The college football regular season has now concluded with every conference game on the FBS level set. After a rivalry week where we saw tension rise across the nation after heated results we now know next weekend's conference championship slate. Surprisingly to many, each Power Four Conference championship game features a team in their first year of play in said conference. Also, Bosie State who plays in the Mountain West Conference has a chance to secure a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff as a group of five conference champions as they face UNLV. Let’s preview and predict championship games across the four power conferences next weekend.
Texas vs Georgia
The only conference game within the power four conferences to include a matchup we saw during the regular season, Texas vs Georgia in the SEC Championship is a matchup that was heavily predicted going into the season. Georgia beat Texas back in their October matchup 30-15 in Austin to knock off the then #1 ranked Longhorns. Since that win, Georgia went 4-1 down the stretch to clinch their spot in the game before rivalry weekend. The Bulldogs have been in several tightly contested games this season which we didn’t see much of during the Bulldog's dominance over the past three seasons. Georgia finished their regular season with a comeback 44-42 win over rivals Georgia Tech in eight overtimes with the Bulldogs facing defeat in many points during the many overtime periods. Texas since losing to Georgia, has won five straight games including this past weekend’s edition of the Lone Star Showdown vs Texas A&M, renewing a rivalry game that hasn’t been played since 2011. The Longhorns beat the Aggies in College Station 17-7 which saw them clinch a spot in this week’s title game in Atlanta. Both teams have great defensive units but the offensive firepower of Texas behind a great running game will be the reason I see Texas coming away with the victory.
Oregon vs Penn State
Penn State going into last weekend's game probably didn’t think that they would be playing in the Big 10 Championship game. Still, Ohio State's surprising home loss to rivals Michigan on Saturday now sees the Nittany Lions playing against the number one team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks. Oregon has been at the top of the rankings for most of the second half of the season and finished the regular season strong with a 49-21 win over Washington. The Ducks are 13-0 on the season, including a win over Ohio State, a team Penn State lost during conference play. Penn State Head Coach James Franklin has been criticized for his poor record vs top 10 teams with a record of 3-18 in his coaching career. With that, it’s hard to pick against Oregon in this matchup but I see Penn State and James Franklin finally getting over the hump and winning the Big 10 Championship.
Clemson vs SMU
Clemson who is 9-3 on the season is coming off a loss to Rivals South Carolina this past weekend but luckily find themselves in the ACC Championship game due to Miami’s loss to Syracuse. Clemson over the past decade has dominated the ACC but this season the Tigers found themselves depending on others to secure their spot in the game. They face off against conference newcomers SMU who is 11-1 on the season under Head Coach Rhett Lashlee. SMU as a first-year member of the ACC has put together an impressive season with wins over Duke, Florida State, and Louisville in conference play with their only loss being a three-point defeat to BYU who finished 10-2 on the season. SMU vs Clemson was not many predicted ACC Championship game going into the season but Saturday’s game could be a precursor to what the future holds for the Clemson program. A win for Clemson is needed to keep their playoff hopes alive with three losses on the season already. With that, I see the experience of Clemson in these big games playing a huge factor, leading to a Tigers victory.
Arizona State vs Iowa State
Iowa State and Head Coach Matt Campbell made history for the program this past weekend with a win over Kansas State securing the program’s first 10-win season. Coach Campbell is making his second appearance in the Big 12 title game with Iowa State with this time around a spot in the College Football Playoff being on the line. The Cyclones finished the season on a three-game winning streak beating Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State during that spell. Arizona State is another team making their conference championship game in their first season in a new conference having joined the Big 12 officially back in July. Also, 10-2 on the season the Sun Devils rolled into this weekend title game having not lost since losing to Cincinnati back in mid-October. During that period they knocked off top-15 ranked BYU to control their path to this weekend’s title game. The Sun Devils under Head Coach Kenny Dillingham have been one of the hottest teams in the nation alongside Notre Dame and South Carolina, with that I can’t see their hot streak ending this weekend as I have them beating Iowa State.
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