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NCAA Football Predictions: Week 14 Opening Line Report and Picks

by Joey House - 11/24/2025

NCAA football predictions Week 14 opening line report and picks Gunner Stockton Georgia

The 2025 college football season began in the waning dog days of summer, when heat shimmered off practice fields, and hope felt endless. August carried the hum of possibility. September sharpened it into form, and by October the grind of conference play stripped away illusions. Now, as November hardens at winter's edge, the air is cold, the stakes colder, and the season stands on the threshold of its fiercest week. Rivalry Week is the battlefield, the moment when strategy collides with emotion and tradition sharpens every edge.

These are not just games. They are campaigns fought on familiar ground where every yard is contested like territory, and every touchdown feels like a flag planted in enemy soil. The rivalries themselves are the generals: The Game (Ohio State-Michigan), the Iron Bowl (Auburn-Alabama), the Palmetto Bowl (Clemson-South Carolina), and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia-Georgia Tech). Each commands legions of memory, carrying scars from past classes. Rankings and playoff hopes may dictate the stakes, but the fury of neighbors and Nemesis dictates the tone. Trick plays become ambushes. Turnovers feel like raids. Crowds roar as cannon fire rattles the line.

Rivalry Week is not about clean execution or polished form. It is about survival, about proving supremacy in battles remembered long after the playoff bracket is set. When the smoke clears, contenders march into December hardened by tradition, while the fallen retreat with wounds that sting until next year's campaign.

Doc’s Sports offers college football expert picks for every game on our college football predictions page.

The Grim Reaper Returns

After a brief moratorium on head coach firings, the Reaper appeared Sunday to grab California's Justin Wilcox after the Golden Bears lost to arch-rival Stanford 31-10, dropping Cal to 6-5 on the season. Wilcox's 9th Bears' squad started the 2025 season in promising fashion, jumping out to a 3-0 start. But a 34-0 blowout whitewashing at the hands of San Diego State started the roller coaster, and Cal has gone 3-4 in conference play. Wilcox was 48-55 in his tenure at Cal, and his buyout will be just shy of $11 million.

Another firing that occurred this weekend wasn't in the college ranks, but could most certainly affect the pool of potential hires. The Las Vegas Raiders fired their first-year offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly. No stranger to the college ranks, Kelly boasts a 78-38 NCAA record as a head coach, with 4 seasons at Oregon and 6 at UCLA. He was also Ohio State's offensive coordinator last season during its national championship run and has the pedigree to garner significant interest from the remaining Power 4 openings.

Georgia Bulldogs @ Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (+12.5/58.5) Friday, November 28, 3:30 p.m., ABC

The Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate rivalry ignites Atlanta on November 28, 2025, with No. 4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC) riding a seven-game win streak and aiming to lock up an SEC title berth and College Football Playoff spot, while No. 15 Georgia Tech (9-2, 6-2 ACC) looks to rebound from a 42-28 loss to Pitt and spoil the Bulldogs' run. Georgia enters as 13.5-point favorites, powered by quarterback Gunner Stockton's 2,800 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, a receiving duo of Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas, and a ground game averaging 209.5 yards led by Nate Frazier. Tech's defense allows 24.8 points per game and has struggled against balanced attacks, giving up 18 rushing scores and showing cracks in the secondary, while Georgia's offensive line returns intact, projecting 450 yards of production. Defensively, the Bulldogs hold opponents to 18.3 points per game with 35 sacks and standout play from linebacker CJ Allen and safety KJ Bolden, a unit built to stifle Haynes King's dual-threat offense that averages 32.1 points but has been turnover-prone and weakened by line injuries. Georgia's six-game streak in the rivalry, combined with playoff urgency and depth advantages, contrasts with Tech's bowl-driven motivation and recent struggles against ranked foes, setting the stage for another statement win that preserves the Bulldogs' dominance and fuels their postseason push.

Ohio State Buckeyes @ Michigan Wolverines (+9.5/44) Saturday, November 29, 12:00 p.m. FOX

The 2025 meeting between Ohio State and Michigan arrives with playoff-or-bust urgency, as the unbeaten Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) travel to Ann Arbor to face the 18th-ranked Wolverines (9-2, 7-1) in a rivalry that has defined generations. Ohio State's offense has been relentless, with quarterback Julian Sayin throwing for 24 touchdowns in his first ten starts and sophomore phenom Jeremiah Smith leading the receiving corps, while a balanced run game averaging five yards per carry forces defenses to respect both dimensions. The Buckeyes' defense, ranked the nation's best, has held opponents to under 8 points per game. At the same time, Michigan's offense leans heavily on a run-first identity that falters against elite fronts and is further weakened by injuries to multiple linemen. History looms large with Michigan riding a four-game win streak in the series. Still, Ohio State's superior depth, statistical dominance, and playoff motivation set the stage for a clash that could reshape the postseason and redefine the rivalry's balance of power.

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Auburn Tigers (+5.5/48.5) Saturday, November 29, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

The Iron Bowl remains one of college football's fiercest rivalries. The 2025 clash on November 29 in Auburn carries added playoff weight as No. 10 Alabama (9-2, 6-1 SEC) seeks a berth in the SEC title game while Auburn (5-6, 1-6 SEC), after firing head coach Hugh Freeze a few weeks ago, looks to salvage a frustrating season by playing spoiler. The Crimson Tide's offense has been among the SEC's most efficient, averaging over 30 points per game behind quarterback Ty Simpson's poise and a deep receiving corps, with Simpson surpassing 2,900 passing yards at a 66.9 percent completion rate and 22 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Wideouts like Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams provide reliable targets even through minor injuries, while Jam Miller's steady ground production balances the attack despite occasional line inconsistencies.

On the other hand, Alabama's defense has been the cornerstone of Kalen DeBoer's rebuild, holding opponents to under 17 points per game while recording 23 sacks and 16 forced turnovers. At the same time, Auburn's offense has sputtered, scoring just 27.4 ppg (70th of 136) and a committee rushing attack that struggles to find rhythm against elite fronts. Jeremiah Cobb provides bursts, but Alabama's front has consistently limited similar SEC backs, and with tight end Brandon Frazier questionable, Auburn's possessions shrink. Intangibles add to the drama: Alabama is riding a five-game Iron Bowl win streak that includes two victories at Jordan-Hare, showcasing composure in hostile environments, while Auburn's three-game home losing streak against ranked foes underscores the contrast in depth and momentum as the Tide push toward the postseason.

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