FRIDAY
Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State
Conference USA Championship
7 p.m., CBSSN
Kennesaw State was predicted to be among the very worst teams in all of college football heading into the season. Flash
forward to December, and they’re playing for a conference championship. This game may not mean anything in the playoff picture, but would mean the world for an Owls squad that no one expected to be here. Prediction: Kennesaw State-27, Jacksonville State-24
(#24)North Texas vs. (#20)Tulane
American Championship
8 p.m., ABC
It’s win and you’re in for these two teams. The winner will be the 11 or 12 seed, with hopes of pulling off a major upset in the first round. Both teams head coaches are moving on after the season, but will finish what they started with their current teams. North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker has been one of the most pleasant stories of the year, as someone who never started in high school yet has become a star leading a prolific Mean Green offense.
Prediction: North Texas-38, Tulane-34
SATURDAY
Miami(OH) vs. Western Michigan
MAC Championship
Noon, ESPN
This is my pick for the noon slot as I don’t have much confidence that BYU can give Texas Tech a game after being outclassed by the Red Raiders late in the season. The MAC champion is almost never mentioned in the playoff race, so this game is what these teams have been playing for all season. Miami took down Western Michigan in late October thanks to a furious fourth quarter rally. The Broncos will be looking for revenge as they hope to learn from their mistakes in round one.
Prediction: Western Michigan-24, Miami(OH)-20
(#3)Georgia vs. (#9)Alabama
SEC Championship
4 p.m., ABC
Alabama won a hard-fought game against the ‘Dawgs on the road back in September, 24-21. Both have been impressive since, but Georgia seems to get better each week while the Tide has mainly been finding ways to win despite not finding much of a run game. Both teams are banged up, but the ‘Dawgs seem to be trending in the better direction.
Prediction: Georgia-23, Alabama-20
(#2)Indiana vs. (#1)Ohio State
Big Ten Championship
8 p.m., FOX
Here we go – it’s the #1 vs. #2 match-up we thought we would be getting November 1 (sigh). The Hoosiers weren’t quite ready for prime team when they were overmatched by the Buckeyes a season ago. Indiana has improved greatly on both lines of scrimmage this season, but will it be enough against a Buckeyes squad that doesn’t seem to have any glaring weaknesses on either side of the ball? Both teams should get a first round bye regardless, and could be meeting again in the playoffs.
Prediction: Ohio State-34, Indiana-24
Duke vs. (#17)Virginia
ACC Championship
8 p.m., ABC
Duke could throw the playoff picture into a state of chaos, forcing the committee to choose between the Sun Belt or ACC champion. It may not matter since Virginia took care of business in round one, racing out to a 31-3 lead before the Blue Devils made it look more respectable with a couple late scores. However, Duke has an explosive offense behind quarterback Darian Mensah that could bounce back for a much better showing in round two.
Prediction: Virginia-34, Duke-28
