There are just two weeks left in the 2025 college football regular season, and the playoff picture race has heated all the way up. Check out my picks for the week as we try to figure out where exactly the season went.
No. 10 Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois: Nov. 22, 1 p.m. CT
Alabama will obviously beat FCS Eastern Illinois this week after dropping last week’s game against Oklahoma.
While fans are looking directly past this game and to the showdown from the shadow realm next week at Auburn, Alabama’s players turned their focus towards Eastern Illinois immediately following the team’s loss on Saturday.
“Everything we want is still in front of us,” offensive tackle Tim Keenan III said, “but we got to go and handle Eastern Illinois.”
With that in mind, the Crimson Tide will comfortably win in what will hopefully be a good opportunity to get a look at the team’s depth.
Prediction: Alabama 59, Eastern Illinois 0
Where to watch: SEC Network+
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 22 Missouri: Nov. 22, 11 a.m. CT
With a win over Alabama last week, Oklahoma has blasted the door open for a playoff bid. All it has to do is close out the season without stumbling in a pair of games that aren’t layups.
Missouri continues to limp along as it deals with injuries this season. After taking down Mississippi State last week, the Tigers found themselves placed in the CFP rankings.
The Sooners have too much to lose, while the Tigers have too little to gain from a win in this game. Look for Oklahoma to flex its muscles on defense yet again in this matchup.
“I have a really hard time believing that Oklahoma takes their eye off the ball after beating Tennessee and after beating Alabama,” On3’s J.D. PicKell said. “They have done the hard part of their equation to get to the College Football Playoff.”
Prediction: Oklahoma 28, Missouri 13
Where to watch: ABC
No. 14 Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky: Nov. 22, 2:30 p.m. CT
Vanderbilt looks to stay alive in its chase of the College Football Playoff this week with a sneaky SEC showdown with the Kentucky Wildcats. This game also has a lot of impact on Alabama’s potential postseason, as it impacts strength of schedule metrics. Crimson Tide fans should root for Vanderbilt for this reason.
While Kentucky is near the bottom of the SEC rankings, the team looks to have found a stud at quarterback in redshirt freshman Cutter Boley, who threw for 236 yards last week.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Vanderbilt has simply too much to play for to slip up in this spot. This one could be closer than some think, but the Commodores will pull out a win.
Prediction: Vanderbilt 34, Kentucky 24
Where to watch: ESPN
