The college football calendar is messed up, and something needs to be done about it.
We shouldn’t be writing about where Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway and Brendan Sorsby are going to be playing quarterback next fall as we prepare for the start of the College Football Playoff. But that’s where we are with this sport because nobody is really in charge.
Here at Oddly Specific, we’re just trying to get back on track ourselves.
Unlike last year, there’s no chance for us to get our preseason national championship pick (Texas) right. My Heisman pick (Arch Manning) was also wrong. We’re also not going to improve upon last year’s overall record of 99-47.
If you missed it, I saved my worst for my last round of picks. I went 3-6 selecting straight-up winners during conference championship week to fall to 80-57 heading into the Playoff. My record on upset alerts also fell to 4-11.
The good news: I finally nailed a stat-stuffer. North Texas freshman Drew Mestemaker led all quarterbacks in passing yards during conference championship week. Coincidentally, we wish Mestemaker well on his trip into the transfer portal.
Now, to my selections.
College Football PlayoffNo. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (-21.5)
Autzen Stadium will be electric Saturday night as it hosts its first Playoff game. If the Ducks somehow lose, there’s going to be a lot of people stunned. Oregon has not lost to a Group of Five program since Boise State got ’em in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl.
Both of Oregon’s coordinators — Tosh Lupoi (Cal) and Will Stein (Kentucky) — are leaving Eugene for new coaching jobs, but they’re sticking around for this Playoff run. The big question for Dan Lanning’s team entering the postseason is the health of his receivers. Gary Bryant Jr. hasn’t played since suffering a lower-leg injury in the win over Iowa. Freshman standout Dakorien Moore missed the team’s last four games with an undisclosed injury, and Evan Stewart hasn’t played all season since tearing his patellar tendon in June.
The good news for the Ducks: tight end Kenyon Sadiq remains a force. His eight touchdown catches lead all tight ends at the FBS level, and his 40 catches for 490 yards lead all Big Ten tight ends. That’s important because James Madison can play defense and stop the run. The Dukes own the second-best run defense among all FBS schools (76.2 per game).
Prediction: James Madison stays within striking distance in the first half before two touchdown passes from Dante Moore to Sadiq help the Ducks cover the spread and advance to the Orange Bowl.
Uhhh is this real???
Oregon might be the slowest team we’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/ogyYSJ8vJ4
— JMU Sports News (@JMUSportsNews) December 11, 2025
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5)
The first time these teams met in September, the Green Wave were outgained by 266 yards in a 45-10 blowout loss in Oxford. The obvious difference this time is Lane Kiffin is no longer the Rebels’ coach. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding is.
The reason outgoing Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall (Florida) believes his team will fare better this time around is because of Tulane’s improving group of receivers around quarterback Jake Retzlaff. He threw for only 56 yards on 5-of-17 passing in the first meeting with several passes dropped.
The problem for Tulane is that Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss are still going to be suiting up for the home team. The Green Wave also rank 124th in passing yards allowed.
Prediction: The Rebels don’t show any warts playing without Kiffin and cruise to a 20-point win behind 300-plus total yards and three touchdowns from their quarterback.
No. 9 Alabama (-1) at No. 8 Oklahoma
Neither one of these SEC teams can run the ball well, which feels like an impediment for a deep Playoff run for either. Alabama has the most recent postseason win in the series (the 2018 Orange Bowl), but the Sooners have beaten the Crimson Tide in each of the last two meetings over the past 13 months, including a 23-21 victory in Tuscaloosa a month ago.
A minus-3 turnover margin doomed the Crimson Tide in that game. Kalen DeBoer’s offense hasn’t really looked great since, but having a healthy Jam Miller for this game should help. It’s also hard to ignore the fact Alabama nearly outgained Oklahoma by 200 yards in the last game.
Prediction: Ty Simpson (250-plus passing yards, 2 TDs) completes bigger throws than John Mateer (200-plus total yards, 1 TD), and the Crimson Tide win the turnover battle to become the first road team to win in the expanded Playoff.
Eli Bowen pick six yesterday no doubt one of the plays of the year for Oklahoma
87-yard house call – unreal effort to stay on his feet and somehow house this thing
He appears to have a knack for big interceptions against Alabama#Sooners pic.twitter.com/Uj40IaLjTi
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) November 16, 2025
Upset alertNo. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5)
Mike Elko’s team was 11-0 and then lost its shot at playing for an SEC championship and a first-round bye when it lost to rival Texas in the regular-season finale. Miami, meanwhile, won its last four games to rally past Notre Dame in the rankings for the final at-large spot in the field.
Both teams have the size and talent on the offensive and defensive lines to make a deep Playoff run — and are getting key players back from injury. It’s obvious what this contest comes down to — which quarterback plays the cleaner game. Marcel Reed and Carson Beck have each thrown 10 interceptions this season.
Prediction: Beck and Reed each throw interceptions, but Beck gets the last word with a 20-yard touchdown strike to Keelan Marion in overtime.
Reader predictions
As usual, thank you for participating in our weekly predictions.
The hits …
JT: “Duke beats UVA in overtime, JMU runs away with the Sun Belt title… and the ACC is the first Power 4 conference to not have a playoff representative.”
Paul: “The misfits of college football take advantage of ‘Home field’ as Indiana seals top seed when Heismandoza leads the Hoosiers to the win over Ohio State.”
Brent P.: “Texas Tech destroys BYU by 21-plus …”
The misses …
Brent P.: “… opening the door for the college football playoff committee to stick its foot in its mouth one last time by keeping Notre Dame at 10 and screwing Miami out of a playoff spot at 11.”
Otis: “Caleb Hawkins scores four more TDs to lead North Texas past Tulane in a shootout.”
Week 15 report card
The good: Mestemaker helped me avoid going winless all season in stat-stuffers, and Texas Tech and Georgia each rolled to Big 12 and SEC titles, as I predicted.
The bad: Where do you want to start? It was dumb to pick Boise State to lose at home, and I didn’t believe in Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers. Mistake!