Trav’s 2024 College Football Regular Season Finale Picks

November 26, 2024 SportsByTrav

Week 13 is in the books and there’s a lot of chaos as we get closer to the college football playoffs. First off, my Week 13 picks garnered a 6-1 record. My overall record goes to 66-24 and my winning percentage jumps from 72.3% to 73.3%. The only loss came when Florida pulled off the upset of then 9^th ranked Ole Miss. Ole Miss was slated to be one of the playoff teams if they were able to get by the Gators. The loss also cost them their chance to go to the SEC championship game with all the chaos ensuing. First, the Alabama Crimson Tide went to Oklahoma and was upset by the Sooners. Texas A&M lost in their 3OT contest to the Auburn Tigers. In the big matchup of the weekend, Ohio State beat down previously unbeaten Indiana 38-15. Will the committee still put Indiana in the playoffs?

In the other top 20 matchup, Notre Dame blew out Army in a lopsided 49-14 win. Kansas became the first team with a losing record to defeat three consecutive ranked teams. The Jayhawks took down Colorado and could cost them their Big 12 championship game appearance. This weekend, we will have some rivalry games with a lot at stake. This week I’ll be picking another 13 games. Check out Trav’s 2024 college football regular season finale picks below.

We start things off with a Friday Night game. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets travel from Atlanta to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs. This game was closer than expected last season and the Yellow Jackets are a much better team. Georgia Tech would love to play spoiler and hurt the Bulldogs chance at a playoff appearance. Georgia Tech is one of those scrappy teams that can play with anyone. Can they pull off the upset of their in-state rival in Athens? Georgia is already playing in the SEC championship game, but they still need this game. If they win the SEC championship, they automatically head to the playoffs. If they were to lose this one and fall in the championship game there would be no playoffs. This will be close, but I’m picking the Bulldogs to win. Georgia Win 34-30

The other big Friday Night game will be a battle between Big Ten teams. The Nebraska Cornhuskers will head to Iowa to battle the Hawkeyes. Nebraska opened the season as one of the better teams in the country. After going 5-1, they were ranked, and Dylan Raiola was one of the biggest talks in college football. They dropped their next four games, but defeated Wisconsin last week to end that losing streak. Can they finish the season on a winning streak? Iowa has won three of their last four games heading into this one. The Hawkeyes rely on a great running game and a stout defense. Kaleb Johnson and the running game will be vital in this game. Can the defense frustrate Raiola and the Cornhuskers offense? The Hawkeyes should finish the season with a win over Nebraska. Iowa Win 27-17

The big game of the week takes place in Texas and it’s for a spot in the SEC Championship game. The 3^rd ranked Texas Longhorns will head to College Station to battle the 20^th ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Longhorns have suffered only one defeat this season and it came against Georgia. With a win, they will head to the SEC title game and seek revenge against the Bulldogs. The Longhorns are playing great football on both sides of the ball. The only way Texas A&M makes the playoffs is by defeating Texas and Georgia to win the SEC. The overtime loss to Auburn last week was huge for the Aggies. The loss was their second in the last three games. They are playing at home in this one and College Station is difficult for opposing teams. I’m still picking the Longhorns to win. Texas Win 31-27

This matchup doesn’t have as much at stake as their usual matchups do. The Michigan Wolverines will head to Columbus to battle the Ohio State Buckeyes. Michigan is the reigning, defending national champions in college football. They enter this game barely bowl eligible with their 6-5 record. The Wolverines would love to defeat the Buckeyes and spoil their chance at Oregon again. Does the Wolverines have a chance at pulling off the major upset? Ohio State has only one blemish on their record, and it was a one point loss in Oregon. They are coming off dismantling the previously unbeaten Indiana last weekend. If the Buckeyes were to lose, it would open the door for Indiana and Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game. The Buckeyes is arguably the best team in the nation and will win. Ohio State Win 41-21

We have a battle of South Carolina between a pair of ranked teams. The 16^th ranked South Carolina Gamecocks will head to Clemson to battle the 12^th ranked Tigers. The Gamecocks have turned their program around after being 3-3. The Gamecocks have won five consecutive games and two of those came against ranked teams. In two of those losses, the Gamecocks lost by a combined 5 points. If South Carolina were to beat Clemson, would they get playoff consideration from the committee? Clemson has playoff aspirations also. With a win over the Gamecocks, it would give them 10 wins for the season. They still have an outside shot at reaching the ACC championship game. Even if they don’t make it, would the committee award them a playoff spot? This should be one of the better games and I’m going with the Tigers at home. Clemson Win 31-30

We head to the SEC, and we have a battle of teams in Tennessee. The 7^th ranked Tennessee Volunteers will head to Nashville to battle the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tennessee is still eyeing an appearance in the college football playoffs. They were ranked 11^th in the last rankings. Indiana, Alabama, and Ole Miss were ranked above them and they all lost. With a win over Vanderbilt, the Volunteers could be punching their ticket to the playoffs. Can they finish the season with a win? Vanderbilt was 5-2 at one point of the season. One of those wins came against Alabama, but they have dropped three of their last four games. Vanderbilt would love to play spoiler to the Volunteers playoff chances. Does Vanderbilt have one more upset in them? I’m rolling with the Volunteers to win and get into the playoffs. Tennessee Win 27-17

We have a rivalry game between two of the most successful programs in the history of college football. The 5^th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish head out west to California to battle the USC Trojans. Notre Dame is a win away from clinching a berth in the college football playoffs. The Irish has one of the best defenses in the country. The defense has allowed a total of 65 points in their last six games. The offense has averaged almost 45 points during that span. The season hasn’t gone the way USC wanted as they enter this game with a 6-5 record. The Trojans have won three of their last four games. Does the Trojans and their offense have enough juice to pull off the upset? It could be close, but the Irish are just better than USC. Notre Dame Win 34-21

We have one of the biggest rivalries in the south as the Alabama Crimson Tide hosts the Auburn Tigers. The season for Auburn has been a disaster, but they can become bowl eligible with a win. They are coming off the big win in triple overtime against Texas A&M. Despite having a losing record, the defense ranks in the top 30 in scoring. The offense possesses a balanced attack with their ground and passing game. Alabama is waiting to see the latest college football playoff rankings. The loss in Oklahoma in embarrassing fashion pretty much ended their bid. Can the offense rebound from putting up only three points? Can they finish the season strong as they still look to play in a meaningful bowl game? The Crimson Tide should be fine and will win this rivalry matchup. Alabama Win 34-20

We have a matchup that will determine the ACC championship game. The 8^th ranked Miami Hurricanes will head north to Syracuse to face the Orange. It’s simple for Miami, if they win and then they head to the ACC Championship game. They would meet the SMU Mustangs who’s undefeated in the conference this season. The Hurricanes are still a playoff team, but winning the ACC championship would mean having a bye week. Syracuse has flown under the radar this season. They are 8-3 and a win over Miami can do wonders for the program moving forward. They have the 2^nd best passing offense in college football. Can this Orange offense expose the Hurricanes and their lackluster defense? This is one of those games to keep an eye on. I’m picking the Hurricanes to win, but it’ll be close. Miami Win 41-38

We head to the SEC for a matchup between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Missouri Tigers. Arkansas is already bowl eligible but wants to finish the season on a good note. They have had a very up and down season. They had big win over Tennessee and almost upset Texas A&M. They were blown out by Ole Miss and LSU. We don’t know what Arkansas team will show up from week to week. Can they pull off the upset of Missouri? The 24^th ranked Missouri Tigers is trying to finish their promising season with nine wins. They were once a top 10 team, and their losses came against Texas A&M, Alabama, and South Carolina. Id the Tigers can win this one, it will get them to a more prolific bowl. I’m riding with the Tigers to cap off their season with nine wins. Missouri Win 27-21

We stay in the SEC in a battle between teams with disappointing seasons. The Oklahoma Sooners head to Louisiana to face the LSU Tigers. Oklahoma had high hopes in their inaugural season in the SEC. After going 4-1, the Sooners would proceed to lose three in a row. Texas, South Carolina, and Ole Miss were those losses, and it derailed their season. Can the upset win over Alabama give them a spark in this game? LSU went into their game against Texas A&M with a 6-1 record. The loss against the Aggies was the beginning of their three game losing streak. LSU ended their three game losing streak by defeating Vanderbilt last week. Can they finish the season on a positive note in their regular season finale? The Tigers should defeat the Sooners to finish with 8 wins. LSU Win 26-17

We head to the Big Ten as the Washington Huskies head to Oregon to battle the top ranked Ducks. This was a much different game a year ago. These two teams were fighting for Pac-12 supremacy. Bo Nix was leading the Oregon Ducks and Michael Penix Jr. ran the show for Washington. Washington enters this game with a 6-5 record after losing their last three of four. They beat UCLA last week to give them their sixth win of the season. Can they pull off the huge upset? Oregon is undefeated and they had a scare a couple weeks ago in Wisconsin. The Ducks will be playing in the Big Ten Championship game next weekend. The question is, who will they play in the game? Either way, they should still be unbeaten after they defeat Washington. Oregon Win 34-20

The final game of the weekend will feature a pair of Big 12 squads. The Kansas State Wildcats travel to Iowa to face the 17^th ranked Iowa State Cyclones. Kansas State entered their game in Houston a month ago with a 7-1 record. They fell to Houston and lost the following week to Arizona State. The losses knocked them out of the top 25 rankings. They ended their 2-game losing streak last week in their win over Cincinnati. Can they finish the season with a huge win over the Cyclones? Iowa State was one of the last teams to lose a game. After falling to Texas Tech, they went to Kansas and fell to the Jayhawks. They won their last two games to get their season back on track. They still have a chance to head to the Big 12 championship game. They win and wait. Iowa State Win 31-28

What do you think about my regular season finale college football picks? Any upsets happening? Leave some feedback below about anything related to my regular season finale college football picks. Below are my top 5 teams entering this weekend.