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Week 12 of the college football season is here. There are just a few weeks left of the regular season, and conference title races are heating up. Some teams can afford to not win their conference as they can get an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff. Others cannot, and they need that automatic bid. One team that is in a good position to make both their conference title game and the College Football Playoff is Oregon. The Ducks are led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and they will be hitting the road this weekend for a matchup with Wisconsin.
The Oregon football team is having a lot of success in year one in the Big Ten as they are currently 10-0 and in first place in the conference. The Ducks have positioned themselves nicely to make the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten title game, but this game against Wisconsin could present some challenges.
Wisconsin is having another disappointing season, but they do have a big opportunity in front of them this weekend. Knocking off the #1 team in the country would make the year feel better, and it would make the Badgers bowl eligible as they are currently 5-4 on the year.
Before we talk more about Dillon Gabriel and predictions for his performance this weekend, let's take a deeper look at both of these teams.
Another disappointing season for Wisconsin
The Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin has not gone to plan so far as the Badgers are having another tough year. Wisconsin is fighting for bowl eligibility with just a few games left, and it will obviously be tough to get it this weekend with the top team in the country coming to town. Still, this game definitely provides a big opportunity for this team as a win would make this season a lot better.
After Oregon, Wisconsin has two games left as they will be playing Nebraska and Minnesota. Both of those teams are on a similar level to the Badgers this year, and they should both be close games. There is certainly no guarantee that the Badgers go bowling.
Bowl eligibility is what Wisconsin is playing for right now, but they also want to spoil Oregon's perfect season. That would feel good.
Can Oregon go 12-0?
The Oregon football team has been the best in college football this year, and they are two wins away from a perfect regular season in year one in the Big Ten. The Ducks have this weekend's game against the Wisconsin football team, and then they will be hosting Washington. It would be pretty surprising to see them lose either of those games.
Oregon is in the drivers seat in the Big Ten right now as they just need to get these two wins to close out the season and then they will head to the Big Ten title game. The Ducks are close to earning the one seed in the College Football Playoff as three more wins should do the trick.
The Ducks are led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel who has been phenomenal this year. He is currently in the running for the Heisman, and when he plays well, Oregon is tough to beat. Here are three predictions for his performance on Saturday.
Dillon Gabriel will throw for over 300 yards
Dillon Gabriel has been outstanding this season and really nothing has been able to slow him down. He has a great offensive line protecting him and elite weapons around him. The environment under the lights in Madison will be tough this weekend, but it won't slow down Gabriel as he will throw for over 300 yards.
Dillon Gabriel will throw three touchdown passes
The Wisconsin football team is going to be juiced up for this matchup as their home crowd will be loud and the top team in the country will be visiting. They will hang around for a little bit in this game, but the Oregon football team has too much fire power. Gabriel will end up throwing three touchdown passes which will help the Ducks pull away.
Dillon Gabriel and Oregon will win easily
Oregon will end up pulling away in this one and they will earn a comfortable win. We saw Wisconsin play a top-five team at home at night earlier this season, and this matchup will be even tougher. They couldn't hang with Penn State, so they really won't be able to hang with Oregon. Gabriel will lead the Ducks to a 38-13 win.
Wisconsin and Oregon will kick off from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison at 6:30 CT on Saturday night, and the game will be airing on NBC. The Ducks are currently favored by 14 points.
Week 12 college football preview
There are a lot of important games to pay attention to this weekend that will shape conference title and College Football Playoff races. This Oregon-Wisconsin game is one of them, and here are some other good matchups to watch during week 12.
ESPN’s College GameDay will be heading to Athens this weekend for a huge matchup in the SEC. Georgia is hosting Tennessee, and whoever loses this one is probably going to be in for a very nerve-wracking selection show.
In the ACC, there is really one big game to pay attention to. #20 Clemson will be hitting the road to take on 7-2 Pitt. The Tigers are currently in second place in the ACC and they need a win if they want to stay on pace to make the ACC title game.
The Big 12 has a few big ones this weekend as their conference title race is shaping up to have an exciting finish. Colorado currently controls their own destiny and they will look to improve to 8-2 this weekend against Utah. Both Arizona State and Kansas State are sitting at 7-2 right now, and they will play in Manhattan this weekend. Lastly, BYU looks to stay perfect at home against Kansas. The Jayhawks are 3-6, but they could very easily be right in the thick of this Big 12 race. That is expected to be a close game.
Moving over to the Big Ten, it’s a very quiet week. The biggest matchup will take place under the lights in Madison as we already discussed #1 Oregon looking to stay perfect against a Wisconsin team hungry for an upset.
Lastly, the SEC has a few big ones this weekend. We have already talked about Tennessee-Georgia, but Missouri and South Carolina will also square off in a top-25 matchup that should provide a lot of excitement.
This is a crucial week of college football, and things could start getting crazy. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
