College GameDay podcast makes Week 13 picks

The sand is running out in the 2024 hourglass. Thankfully for fans across the nation, the college football action only improves as the season comes to a close. On Thursday, ESPN’s Rece Davis and Matt Miller made their Week 13 picks on the College GameDay Podcast.

ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend for No. 2 Ohio State’s showdown against No. 5 Indiana. However, the Top-5 matchup is far from the only game fans have to look forward to this weekend.

Here are Miller and Davis’ picks for Week 13’s slate of showdown, starting with the College GameDay Game of the Week.

No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State (-13.5)

Rece Davis: Ohio State -13.5
Matt Miller: Ohio State -13.5
Davis and Miller both expect Ohio State to capitalize on its home-field advantage this weekend and handily defeat the Hoosiers. Indiana is undefeated this season but hasn’t faced a single team currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

While Ohio State’s schedule hasn’t exactly been a gauntlet this season, the Buckeyes are far more battle-tested than Indiana. In October, Ohio State narrowly fell 32-31 to No. 1 Oregon. The Buckeyes redeemed themselves only three weeks later with a 20-13 win over Penn State. Now, OSU will look to add another impressive victory to its résumé.

No. 16 Colorado (-3) at Kansas

Rece Davis: Colorado -3
Matt Miller: Colorado -3
Colorado has exceeded expectations this season and Davis and Miller don’t expect the Buffaloes to stop now. After finishing the 2023 campaign with a 4-8 record, expectations weren’t sky-high for Colorado this season.

Instead, led by Shedeur Sanders and Heisman front-runner Travis Hunter, the team has a legitimate chance to win the Big 12. Nonetheless, it’d be a mistake to overlook Kansas. The Jayhawks are 4-6 this season but are coming off back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, most recently defeating BYU 17-13.

Wisconsin at Nebraska (-2.5)

Rece Davis: Nebraska -2.5
Matt Miller: Nebraska -2.5
Neither Wisconsin nor Nebraska have looked their best lately, both entering the game on losing streaks. Alas, Miller and Davis are rolling with the Cornhuskers. In fairness, Nebraska’s win over Colorado this season is better than any victory Wisconsin has secured.

Yet, it’s worth noting that Wisconsin has consistently looked competitive against top talent. This past weekend, the Badgers had a 13-6 lead against Oregon heading into the fourth quarter. Wisconsin was unable to put away the win but it will look to correct its mistakes against Nebraska.

No. 14 BYU at No. 21 Arizona State (-3)

Rece Davis: Arizona State -3
Matt Miller: Arizona State -3
Evidently, BYU lost a bit of its allure to the two ESPN experts following its 17-13 loss to Kansas last week. In the loss, BYU produced over 100 yards of more offense than the Jayhawks but failed to score a touchdown on all four of its drives inside the 20-yard line.

Of course, Davis and Miller’s decisions to side with Arizona State is far from an insult to the Cougars. The Sun Devils are no slouches, sitting with an 8-2 overall record. In its last outing, Arizona State comfortably handed Kansas State a 24-14 defeat.

No. 7 Alabama (-13.5) at Oklahoma

Rece Davis: Alabama -13.5
Matt Miller: Alabama -13.5
Home-field advantage can only do so much. Davis and Miller don’t expect it to provide the Sooners with any miracles on Saturday evening. Oklahoma has lost four of its last five outings and is still adjusting to its decision to fire offensive coordinator Seth Littrell earlier this month.

In comparison, Alabama is looking its best this season since defeating Georgia in Week 5. Moreover, Alabama will enter the game well-rested thanks to its stress-free blowout win over Mercer this past weekend.

No. 9 Ole Miss at Florida

Rece Davis: Florida +10.5
Matt Miller: Ole Miss -10.5
For once, Davis and Miller disagreed. Unsurprisingly, their dissent finally appeared when they discussed one of the most intriguing games of the week. Ole Miss is the obvious favorite in the meeting, still riding the high of its 28-10 win over Georgia.

Nevertheless, Florida is undeniably dangerous. The Gators downed LSU 27-16 last week. Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and leading wide receiver Elijah Badger both played pivotal roles in the win after missing the previous week against Texas.

No. 19 Army at No. 6 Notre Dame (-15)

Rece Davis: Notre Dame -15
Matt Miller: Notre Dame -15
Davis and Miller aren’t feeling patriotic this week. In all reality, Army lacks the strength of schedule to be able to know what it’s capable of. No team has come within 17 points of the Black Knights this season.

Notre Dame hopes to change that on Saturday. The Fighting Irish landed at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s Top 25 rankings this week. Notre Dame has won eight straight games since its stunning loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2.

No. 24 UNLV (-7.5) at San Jose State

Rece Davis: UNLV -7.5
Matt Miller: UNLV -7.5
Barring a wild twist of events, UNLV is no longer in contention for the Group of Five spot in the College Football Playoff. However, that won’t stop the Rebels from being hungry for a win over San Jose State. If UNLV can win on Friday, it will only be one victory away from achieving its first 10-win season since 1974.

San Jose State will look to play spoiler on Saturday and is more than capable of doing so. The Spartans are 6-4 this season and have an opportunity at their first eight-win season since 2012. The two Group of Five programs will both look to edge closer to history on Friday evening.