The versatile and durable veteran has been surprisingly absent from the 49ers' offensive attack of late. Unfavorable game scripts and lingering injuries are likely to blame. This rates as a proverbial "squeaky wheel" game following Samuel's pleas on social media earlier this week for more touches. The 49ers need Samuel to be involved in their offense, and they will go out of their way to get him involved Thursday.

The tough-luck 49ers managed to look a little like themselves in a blowout win over the Bears. They are still a longshot for the postseason, in part because of an early-season collapse at Los Angeles in which the Rams escaped with a win. The public will be high on the Rams following their standout showing in a win over the Bills, but they are unlikely to duplicate that level of production. Expect a prideful 49ers club to notch another victory as it clings to its slim hopes.

This is perhaps the most vulnerable the Bulldogs have looked under coach Kirby Smart. Regular defensive lapses and a disappointing season from QB Carson Beck, who entered the season as a Heisman favorite, led to an 11-2 regular-season record. Razor-thin wins over Kentucky and Georgia Tech have kept the Bulldogs from falling out of the 12-team playoff rankings, but a loss Saturday could put their status in doubt. Even so, their 30-15 win over Texas remains their signature performance, holding the Longhorns to 259 yards of total offense and forcing four turnovers to overcome Beck’s three interceptions. If a similar version of Georgia reappears amid a de facto home-field advantage in the SEC title game, the Bulldogs should get the best of this rematch.

This has become one of college football's more intriguing novelty rivalries of late as the perpetually downtrodden Rebels have turned a corner and become Boise State’s primary challenger for Mountain West supremacy. However, the Broncos should capture their fifth conference title in the last 10 years. In their regular-season meeting in Las Vegas, the Rebels limited Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty to 128 yards while consistently selling out at the line of scrimmage to slow him down. UNLV dual-threat QB Hajj-Malik Williams totaled 284 yards and three total TDs. Even so, Boise State used a late clock-eating drive to seal a 29-24 victory. Now on their home turf, look for the Broncos to again create enough separation for another win and cover.

Both clubs can light up the scoreboard, this the high total on an indoor track. Even so, a Syracuse club that has a competent rushing attach when it chooses to use it should look to embark on time-consuming possessions in order to remain competitive with the Hurricanes. Moreover, a splash of sloppiness on either side could cause this to go Under the hefty number.

North Carolina decided to part ways with 73-year-old coach Mack Brown following an uneven season that saw a 4-game losing streak marked by giving up 70 points to James Madison and squandering a 20-point lead to rival Duke. Even so, Brown salvaged bowl eligibility for the sixth consecutive season despite a transitional season that saw QB Drake Maye and other talent lost to the NFL along with myriad injuries. Brown's players historically adore him and his firing should be a galvanizing force to beat rival NC State and deny the middling Wolfpack a bowl bid.

The Over has connected in 10 straight meetings in this rivalry. This might seem like an empty trend at face value, but it shows that at the highest level, two of the top defensive clubs in the country usually find a way to produce offense against each other and clip what is a meager total by college football standards.

Perhaps never has this rivalry game had higher stakes, seeing as the winner could secure a bid in the 12-team playoff. The Tigers have been mostly solid, with a slip up against Louisville their lone blemish outside of a Week 1 loss to Georgia. The Gamecocks have their best team in ages and have won 5 straight, but Texas A&M is the lone notable opponent in that stretch. Let's back the program with the more proven pedigree to come through in this spot.

The plucky Spartans have dropped three of their past four, including back-to-back home battles against ranked opponents Boise State and UNLV. They were competitive in both before faltering down the stretch and will be headed to a bowl game. Stanford has looked predictably outclassed by ACC competition most of the season, though the Cardinal boast stunning upsets over Syracuse and Louisville as they work toward becoming viable in their new conference. But squandering a 14-point lead to rival Cal last week has to be deflating and we look for a down spot against a San Jose State club that is eager to get back in the win column.

It feels awkward seeing Wisconsin needing a win in Week 14 to become bowl eligible but here we are. The Badgers have dropped 4 straight, including a 16-13 home loss to top-ranked Oregon. The uneven Gophers are already at 6 wins and are coming off a hard-fought loss to Penn State. Look for Wisconsin to earn that bowl bid a the expense of an old rival.

The downtrodden Cowboys came to life a bit last week behind a QB change and a strong game from RB Ollie Gordon. Their Swiss-cheese defense remains a problem but this is still plenty of points to take against a Colorado team in a potential down spot following last week's loss to Kansas.

Amid the injury absence of QB Brock Purdy, it's short-sighted to just assume the Packers will roll. They have covered just once in their past four wins and struggle to create separation against lesser teams than the 49ers. San Francisco is well equipped to "hide" backup Brandon Allen with a heavy dose of CMC alongside Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. In a desperation spot for the fading 49ers, look for them to at least take this to the wire.

This is a value price amid the situational spot for the Cowboys backup TE. He caught 6 passes last week after filling in for the injured Jake Ferguson and should continue to be a safety net for backup QB Cooper Rush in what rates to be a high-volume passing game for Dallas.

With a healthy Tua at QB, the Dolphins appear to be rounding into their familiar high-powered form just in time to attempt to salvage their season. The Patriots have proven to be stubborn and sticky, but their limited offensive ceiling will be a liability in this one.