College Football Week 13 Preview and Predictions

Linebacker Manti Te'o and the Fighting Irish are one win away from perfection and a berth in the BCS National Championship. (Jeff Haynes)

5. #19 Michigan (8-3) @ Ohio State (11-0) - 12:00 PM EST, ABC

The Game is always a big ticket item. Michigan and Ohio State are two of the biggest rivals in all of college football. Ohio State hasn't been in the national spotlight nearly as much because they are not bowl eligible due to violations. Nonetheless, they will be looking to complete something that will certainly earn them some accolades. The Buckeyes are looking to complete perfection and have a shot at becoming AP National Champions. Michigan would love nothing more than spoiling those plans. The Wolverines have taken on a new look lately with junior Devin Gardner at quarterback. Gardner has played well and is expected to earn his fourth straight start Saturday, despite the fact that Denard Robinson is healthy. Healthy is a relative term though because he still does not have full arm strength back. Media speculation is that Michigan will start Gardner at quarterback and use the athletic Robinson at running back and wide receiver. This will certainly give the Ohio State defense plenty to try and stop.

Prediction: Michigan 30 Ohio State 27

4. #5 Oregon (10-1) @ #15 Oregon State (8-2) - 3:00 PM EST, Pac-12 Network

Oregon was the No. 1 team in the country for just six days. Their unstoppable offense had destroyed its opposition all season, but was stifled by a Stanford defense with a perfect game plan. The Cardinal won 17-14 in overtime, thus ending the Ducks perfect season and likely keeping them out of the national championship game. Oregon can't afford to hang their heads though because their shot at BCS bowl is on the line. Oregon State would love nothing more than to hand them their second loss is a week. These in-state rivals square off in the game known as the Civil War. The Ducks dynamic offense is led by freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota and senior tailback Kenjon Barner. The Beavers don't have a bad offense either. Sophomore quarterback Sean Mannion has had an up-and-down season, but might need a big game to secure the job as the starter next season. Oregon's rushing defense has struggled, so Oregon State sophomore running back Terron Wood could be in for a big day.

Prediction: Oregon 45 Oregon State 31

3. #8 Stanford (9-2) @ #17 UCLA (9-2) - 6:30 PM EST, FOX

These two teams come into this game off huge wins. Stanford had the perfect game plan to end Oregon's perfect season in overtime. The Cardinal defense executed their game plan beautifully. Freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan did just enough to help lead his team to the upset win. It has been senior tailback Stephan Taylor who has been the team's leader all season. In the win over Oregon, he had a huge game with 161 rushing yards. UCLA knocked off rival USC 38-28 to win their fifth Pac-12 game in a row. The Bruins are being led by a freshman quarterback as well. In the win over the Trojans, Brett Hundley had three total touchdowns (one passing and two rushing). Junior wide receiver Shaquelle Evans was Hundley's favorite target with eight catches for 114 yards. Senior tailback Jonathan Franklin also had a big day with 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Prediction: UCLA 24 Stanford 17

2. #4 Florida (10-1) @ #10 Florida State (10-1) - 3:30 PM EST, ABC

These two rivals come into this game with only one loss, but in very different ways. Florida was undefeated and in control, until they got shutdown by Georgia. Since the loss to the Bulldogs, they have needed late game heroics to beat Missouri and Louisiana-Lafayette. Even their shutout win over Jacksonville State wasn't particularly impressive. The Gators will get sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel back from injury. At tailback, senior Mike Gillislee is still one of the best rushers in the SEC. Florida State doesn't feel like they are getting the respect they deserve. Their only loss was by one point on the road at North Carolina State. Since the loss to the Wolfpack, the Seminoles have won five ACC games in a row. Senior quarterback EJ Manuel leads the offense, while junior Bjoern Werner helps anchor the defense.

Prediction: Florida State 27 Florida 24

1. #1 Notre Dame (11-0) @ USC (7-4) - 8:00 PM EST, ABC

Notre Dame is one win away from an improbable perfect regular season and place in the BCS National Championship. The offense has seen the emergence of sophomore quarterback Everett Golson. After struggling with consistency early in the season, he has nine total touchdowns (seven passing and two rushing) and only two interceptions in his last three games. Despite the improved passing game, the Fighting Irish are still a rushing focused offense with 21 rushing touchdowns. Seniors Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood both have over 700 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on the season. Sophomore tailback George Atkinson III has also been a touchdown factor with five scores of his own. Notre Dame's rock solid defense can't be overlooked either. The unit has only given up over 17 points in a game once all season. Heisman candidate Manti Te'o leads the way for a physical and athletic group.

USC's season has not gone as many expected. Losing three out of four games has dropped them to 5-4 in the Pac-12 and out of the polls. In the loss last week at UCLA, the Trojans also lost their senior quarterback Matt Barkley to injury. This means that freshman Max Wittek will make his first collegiate start against the superb Notre Dame defense. Wittek likes to air it out and has probably the best duo of receivers in college football to throw to. Sophomore Marqise Lee is a man playing among boys. He has had double digit receptions in seven games and an incredible 345 receiving yards against Arizona. Junior Roberts Woods would be a top receiver on most other teams, but will be another talented target for Wittek on Saturday. One more player on the USC offense to keep an eye on is senior tailback Curtis McNeal. He has a combined 324 rushing yards the past two weeks and could be in for another big day with Barkley out. The Trojans defense has struggled down the stretch, especially with tackling. They will have to do much better against the Fighting Irish on Saturday.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24 USC 20

College Football Week 2 Preview and Predictions

Missouri quarterback James Frankiin is set to for his first real battle against an SEC defense Saturday. (Getty Images)

Since I have had a super busy week, I am only giving a short preview before my predictions. Additionally, this is about as weak of a slate of games as I can remember in a long time. Therefore, they do not merit as thorough of an anylsis as my other ones.

5. #24 Florida @ Texas A&M - 3:30 PM EST, ESPN/WatchESPN

Texas A&M's debut against Louisiana Tech this season was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Isaac. Now instead, their opening game will be against new conference rival Florida. The Aggies will look to get the season off on the right foot in their first game as a SEC member. Meanwhile, the Gators will look to continue their success from their 27-14 win over Bowling Green last weekend. They will be looking for continued growth out of newly named starting quarterback Jeff Driskel.

Prediction: Florida 24 Texas A&M 20                                              

4. Air Force @ #19 Michigan - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2

The Michigan Wolverines must look to bounce back quickly from their disappointing 41-14 loss to Alabama. They can't afford to be hungover going into their home opener against a dangerous Air Force team. The Falcons rushed for an amazing 484 yards last week in a win over Idaho State. They will look to use their option offense to control the tempo against Michigan. The Wolverines will look for a bounce back game from quarterback Denard Robinson. They will also be the beneficiaries of getting starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint back from suspension.

Prediction: Michigan 38 Air Force 24

3. #16 Nebraska @ UCLA - 7:30 PM EST, FOX

Nebraska travels across the country to take on UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Cornhuskers hope that this is the first of two trips this season. If that is going to be the case, they must win games such as this one. Nebraska star quarterback Taylor Martinez had a huge game last week. The one potential blow to the Cornhuskers offense is that star running back Rex Burkhead is questionable for the game. UCLA kicked off the Jim Mora era with a solid win over Rice. They look to keep their momentum going this weekend.

Prediction: Nebraska 30 UCLA 24

2. Purdue @ #22 Notre Dame - 3:30 PM EST, NBC

Notre Dame's dominance of Navy in Ireland was one of the big stories from last week. This Saturday should show the affect that jet lag has on their ability to play football. For the Fighting Irish, the man at the center of it all is sophomore quarterback Everett Golson. Golson shined last week against the Midshipmen. Purdue will undoubtedly be excited to travel and play their in-state rivals this weekend. Their three-quarterback attack should cause the Irish defense to stay on their toes.

Prediction: Notre Dame 34 Purdue 20

1. #7 Georgia @ Missouri - 7:45 PM EST, ESPN2/WatchESPN

This is Missouri's first SEC game since joining the conference. With it being at home, the home crowd will certainly be stoked for this one. One clear advantage that the Tigers have is that they have the element of surprise. Their spread offense led by quarterback James Franklin is something that Georgia will not be as familiar with. Georgia is the heavy favorite in the game. However, I have some concerns. On defense, the Bulldogs have six starters suspended for the game. Additionally, they looked suspect at times against Buffalo last week.

Prediction: Missouri 34 Georgia 31

The First Noel and The Westward Bound Muhammad

Nerlens Noel just secured another #1 recruiting class for John Calipari at Kentucky. Noel revealed his decision in style as he swiveled around in his chair on the ESPNU studio set. Noel is the #2 overall player in the Rivals.com class of 2012 rankings. He is a big, strong athletic center, who can shot-block very well and should anchor the post for the Wildcats. Noel is commonly compared to Anthony Davis. The comparison is limited though as Noel has always been a big man. His shot-blocking ability might actually be better than Davis' and he prefers to stay close to the rim. Noel immeadiately puts Kentucky back in the national championship discussion for next year. It will be interesting to see how he does living up to the hype that is quickly building up around him.

The #1 overall recruit (Rivals.com), Shabazz Muhammad, was the other big name making his decision tonight. Kentucky was on Muhammad's radar, but he was strongly committed to UCLA from the get go. Despite the tumultuous season the Bruins had this past season, nothing could change Muhammad's mind from choosing to go to Westwood and play under Ben Howland. Rather than be discouraged by it, Muhammad embraced the challenge of rebuilding the legendary UCLA program. He said, "Knowing how bad they were the last two years, it's a challenge to get them back up to the top." Muhammad joins fellow top-five recruit Kyle Anderson in what could be a promising Bruins nucleus with returners such as the Wear twins and Joshua Smith. UCLA appears to be headed in the right direction.

Noel and Muhammad chose very different paths. Noel is joining the reigning National Champions. He will be playing on a team full of lots of top talent. Muhammad chose to join a rebuilding program in need of a star. It will be interesting to watch how each embraces their new surroundings. Which will blossom into the next great star? For that, we will have to wait and see.