BY: BRIAN WOLF
After 130 cancelled contests, we have finally made it to conference championship week in college football. While 2020 has certainly brought its challenges, colleges and their football programs have adapted and done their best to put a team on the field each Saturday. We have seen upsets, crazy comebacks, Cinderella stories, and Jim Harbaugh somehow still has a job as the head coach at Michigan. This upcoming weekend will determine who is in, and who is out for the College Football Playoff.
On Friday evening, we have three conference championship contests. Conference USA kicks it off with a matchup between Marshall and UAB. The second game of the night is between Ball State and Buffalo for the MAC title, and Oregon and USC wraps up the evening with the Pac-12 championship. Saturday is jam packed with must watch games including the Big Ten Championship between a 5 win Ohio State squad and the Reece Davis’s from Northwestern. Also at noon is the Big12 Championship which could have an impact on the final CFP rankings The big game of the day is the ACC Championship game between the #3 Clemson and #2 Notre Dame. Lets dive into each matchup!
UAB versus Marshall (-5) – Friday 7pm EST (CBSSN)
The Thundering Herd from Marshall were 7-0 until they were upset by Rice in a 20-0 shutout. For Marshall, they have not had another game since this upset on December 5th. The Herd are led by quarterback Grant Wells and running back Brenden Knox. Wells has thrown for 1,839 yards with 16 scores, and Knox has rushed for 820 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Blazers from UAB are 5-3 and are 1-2 on the road this year. A player to watch on this UAB team is running back Spencer Brown. Brown has been the star of the Blazer’s revival, running for 3,862 career yards with 41 touchdowns. In 2018’s Conference USA Championship game, Brown rushed for 156 yards and one score.
Wolf’s pick – Marshall -5
Ball State versus Buffalo (-13) – Friday 7:30pm EST (ESPN)
The UB Bulls are looking for their first MAC Championship since 2008 when Turner gill was at the helm. Lance Leipold has righted the ship here in Buffalo and has done so riding the shoulders of running back Jaret Patterson. In five games, Patterson has rushed for 1,025 and 18 scores, including his eight touchdown performance against Kent State. Patterson alone is worth watching this game for. We could have witnessed two great running backs, but Caleb Huntley for Ball State opted out. In steps Justin Hall who rushed for 175 yards and two scores on just 10 carries against Western Michigan. Look for the Bulls to once again ride Patterson and the running game in this one.
Wolf’s pick – Buffalo -13
Oregon versus #13 USC (-3) – Friday 8pm (FOX)
The Pac-12 always seems to be the forgotten power 5 conference. Is it because us east coasters do not really care, or is it that they always seem to fold in the big games? What if I told you the Trojans have a shot at the CFP? There is a small chance and that is all the motivation this team needs. Trojans QB Kedon Slovis has made a name for himself this season. The Sophomore got off to a slow start, but in the Trojans last two wins, Slovis has thrown for five touchdowns in each contest. For Oregon, the offense has not been flashy, but rather it has been the defense keeping them in games. Look for the defensive line to get into the backfield and put pressure on Slovis. The Trojans are not a big rushing team, so look for the Ducks to apply as much pressure as possible.
Wolf’s pick – USC -3
#14 Northwestern versus #4 Ohio State (-20.5) – Saturday 12pm EST (FOX)
The first game on Saturday will set the tone for the rest of the day. With the Buckeyes holding the fourth spot in the CFP, there are teams on the outside like Texas A&M, Iowa State, and Cincinnati hoping for a slip up. A slip up does not even have to be a loss for the Buckeyes, but a bad win could hurt the Buckeyes chances of making the playoffs. Justin Fields and company need to show the committee a convincing win if they want to keep playing football this season. The Buckeyes can put up points, and put up points in a hurry. While the running game is not the same with the departure of JK Dobbins, the ground game for the Buckeyes has picked up steam as the season has unfolded. Can you imagine if Northwestern never lost to Michigan State and both teams entered Saturday undefeated? A win for Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats would have been in the mix for a playoff spot. So what does Northwestern have to do to win this one? The big thing is tempo. No team is better at converting on big third downs and taking the opposing teams out of their rhythm. Defensively, their defense has been spectacular, especially in the air game. The Northwestern defense has more interceptions (12) than touchdowns allowed through the air (7).
Wolf’s pick – Ohio State -20.5
#10 Oklahoma versus #6 Iowa State (+5.5) – Saturday 12pm EST (ABC)
Is there any chance either of these two loss teams makes it into the playoffs? No unfortunately not, but that does not mean you shouldn’t want this one. Iowa State won the first matchup 37-30 with a late rally. Hopefully round 2 will be just as good. When I say Oklahoma Sooners football, you should immediately think about their offense. Baker, Kyler, Jalen, and now Spencer Rattler. But what if I told you that the Sooners defense went from one of the nations worst defenses two years ago, to the 16th ranked defense this year. Huge kudos to defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. What about that offense though? The Sooners lead the Big-12 in total offense, scoring offense, and passing offense. Safe to say Lincoln Riley knows how to draw em up. For the Cyclones, quarterback Brock Purdy was a preseason Heisman dark horse. The Junior QB has not been horrible, but he did not perform well in Iowa States two bad losses to Louisiana and Kansas State. As of late however, Purdy has picked up his performance. Over the last three games, Purdy has completed over 80% of his passes and has this Cyclones offense rolling in the right direction, at the right time.
Wolf’s pick – Oklahoma -5.5
#19 Louisiana versus #12 Coastal Carolina (-3.5) – 3:30pm EST (ESPN)
This was a highly anticipated matchup that we were all looking forward to. However, as of Thursday night, this game has been cancelled due to a positive COVID test. What a punch to the gut.
#3 Clemson versus #2 Notre Dame (+10.5) – 4pm EST (ABC)
The line on this one has moved from Clemson -7 to Clemson -10.5. Guess you could say Trevor Lawrence has an effect huh? If this matchup is anything like the first one back on November 9th, then we are in for a doozy! Notre Dame has played well all season. Other than a close call against Louisville, this Irish team has earned their #2 ranking. Ian Book has had a lot to do with the performance of the Irish. The QB has played well, and has showed up in the teams biggest games. Book has completed passes with five players having more than 15+ receptions on the season. In the backfield, Kyren Williams has carried the load, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 12 scores. Clemson knows that Book can run as well, as the QB has rushed for over 450 yards and has 8 rushing touchdowns himself.
Trevor Lawrence has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the last two ACC championships. Lawrence will be the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. We could go on and on about the Clemson quarterback, but we will let his performance on Saturday do the talking for him. Clemson is healthy this time around. The Tigers defensive line will be 100% and will put pressure on Book and the Notre Dame. I don’t expect the Irish to convert on 10 of 19 third downs like they did in the first contest. Clemson has won the last three ACC titles by a combined score of 142-30. Those were against Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Miami. I expect this game to be a little bit closer than those three. Clemson wins in a close one, leap frogging Notre Dame in the rankings.
Wolf’s pick – Notre Dame +10.5
Boise State versus #24 San Jose State (+6.5) – 4:30pm EST (FOX)
Did you know that San Jose State had a football team, let alone an undefeated season? That is right. The Spartans have been led by quarterback Nick Starkel who has thrown for 1,453 yards through the air and 13 touchdowns. Head coach Brent Brennan has done an excellent job building this program, and with a Mountain West Conference Championship can only help his recruiting efforts. For Boise State, we all know the story. A Cinderella team who upset Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Year in and year out, the Broncos produce players and compete at the highest of levels. These two teams were supposed to play on November 18th, but due to Covid, the game was cancelled. On that Saturday, the Broncos were 11 point favorites.
Wolf’s pick – Boise State -6.5
#23 Tulsa versus #9 Cincinnati (-14.5) – 8pm EST (ABC)
The College Football Playoff Committee swiped left on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the most recent CFP rankings. The undefeated Bearcats have not played since November 21st, which has not helped their chances, but if Clemson gets smoked, and Ohio State gets shocked, well then maybe Cinci has a chance. The Bearcats have the best rushing attack in the AAC and the offensive line has a lot to do with that. Quarterback Desmond Rider has played well all season long and this Cincinnati offense can score in bunches. For Tulsa, it will be their defense that has to be a difference maker in this game. Keep the Bearcats offense off the field, and you give yourselves a chance. A player to keep an eye on is Golden Hurricanes linebacker Zaven Collins. At 6’4″ 260, this freak of an athlete will be playing on Sunday’s soon enough.
Wolf’s pick – Cincinnati -14.5
#7 Florida versus #1 Alabama (-17) – 8pm EST (CBS)
Mac Jones has caught the eyes of NFL scouts with his play in 2020. The Junior quarterback from Jacksonville has thrown for over 3,300 yards and connected on 27 touchdowns through the air while only being picked 3 times. Nick Saban’s ability to reload talent year in and year out is remarkable. Out goes Tua and in steps Mac. Some might ask if this is the best ‘Bama squad during Saban’s tenure. If Marco Wilson didn’t throw an LSU Tigers spike, the Gators would be battling for the final playoff spot. Instead they now have two losses, soon to be three, and Kyle Trask’s season has gone to waste. Florida has nothing to play for Saturday evening, other than pride, and to not get run out of Mercedez-Benz Stadium. Is it me, or is the Dr. Pepper Halftime Challenge during the SEC Championship game just hit different? I will never forget this performance, mainly because we were introduced to the chest pass with a football.
Wolf’s pick – Bama -17
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