College football predictions, picks, odds: Teams on upset alert in Week 12

College Football HQ makes our weekly picks and predictions for the teams on upset watch in an impactful Week 12 slate
College football predictions, picks, odds: Teams on upset alert in Week 12
College football predictions, picks, odds: Teams on upset alert in Week 12 /

Week 12 of the college football season is here, and with just two regular season games left on the schedule, there's still plenty of work to do sorting out the conference title races and the eventual College Football Playoff picks.

Aside from the SEC and ACC, the annual Championship Saturday slate is yet to be finalized and the final four of this year's playoff is anything but certain.

Well, except for Georgia, which looks like the odds-on favorite to stay put at No. 1 when Selection Sunday finally rolls along.

Place your bets: College football picks against the spread for Week 12

Upsets could be brewing this weekend in the bigger matchups, although probably not in most of the SEC, which moves into what Greg McElroy calls "Lettuce Week."

Here's your look at the teams on upset alert going into this weekend, with game lines courtesy of SI Sportsbook.

College football predictions, picks, odds: Week 12 upset alert

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as the best player in college football.
USA Today Images

We're not saying these teams will lose, just that they can lose

Kansas (+9) over Texas

Seven of the Longhorns' 11 losses under head coach Steve Sarkisian have come when the team had a lead in the second half and lost it, and now Quinn Ewers' efficiency has taken a dive as the quarterback has hit under 50% of his throws in the last three weeks. KU backup quarterback Jason Bean has 18 touchdowns and 300-plus yards per game in his last five outings.

Get your remote ready: Week 12 college football games you should be watching

Oklahoma State (+7.5) over Oklahoma

OU's front seven is one of the better units in the Big 12 at creating negative plays, and the Cowboys offense is not very aggressive at the point of attack right now, but the Sooners' overall defensive output has been poor, and OSU, which is still in the Big 12 title hunt, is potentially the class of this conference when Spencer Sanders is healthy.

Bedlam: Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State preview, prediction

UCLA (+2) over USC

Watching the Bruins' defense get thrown out of position by Jayden de Laura in a loss to unranked Arizona, and you get the feeling Saturday will be a repeat when Caleb Williams and these Trojan wideouts get going. But you also get the same feeling watching USC's defense try to stop Pac-12 opponents most of the season, and UCLA comes in with a powerful 1-2 punch at QB and RB that can shake tacklers out of alignment and present an element of speed and pace that this D hasn't really seen up to now. Except for maybe Utah, which beat USC and which UCLA beat.

Crosstown Cup: USC vs. UCLA preview, prediction

Oregon (+2) over Utah

A ton of air was sucked out of Oregon's balloon after the loss to Washington that all but killed its College Football Playoff hopes, and now comes a Utah squad playing physical football on both sides of the ball and on a four-game win streak. But this Ducks team is still a potent threat at home and on offense after scoring over 40 points in eight straight games, boasting a dynamic dual threat in Bo Nix, who has accounted for 38 total touchdowns and by far leads the team with 14 scores rushing.

College football pick 'em: Week 12 score picks, predictions for top games

Nebraska (+10) over Wisconsin

Jim Leonhard's bid to get the promotion from interim to regular coach depends in large part on his not losing to a Cornhusker team that has dropped four straight. But take a closer look, and two of those losses — to Minnesota and Purdue, among the better teams in the Big Ten West — were by a combined 13 points. Wisconsin has a two-touchdown loss to Iowa on its resume and still isn't getting enough at quarterback.

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College Football Playoff Rankings

  1. Georgia
  2. Ohio State
  3. Michigan
  4. TCU
  5. Tennessee
  6. LSU
  7. USC
  8. Alabama
  9. Clemson
  10. Utah
  11. Penn State
  12. Oregon
  13. North Carolina
  14. Ole Miss
  15. Kansas State
  16. UCLA
  17. Washington
  18. Notre Dame
  19. Florida State
  20. UCF
  21. Tulane
  22. Oklahoma State
  23. Oregon State
  24. NC State
  25. Cincinnati

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.