College Football 2019: Complete Week 13 binge-watching guide
By Zach Bigalke
No. 8 Penn State at No. 2 Ohio State (12 p.m. ET – FOX)
The marquee top-10 matchup of Week 13 kicks off at noon from Columbus, as No. 8 Penn State heads to the Horseshoe hoping to upset No. 2 Ohio State. The winner has the inside track on the Big Ten East this year, while the loser is left to scrape for New Year’s Six recognition. Justin Fields is going to have a big day against a Penn State secondary that has been increasingly suspect as the season has progressed, but the Nittany Lions also have the potential to keep the pressure on the Buckeyes with dangerous playmakers like KJ Hamler and Journey Brown.
PREDICTION: Ohio State stays undefeated at home in a close contest decided by a touchdown or less, as Penn State covers an 18.5-point spread but drops their second of the season.
No. 10 Minnesota at Northwestern (12 p.m. ET – ABC)
Minnesota is coming off a demoralizing loss to Iowa in Week 12 that knocked the Golden Gophers from the ranks of the unbeaten. P.J. Fleck’s team cannot dwell on that loss, especially after the College Football Playoff selection committee kept them in the top 10 after the defeat to the Hawkeyes. Northwestern is the defending Big Ten West champ, but the Wildcats have fallen hard in 2019 and are completely out of the bowl picture. Is there any chance for Pat Fitzgerald’s crew to pull off the upset at home in early Saturday play?
PREDICTION: Minnesota heads to Evanston as a two-touchdown favorite and wins by right around that margin to set up their rivalry game against Wisconsin as a de facto Big Ten West title tilt.
No. 21 Oklahoma State at West Virginia (12 p.m. ET – ESPN2)
Oklahoma State heads to Morgantown this weekend on a three-game winning streak. The Cowboys confront a West Virginia team that is fighting for bowl eligibility and must win out to reach the postseason. The Mountaineers are hungry, but it will be interesting to see if the nation’s 74th-ranked rushing defense can contain Chuba Hubbard on the ground. That will be the key factor in whether West Virginia has any chance of pulling off the upset in front of their home crowd as a one-touchdown underdog.
PREDICTION: Hubbard gets closer to 2,000 rushing yards as he tops 200 in a runaway three-score Oklahoma State win over the Mountaineers on the road.