College Football Games To Watch: Week 15

Notre Dame has to wait one more week before it finishes off the 2020 regular season with an ACC Championship game bout against the Clemson Tigers. The Fighting Irish are off this weekend, and barring some colossal upsets (Arkansas beating Alabama, LSU beating Florida), there is really only one game that has much bearing on Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff berth.

Despite all that, there are still four games I am very much looking forward to watching this weekend.

#9 GEORGIA BULLDOGS (6-2) at #25 MISSOURI TIGERS (5-3)

Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: SEC Network
Spread: UGA -13.5

I haven’t been overly impressed with Georgia this season, but finally inserting JT Daniels into the lineup at quarterback has given the Bulldog offense some life. This will be the third game with Daniels behind center, and I’m curious to see if Georgia can take a step forward with him at quarterback.

Missouri has played well under first-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, winning five of their last six games. The Tigers have been erratic offensively, so I don’t know what version we’ll get against Georgia. Missouri has scored 91 points in its last two games, and redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak passed for 698 yards in the last two games.

His stat line is odd, as Bazelak has averaged 287.5 passing yards in his last six games, but he’s thrown just five touchdowns, and four game in one game.

I picked Missouri to pull off the upset in this game, and I’ll be tuned in to see if Drinkwitz can earn a big upset in his first season.

The Irish Breakdown staff made predictions for this game, which you can read HERE.

NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (3-6) at ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS (7-2)

Time: 3:00 PM ET
Network: CBS
Spread: Army -7.5

It’s Army vs. Navy. I watch every year, and that won’t change in 2020.

#17 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (7-3) at #10 MIAMI HURRICANES (8-1)

Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Spread: Miami -3.0

There is some chirping coming out of Miami about the Hurricanes not getting a chance to play Notre Dame. Let’s forget for a second the fact they got pounded by Clemson, who Notre Dame defeated, Miami has been winning ugly for much of the last month. They needed late rallies to beat NC State and Virginia Tech and had ugly wins over Virginia and Pitt.

Miami was supposed to play Georgia Tech next weekend, but that game was canceled. A win over North Carolina would give head coach Manny Diaz an impressive 9-1 record in his second season. A loss to the Tar Heels would silence any noise coming out of Miami about its chance to play and beat Notre Dame.

For the Tar Heels, this is a tremendous opportunity to end the season on a very high note, which will serve them well on the recruiting trail. For Notre Dame, a North Carolina win would ensure that it has at least a second Top 20 win on its resume, and there would be a good chance the Tar Heels would end up in the Top 15.

That could be important should the Irish lose to Clemson in the ACC title game.

The Irish Breakdown staff made predictions for this game, which you can read HERE.

#15 USC TROJANS (4-0) at UCLA BRUINS (3-2)

Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: ABC
Spread: USC -3.5

A victory for UCLA would mean it would equal its 2019 win total, but in half the games. A win for USC would clinch a spot in the Pac 12 title game. It’s a momentum building game for both programs, but UCLA needs it more.

Bruin head coach Chip Kelly has been scuffling since returning to the college game, and he needs some positive vibes. A win over its rival would certainly be that, and it wouldn’t hurt the program’s recruiting efforts either.

USC head coach Clay Helton could completely remove himself from the hot seat with a win over UCLA, which would ensure a Pac 12 South title.

Maybe it’s the uniforms, with both teams wearing their home colors, but this is always a game I enjoy watching. This year it means a lot more, as both programs would go into the offseason with a lot of momentum and confidence.

The Irish Breakdown staff made predictions for this game, which you can read HERE.

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