Conference Championship Week Picks
Well, we finally made it. It is officially conference championship week in college football. Normally this would mean that the regular season would be over now, but not in 2020. Due to several cancellations throughout the year some teams are making up games this weekend. So, on top of all the conference championship games, we get to watch a little extra football too.
Unfortunately Coastal Carolina had to cancel their championship game due to contact tracing issues within their program, but that might actually be a good thing. I had them on upset watch this weekend, so now they are guaranteed to stay undefeated heading into bowl selections. Nevertheless, we still have plenty to watch tonight and tomorrow.
Keep in mind, right now the college football playoff rankings are Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Ohio State. All of these teams are playing this weekend so a loss could be catastrophic. Similarly 5th ranked Texas A&M is playing this weekend and are hoping to squeeze their way into the final rankings.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Oregon vs USC (-3): After covid issues in the PAC-12 Oregon was thrusted into the championship game. I am not sure if any team was more of a disappoint this year than Oregon, and they definitely did not belong in this game. USC wins big and I am confident in making this my LOCK of the week.
5 Texas A&M (-14) @ Tennessee: Tennessee is coming off a dominating victory over in-state rival Vanderbilt. Now they will be looking to play spoiler and ruin the Aggies playoff hopes. The Aggies won't have anything to worry about here though. Tennessee is really bad and will not be able to keep up. A&M wins by 25.
10 Oklahoma (-5.5) vs 6 Iowa State: Iowa State has a legitimate chance of making the playoffs should they win this game and get a little help from the teams ahead of them. That being said, Oklahoma is playing lightyears ahead of where they were at the start of the season. I see the Sooners winning this game by a touchdown.
14 Northwestern vs 4 Ohio State (-19.5): Ohio State has been a hot topic of conversation lately. A lot of people think they do not deserve a playoff spot since they’ve only played 5 games. I think this outside noise has gotten to the Ohio State players and they know a dominating win will convince the committee that they belong.
Missouri (-1.5) @ Mississippi State: This game will be the least talked about game of the weekend, but it will still be played. Missouri has looked good down the stretch and Mississippi State hasn’t looked good since week 1. I think this spread is really too low and I would hop all over this before it goes up.
3 Clemson vs 2 Notre Dame (+10): This is going to be the most hyped up matchup of the weekend. Clemson will be looking for revenge from their first meeting, and they will have Trevor Lawrence this time to help. I do think Clemson will win this game, but I think Notre Dame will definitely keep it within 10 points.
23 Tulsa (+14.5) vs 9 Cincinnati: I don’t want to take anything away from Cincy’s incredible season. What they have accomplished this year is remarkable, but at this point this game doesn’t mean a whole lot for them. On the other hand, Tulsa has a chance to win against a top 10 team for the first time in program history. I am not saying they’re going to win, but it will be close.
1 Alabama (-17) vs 7 Florida: Any playoff hopes Florida had are now gone after their embarrassing loss to LSU last week. I still think they will still show up and play hard, but it will not matter. Alabama will be able to score at will and I honestly believe if they want to they can win this game by 40. Alabama by 90!