The college football season has flown by seemingly and it is now time for the conference championships to be decided. There are seven conference championship games, however, I will only be previewing four, as the MAC and PAC-12 title games are being played as I'm typing. The four I'm previewing are: C-USA, ACC, Big Ten, and SEC title games. I will also preview what is known as "Bedlam" in Oklahoma between Oklahoma ans Oklahoma State.
But, allow me not to forget about the NFL, as there are some very intriguing games with some playoff bound teams and could affect seeding in the playoffs. Allow me to get to the games.
College
C-USA Championship
#24 Southern Miss at #6 Houston, noon, ABC
Conference USA is one of the two conferences which allows the team with the better record to host the conference championship game, the other is the PAC-12. Houston should have a nice advantage due to being at home, and because they are playing for a chance to go to a BCS game. Not the National Championship game, but I digress and ranted on that a few weeks ago. But, Houston has proven to the nation that nobody on their schedule can stop them, as they have scored at least 35 points in each of their 12 games thus far. So, this team can easily get into a shootout, and they've been able to hold some teams in check as well, such as a prolific SMU team to just 7, and a decent Tulsa team to just 16.
Southern Miss meanwhile has had one great season as well, only losing two games, with those two games being very puzzling losses, one to a 6-6 Marshall team and the other to just a downright awful UAB squad. But, they are going to have to pick off Case Keenum and try and create turnovers to have a chance in this game. However, tomorrow just isn't their game.
Pick: Houston 47, Southern Miss 23
SEC Championship, Atlanta
#1 LSU vs. #14 Georgia, 4, CBS
Georgia has done very well since their opening two losses, at home to a very good Boise State squad, and at home to what was at least at one time, a pretty potent South Carolina team. Georgia has since turned it around and won ten consecutive games, granted, it has been against lesser competition, but still, it has done very well. Georgia has also a good run defense, and that could help them out versus a run oriented LSU squad. The Bulldogs also have a vetern quarterback in Aaron Murray which can help.
This may as well be an away game for LSU though, as the Georgia Dome is merely 90 minutes away from Sanford Stadium in Athens where Georgia plays. But, it won't matter, as LSU has beaten every single opponent on their schedule, and most quite handily. LSU has beaten every team whether at home, away, or at a neutral site. LSU has beaten the probable champions of two BCS conferences as well, in Oregon and West Virginia. So, I have zero doubts that this team will roll into Atlanta and roll out with the conference championship.
Pick: LSU 51, Georgia 31
ACC Championship, Charlotte
#5 Virginia Tech vs. #20 Clemson, 8, ESPN
These two teams met before, in Blacksburg, but, it was when Clemson still cared and was playing their best football in early October. Since then, Tech has gone undefeated, and Clemson has lost 3 of their past 4 games. Clemson has just dropped like a rock, and just not shown up to play these past few weeks, losing to an average Georgia Tech team, a bad NC State team and a rival. Plus, it is hard to beat a team twice in the same season, especially in Championship games.
Virginia Tech has won using their dynamic quarterback Logan Thomas, who is much like Cam Newton, a big man who can dish out the punishment both rushing and passing. Tech also has a good running back in David Wilson, who has run for nearly 1600 yards so far on the season. Plus, with "Beamerball" making some key plays on special teams and defense.
Pick: Virginia Tech 30, Clemson 17
Big Ten Championship, Indianapolis
#15 Wisconsin vs. #13 Michigan State, 8, Fox
This game is another rematch, and a classic rematch as well, this game in the latter half of October ended on a Hail Mary and one tough catch and push by Keith Nichol. Both teams since then have gone 4-1, with Michigan State's only loss coming at Nebraska the following week, and Wisconsin continuing their hangover by losing at Ohio State the following week. Both teams have fantastic running games, with Michigan State having a platoon with Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell, who have combined for over 1400 yards. Then, they've got a good quarterback in Kirk Cousins and a solid defense, which has only given up a little over 15 yards per game.
Wisconsin meanwhile has had a Heisman candidate in transfer Russell Wilson, and a new one emerge in running back Montee Ball, who will look to break Barry Sanders record of 39 in the next two games. Ball currently has 34, and can easily do it behind Wisconsin's massive offensive line, which averages over 6'4" and 300 pounds, so in reality, this is an NFL offensive line. Then, with Russell Wilson, he is a tranfer graduate student, who has done exceptionally well in his only season in Madison, having a greater than 7-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
So, this game is a battle between two really closely matched teams, and essentially is a coin flip, but go with Wisconsin to make it back-to-back trips to the Rose Bowl due to the first game being in East Lansing, and the revenge factor.
Pick: Wisconsin 37, Michigan State 35
#10 Oklahoma at #3 Oklahoma State, 8, ABC
This is the de facto Big 12 championship game, as this will decide which of these two teams gets the automatic bid to the BCS. This game could also help decide if Oklahoma State even has a sliver of hope of getting into the National Championship game with winning this game, and winning it big. Oklahoma lost its best wide receiver a few weeks ago, and that probably cost them against Baylor, losing at Baylor.
Oklahoma State really hasn't had any injuries, and their only loss came at Iowa State two weeks ago, after their women's basketball coach died in a plane crash after doing some recruiting. Plus, Iowa State actually, isn't all that bad. Oklahoma State will want to rebound after that tough loss in double overtime and try and blowout Oklahoma to reach the title game.
Pick: Oklahoma State 54, Oklahoma 34
NFL
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1, CBS
Pittsburgh is continuing to try and fight for the AFC North title while hoping that Baltimore loses at some point. Cincinnati meanwhile has lost hope on the division title, but are very capable of taking one of the two wild card spots in the AFC, and are in position to do that currently, being a game ahead of Denver at the moment. But, while Cincy has been good, they haven't been all that good, and may even be overtaken by Denver after this weekend. As Cincy lost the first meeting between these two clubs and it was at Cincy just four weeks ago.
Pick: Pittsburgh 24, Cincy 14
Atlanta at Houston, 1, Fox
This game looked very attractive just four weeks ago, now, it is still attractive, just much less because Houston is now down to their third string quarterback and sign cast offs like Kellen Clemens and Jake Delhomme to fill out their roster due to the season ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Now, the Texans have to resort to the first ever starting quarterback from the football factory which is North Carolina in T.J. Yates. Yates filled in admirably for Leinart after he got hurt, going 8/15 for 70 yards. The good news for Yates is that he has a Pro Bowl running back in Arian Foster behind him as well as a very good team defense to help him out. Yates also has a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Andre Johnson to help him in his maturation.
However, Atlanta has the exact same thing, but a much better and veteran quarterback in Matt Ryan, and as most know in the NFL, quarterbacks are the key to winning games.
Pick: Atlanta 27, Houston 20
Tennessee at Buffalo, 1, CBS
Tennessee now has a chance to catch Houston, now that they are down to their third string quarterback. Tennessee also has the fortune of facing a team in free fall like the Bills, who, after their 5-2 start, have lost fur straight, with only one of them even being close in last week's thriller versus the Jets. Buffalo just hasn't been good the past few games, while Tennessee has been average, and that is good enough to beat this hapless Bills team.
Pick: Tennessee 21, Buffalo 10
Green Bay at New York Giants, 4:15, Fox
New York, like Buffalo has been in somewhat of a free fall, losing their past three, including last Monday's debacle against the Saints. New York has some good news and some bad news this week, the good news is that they now have their tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs back, as Bradshaw has been out the past few weeks. The bad news is that they still don't have Osi Umenyiora, which would help a lot against Aaron Rodgers, who has been on fire this season, putting together a runaway MVP type season. And, with the way the Packers played last Thursday, they can't be stopped.
Pick: Green Bay 38, New York 24
Detroit at New Orleans, 8:30, NBC
Detroit is without a big weapon in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who inexplicably stomped on a players arm in the Lions loss last week, and has subsequently been suspended for this game and the following week. Detroit is also playing at New Orleans, which is one tough place to play, just ask New York last week. New Orleans continues to play phenomenal football, and should continue to pass the football with ease against a fairly weak Detroit secondary.
Pick: New Orleans 45, Detroit 27
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