College GameDay hosts make bold Week 12 college football predictions

ESPN’s flagship college football program hit the road again this weekend, as College GameDay pitched its tent in ACC country, as Notre Dame looks to take another step forward in the playoff race against Pittsburgh in a battle of ranked insurgent playoff contenders.

College GameDay was joined by former Pitt football star and Super Bowl champion Aaron Donald to get a preview of college football’s most consequential games this weekend.

Saturday brings us four head-to-head matchups involving CFP ranked teams on the same field, including the Fighting Irish and Panthers squaring off.

Let’s turn to the guys from ESPN’s College GameDay to get a look at their final predictions for college football’s most consequential games today.

College GameDay Week 12 game predictions

Joined by guest picker ex-Pitt star Aaron Donald, here is what Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit are picking today...

West Virginia at Arizona State

Pat McAfee is predictably riding with his alma mater, the Mountaineers, to take out the Sun Devils, while the others are going with the reigning Big 12 champions.

USF at Navy

A massive test between two of the best teams in the American Conference, but McAfee and Aaron Donald are projecting the Midshipmen to make this a game and throw a little more confusion in the Group of Five playoff picture.

Virginia at Duke

Kirk Herbstreit and Aaron Donald like the Cavaliers to win this one on the road against the Blue Devils while the others like Duke, which is a 5.5 point favorite at home.

Iowa at USC

Iowa’s defense could make this interesting, but its offense may not have enough to match points with USC’s dynamic passing attack. McAfee likes the Hawkeyes in the upset while everyone else is taking the Trojans.

Arizona at Cincinnati

A huge matchup in the Big 12 with the Bearcats looking to get back on track, with Herbstreit the sole voice in favor of the Wildcats to pull off the upset.

TCU at BYU

Another Big 12 hopeful looking for a rebound, BYU is a close 3.5 point favorite at home against the Horned Frogs, but Herbstreit was once again the outlier, taking TCU.

Oklahoma at Alabama

Nick Saban expects a close game, given how well the Sooners play defense, but likes the Crimson Tide’s downfield game in the long run. McAfee and Herbie like OU in the upset.

Texas at Georgia

A unanimous vote in favor of the reigning SEC champion, with everyone taking Georgia to take down Texas and effectively end the Longhorns’ playoff hopes.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit expect the Irish will dominate on both lines of scrimmage, while Desmond Howard and Aaron Donald think Pitt pulls off a huge upset.

Pat McAfee stunned everyone by picking Notre Dame in his weekly shirtless prediction.

College GameDay locations in 2025

College GameDay was on site for last weekend’s battle between BYU and Texas Tech, as the Red Raiders handed the Cougars their first loss of the season in a consequential Big 12 clash.

Week 11: Lubbock, Tex... Texas Tech def. BYU, 29-7

Week 10: Salt Lake City, Utah... Utah def. Cincinnati, 45-14

Week 9: Nashville, Tenn... Vanderbilt def. Missouri, 17-10

Week 8: Athens, Ga... Georgia def. Ole Miss, 43-35

Week 7: Eugene, Ore... Indiana def. Oregon, 30-20

Week 6: Tuscaloosa, Ala... Alabama def. Vanderbilt, 30-14

Week 5: State College, Pa... Oregon def. Penn State, 30-24

Week 4: Miami, Fla... Miami def. Florida, 26-7

Week 3: Knoxville, Tenn... Georgia def. Tennessee, 44-41

Week 2: Norman, Okla... Oklahoma def. Michigan, 24-12

Week 1: Columbus, Ohio... Ohio State def. Texas, 14-7

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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