NCAA college football Week 14 and 15 predictions

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

Wisconsin is finally getting what it has been looking for the entire season: a little respect. The Badgers' undefeated season has launched them into College Football Playoff position with one last game to play. Unfortunately for them, that last game is against Ohio State, who has playoff aspirations of its own. The Buckeyes are coming off a victory against Michigan. Ohio State still has the stink of last year’s 31-0 shutout at the hands of Clemson. It will be fighting to have a chance to avenge that loss.

Pick: Wisconsin

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

Two SEC teams, one spot in the College Football Playoff — you could say there is a lot on the line in this matchup. Auburn is fresh off its win against Alabama in the Iron Bowl, while Georgia is riding high after demolishing in-state rival Georgia Tech. Auburn is coming in a little banged up with running back Kerryon Johnson’s availability in question. Still, the Tigers have plenty of weapons in what will be a war of attrition for a chance to play for a national championship.

Pick: Georgia

Friday, 8 p.m. ET

Stanford ended its season on a high note by beating Notre Dame to get the Legends Trophy. Bryce Love gained 125 yards on the ground on one leg, but he won’t get a full week's rest to recover when he and the Cardinal play USC for the Pac-12 championship. The Trojans are coming off their bye week healthier and ready to bang bodies for their first Pac-12 championship in 10 years. Will they prevail?

Pick: USC

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

It finally happened. Miami playing to the level of its competition caught up to it last week and ended with the Hurricanes dropping a game against the lowly Pittsburgh Panthers. Things are not going to get any easier with Miami playing against newly minted No. 1 Clemson for the ACC title and a chance to redeem itself. The Hurricanes have shown they are up to the challenge of performing against top teams, but knocking off Kelly Bryant and the vaunted Clemson defense will be a tall task.

Pick: Clemson

Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET      

It’s been three weeks since TCU got its butt handed to it by Oklahoma. Now the Horned Frogs have a chance to avenge that loss with the Big 12 championship on the line. Oklahoma has won its last seven games with Heisman favorite Baker Mayfield destroying every defense he has faced. Still, TCU has quarterback Kenny Hill back and playing a high level. If the Horned Frogs' defense is able to slow down Oklahoma, TCU could be lifting the Big 12 championship trophy for the first since 2014 when it shared the honor with Baylor.

Pick: TCU

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

UCF and USF gave college football fans one of the best American Athletic Conference games of the season last week. This week’s matchup is not too shabby with a hot Memphis team threatening to steal the AAC championship that everyone is already handing to UCF. Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson finished with 3,500 yards passing and 32 touchdowns through the air heading into the postseason. He will need to outduel Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton, who has 30 passing touchdowns so far this year. This might be the highest-scoring game of the week.

Pick: Memphis

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

North Texas almost had an undefeated conference season. Its only loss was a 69-31 massacre at the hands of its Conference USA Championship Game foe, Florida Atlantic. North Texas hopes that quarterback Mason Fine’s great season continues and running back Nick Wilson can stay hot after a 178-yard rushing performance last week. Still, Florida Atlantic is waiting for the Mean Green with its perfect conference record and 26-touchdown running back Devin Singletary ready to run all over them. Can the Mean Green get revenge this week?

Pick: Florida Atlantic

Saturday, 7:45 p.m. ET

Mountain West football fans got a great game last week when Boise State hooked up with Fresno State. They won’t have to wait for a rematch too long as both teams finished on top of their respective divisions. Fresno State quarterback Marcus McMaryion outdueled Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien in the last matchup, but the Broncos have revenge on their minds. Can Boise State take back the Milk Can Trophy?

Pick: Boise State

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

It’s been 13 long years since Toledo has won the MAC West Division. Now, the Rockets have a chance to win their first MAC title since 2004. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside has thrown for 3,451 yards and 24 touchdowns, leading to a marquee matchup against Akron. The Zips silently made their way to the top of the MAC East Division with solid efforts from both sides of the ball. They will need to be on their game if they want to overcome the powerful offense of Toledo.

Pick: Toledo

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Sun Belt Conference will play its first conference championship game next year, but this year has Troy vs. Arkansas State playing for a top spot in the conference. Troy could cap off a dream season in which it knocked off LSU with another win to at least take a share of the Sun Belt championship. Arkansas State is hoping the arm of quarterback Justice Hansen can take it over the top by adding to his 32 passing touchdowns this season. Who will be the last winner of the Sun Belt Conference before the league switches to a conference championship game format?

Pick: Troy

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

The Minutemen were well on their way to a lousy season by starting the year with six straight losses, but UMass has come back to win four of its last five games. It will put that run of success up against a hungry Florida International team that wants to end its season on a high note. FIU rode a huge special teams play to overcome Western Kentucky last week, and it will need every phase of the game to stop the hot UMass team.

Pick: Florida International

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Fresh off their Sunshine State Showdown win against Florida, the Seminoles are back on the field to take on Louisiana Monroe. The Florida State defense got two touchdowns to protect its inconsistent offense, and it may need to perform well against the Warhawks. Louisiana Monroe put up 50 points in a loss against Arkansas State last week and can put a lot of pressure on Florida State if the Seminoles underestimate them.

Pick: Florida State

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET

This may be a battle of the basement dwellers in the Sun Belt Conference, but that doesn’t mean this game will be a snoozer. Georgia Southern is coming in on a roll, winning its last two games. Eagles running back Wesley Fields ran for 186 yards and a touchdown last week against Louisiana and could run wild against Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers haven’t had the best defense in the conference, but they held Idaho to seven points in their last game. Who will win in this battle of pride?

Pick: Georgia Southern

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET

Georgia State was basically knocked out of the Sun Belt Conference title race last week when it lost against Appalachian State. Still, the Panthers could get back on track and get a better bowl game berth. First, they will need to win against Idaho, and quarterback Conner Manning needs to get back to his usual self for them to do that. Idaho had a tough time against New Mexico State, but the defense looked stout and could be a factor against Georgia State.

Pick: Georgia State

Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET

At 6-1, Appalachian State still has a shot at winning the Sun Belt title. The Mountaineers have leaned on quarterback Taylor Lamb all year, and they will need him again if they want to prevail against Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns were caught off guard by Georgia Southern last week, putting their bowl eligibility in peril. While they will not win the conference, they still have a lot to play for this week.

Pick: Appalachian State

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET

It’s been a rough week for South Alabama. Not only did it lose against Georgia Southern, but head coach Joey Jones resigned. Now the Jaguars have to end the season playing for each other rather than a title or a bowl game. New Mexico State is in the fortunate position of playing for bowl eligibility. If it gets there, give credit to its fif^th-ranked aerial attack. Can the Aggies’ passing game get them to a bowl game?

Pick: New Mexico State

Saturday, 3 p.m. ET (Dec. 9)

One of the oldest rivalries in college football closes out the non-bowl season. Two of the league's best ground games collide in what will be an old-school, grind-it-out game. Army had its six-game winning streak snapped against North Texas in a heartbreaker in its last game. Still, the country's best rushing attack will be ready to roll against its bitter rival. Navy comes in losing five of its last six games, but each loss has been by 10 or fewer points. Still, with the country's seco^nd best running game, Navy always has a chance to win. Who will hoist the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy this year?

Pick: Army