdIcDnRN
— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) November 8, 2025
Oh, and Michigan is the youngest team in college football. There's a real chance it is looking ahead to The Game in Ann Arbor next week. I see Maryland sticking around and either losing by three or fewer -- or pulling off the upset.
USC and Oregon Combine for 50 or Fewer Points
The game total in Eugene is set around 59.5 points, and I'm calling for it to go significantly under that total. Oregon and USC are relatively new to the Big Ten, but both teams have played in and won prototypical "Big Ten-style" games in 2025. Oregon has long been known for its high-flying offense and participation in shootouts, but that hasn't necessarily been the case this season with its young offense and strong defense.
In regulation against ranked opponents, the Ducks have scored 17 (at Penn State), 20 (vs. Indiana), and 18 (at Iowa) points. Obviously, those are some of the best defenses in the Big Ten, and USC doesn't stack up to those units, but the Trojans are not abysmal on defense like they were early in Lincoln Riley's tenure.
USC is one of the most balanced teams in the country, ranking first in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (298.1) and fourth in rushing yards per game (190.8). Oregon has an elite passing defense (127.3 YPG) but is a bit softer in run defense (106.1 YPG). Surely, Riley knows the path to victory is sustained drives and success on the ground. Oregon will likely live with USC earning small chunks of yardage instead of giving up the explosive pass.
Ultimately, it's easy to see both teams trying to play keepaway from the other offense and establishing their high-powered rushing attack. This isn't going to be a classic Pac-12 shootout like we've seen from these two programs in the past.
Tennessee Beats Florida By 10+ for First Win in The Swamp Since 2003
Tennessee is favored by four points in Gainesville this week. If you're a Tennessee fan, facing the Gators in The Swamp at night makes you nervous, no matter who Florida's coach is or what its record is.
The Vols have faced Florida on the road every other season since 1991. Their record in those games? 2-15, including 10 straight losses. They haven't won there since 2003. Nobody 21 years or younger has seen Tennessee win at Florida. Even when Florida has been down, it hasn't mattered. So yes, calling for Tennessee to dominate Florida is very bold.
Florida fought hard for interim head coach Billy Gonzales in the rivalry matchup against Georgia before being dominated by Kentucky, only to give Ole Miss a scare in Oxford. Which version of the Florida team shows up? With bowl eligibility out of reach, it's fair to question whether the motivation will be there for another week.
Ultimately, Tennessee's passing offense should be too much for Florida to handle. If Tennessee isn't actively shooting itself in the foot or turning the ball over in bunches, it's tough to stop. The Swamp will still have a rowdy crowd that makes it tough to play in, but it should be the "friendliest" Florida road environment Tennessee has seen in a long time -- or ever!
BRAYLON STALEY MADE TWO DEFENDERS MISS FOR THE TD 🔥
We've got a game on ABC and the ESPN app 👀 pic.twitter.com/1QS837vWQx
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 2, 2025
If not now, then when, Tennessee?
Notre Dame Scores 55+ Points Against Syracuse
Notre Dame is a massive favorite here and is projected for around 42 points. Let's take it a step further. This is the most dangerous Notre Dame offense many of us can remember, as its passing and rushing attack rival some of the best in the country.
CJ Carr ranks first nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.7), while Notre Dame ranks 14th in yards per rushing attempt (5.4). There's nothing they can't do on offense, and they're set to face one of the worst Power 4 defenses at home. Among all 136 FBS teams, Syracuse ranks 122nd in yards per play allowed (6.3), 118th in yards per game allowed (434.3), and 112th in points per game allowed (32.3).
It's easy to see this is a major matchup nightmare for the Orange, and Notre Dame could have several touchdown drives between one and five plays. And the Irish have plenty of reason to try to pad their stats.
You never know what the College Football Playoff committee will value, but improving their average scoring margin, points per game, and counting stats won't hurt their chances to host a game in South Bend rather than taking a road trip in the first round of the CFP.
