The second half of the college football season has commenced, prompting many teams to focus on securing a bowl game spot or potentially making it to the College Football Playoff.

As the playoff race heats up, familiar teams and some emerging ones are competing for the 12 available playoff positions. In addition, there are 70 postseason opportunities across 35 non-playoff bowl games. Currently, nine teams have already reached the six-win benchmark needed for bowl eligibility, while an additional 21 teams who have five wins could join them with victories in this week’s matchups.

Among those eager for a postseason appearance is Nebraska, which has experienced a seven-season bowl absence—the longest streak of any Power Five conference team. Once a powerhouse under coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, Nebraska had bowl participation expected as a matter of course. However, since their last postseason game in the 2016 Music City Bowl, after an overtime loss to Illinois at home, the Cornhuskers have been searching for a return to the postseason. They have six remaining opportunities this season to end the program’s longest drought since 1955-61, starting with a match against unbeaten and No. 16 Indiana.

“It’s a goal to go in and beat a ranked opponent,” expressed Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson. “There’s going to come a time when we’ll be the ranked ones, and people will be coming after us. This season, we’ve adopted the mentality of being the hunted rather than the hunters.”

Following are predictions for the weekend encounters, with all games set for Saturday, using lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:

– No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas (Texas favored by 3.5)
Texas enters this matchup with a healthy Quinn Ewers, marking their first 6-0 record since 2009. This will also be only the third top-five showdown at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Georgia’s once-stellar defense appears to be faltering, making Texas a favorite to hand the Bulldogs their first loss since 2020.
**Pick:** Texas 24-20.

– No. 2 Oregon (favored by 27.5) at Purdue
Following a nail-biting one-point victory over Ohio State, the Ducks face Purdue, usually a tricky venue, but Oregon boasts a 26-game winning streak against unranked teams.
**Pick:** Oregon 48-14.

– No. 6 Miami (favored by 4.5) at Louisville
Coming off a bye week after a dramatic comeback against California, the Hurricanes, led by the nation’s top passer Cam Ward, face a Louisville team that has recently struggled in pass defense.
**Pick:** Miami 35-28.

– No. 7 Alabama (favored by 3) at No. 11 Tennessee
Both teams are struggling recently, with Alabama’s quarterback Jalen Milroe throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in his latest outings, while Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava has also struggled to find the end zone.
**Pick:** Alabama 27-21.

– No. 8 LSU (favored by 3) at Arkansas
LSU needs to be prepared for a tight contest, given the close scores of their recent meetings with Arkansas, where the last four games have been decided by just 12 points.
**Pick:** LSU 30-24.

– UCF at No. 9 Iowa State (Iowa State favored by 13.5)
With UCF’s offense in turmoil and having averaged just 19 points over three losses, the Cyclones are expected to prevail following strong second-half performances in recent games.
**Pick:** Iowa State 31-10.

– Virginia (plus 21.5) at No. 10 Clemson
Clemson’s squad, which has been prolific on offense lately, should continue to roll against Virginia, who fields the 14th-ranked defense in the ACC.
**Pick:** Clemson 42-24.

– No. 12 Notre Dame at Georgia Tech (plus 11.5)
Notre Dame appears to be in good shape defensively and seeks to continue its dominance over Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where they haven’t lost since 1976.
**Pick:** Notre Dame 30-21.

– Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU (BYU favored by 9.5)
BYU, with a solid home record, looks to avenge last year’s double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State while the Cowboys risk extending their losing streak.
**Pick:** BYU 44-23.

– No. 14 Texas A&M at Mississippi State (plus 15.5)
Texas A&M looks to exploit Mississippi State’s defensive struggles, particularly against the run, as they approach their third straight matchup with a ranked opponent.
**Pick:** Texas A&M 39-27.

– Nebraska (plus 6.5) at No. 16 Indiana
Despite Indiana’s strong scoring record, Nebraska is on the rise under coach Matt Rhule and is determined to secure a Top 25 road victory for the first time in over a decade.
**Pick:** Nebraska 28-27.

– No. 17 Kansas State (favored by 3) at West Virginia
Kansas State seems to have hit its stride offensively in recent weeks, making them a solid pick against West Virginia.
**Pick:** Kansas State 27-22.

– Auburn at No. 19 Missouri (favored by 4.5)
After a rough stretch, Missouri will aim to keep their momentum going against an Auburn team struggling with turnovers.
**Pick:** Missouri 37-24.

– No. 21 SMU (favored by 14.5) at Stanford
SMU comes in riding a winning streak and showcasing a powerful offense that should overwhelm a struggling Stanford team.
**Pick:** SMU 42-21.

– East Carolina at No. 23 Army (favored by 15.5)
With Army leading the nation in rushing, they are expected to control the ground game against an East Carolina defense that recently struggled.
**Pick:** Army 27-9.

– No. 24 Michigan at No. 22 Illinois (plus 3)
Michigan’s historical success in Champaign could be challenged by an Illinois squad looking to rebound from a recent defensive collapse.
**Pick:** Illinois 29-24.

– Charlotte at No. 25 Navy (favored by 17)
With Navy seeking a strong start to the season, their efficient red zone offense may be too much for Charlotte to handle.
**Pick:** Navy 43-20.

The previous week’s prediction scorecard shows a marked success, with a straight-up record of 16-1 and against the spread record of 12-4. For the ongoing season, the overall straight-up count is 113-30, with an against the spread record of 75-67.