Lowell's Locks: Week Fourteen

That’s more like it! A 5-1 week sends the Locks into the final slate of the regular season with some momentum. The lone miss of the week was Army, who failed to make their big game with Notre Dame competitive and lost for the first time this season. With an above .500 record for the first time since week seven, ride the hot hand (locks). Here’s who you can count on this weekend.

Saturday, November 30th

Michigan at No.2 Ohio State (-19.5):

It’s hard to trust much of anything about the Michigan offense. The defense is still great, and this will be a battle early on, but Michigan won’t muster much of anything against the Buckeyes’ defense. This one implodes for the Wolverines in the third,

Lowell’s Lock: Ohio State covers -19.5

Auburn at No.13 Alabama (-11.5):

This game should encapsulate the weirdness of 2024 college football. Auburn has been very bad at times this season, but they got a big win against Texas A&M last weekend. Alabama, meanwhile, walked into unranked Oklahoma and got whipped like a government mule, as good ole Jim Ross would say. This will be a back-and-forth affair that I expect Alabama to ultimately pull it out, but not without a scare.

Lowell’s Lock: Auburn covers +11.5

No.6 Miami (-11) at Syracuse:

The Hurricanes are seeking their first ACC championship appearance since 2017, and just their second overall. In order to do that, they’ll need to travel to Syracuse and get a win in the dome. Win and you’re in, lose and Clemson takes your spot. This Miami team has a tendency to get into shootouts, and this Syracuse team is not one you want to do that with. The Orange average better than 30 PPG and are second in the nation in passing, just ahead of the Hurricanes at three. Miami has been playing with fire all year, and they get burned for a second time here,

Lowell’s Lock: Syracuse covers +11

No.24 Kansas State at No.18 Iowa State (-2.5):

This is a huge game to try to determine the mess that is the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats come into this one, having lost two of their last three, while the Cyclones have won their last two games. The Cyclones have the defense to cause Kansas State some problems, and with a Big 12 title appearance potentially on the line, I like the home team.

Lowell’s Lock: Iowa State covers -2.5

No.3 Texas (-5.5) at No. 23 Texas A&M: 

The first year of this rivalry resuming since 2011, and there’s a trip to the SEC Championship on the line. Part of me wonders if the Aggies were looking ahead to this game as they lost in overtime to Auburn last weekend, and I expect the Longhorns to get their best shot here. This Aggies defense is tough, and while Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns offense will connect on a few big plays, it’s the A&M defense that makes the deciding play late.

Lowell’s Lock: Texas A&M covers +5.5

No.15 South Carolina at No.12 Clemson (-3):

The Gamecocks are undoubtedly one of the hottest teams in the country. They’re playing good defense and controlling the clock, and Sellers is starting to make some big-time plays. The issue the Gamecocks face in Death Valley, though, is two-fold. For starters, they’re still giving up a lot of sacks, and the Tigers just turned out a historic eight-sack performance against Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago. Their second issue is that they’ve been thriving on turnovers and short fields, something Clemson has simply not done much this season. The Gamecocks’ pass rush is the biggest issue facing the Tigers, but with the offensive line back relatively healthy, I’m expecting a major dosage of Phil Mafah and the running game. Look for Cade’s legs to also be a factor in this one as the Tigers state their case for an at-large playoff bid.

Score Prediction: 28-20 Clemson

Lowell’s Lock: Clemson covers -3