College Football: Top 5 Games to Watch in Week 15
We are just days away from the release of the final College Football Playoff rankings, and there is still a lot that can happen between Friday and Saturday night.
Championship weekend begins Friday night with a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game between No. 2 Oregon and No. 7 Arizona. The Ducks have lost the last two meetings to the Wildcats and are in a position to contend for a national championship as well as have their first Heisman Trophy winner in school history if quarterback Marcus Mariota has a solid performance.
Saturday afternoon will consist of No. 17 Missouri and No. 1 Alabama battling it out in the Georgia Dome for the SEC championship, while Saturday night will play a critical role in the outcome of the College Football Playoff with three key matchups.
Florida State continues to move down in the rankings, but a win over a tough Georgia Tech team would earn it a spot in the inaugural playoff. Ohio State and Baylor are both sitting in the fifth and sixth spots of the rankings, respectively, meaning a win for either team could move them up depending on the results of the other four teams ranked ahead of them.
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes will face a Melvin Gordon-led Wisconsin squad in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, Indiana, while No. 6 Baylor will host No. 9 Kansas State in a Top 10 showdown for what will be at least a share of the Big 12 championship.
With so much riding on this final weekend of the regular season, here are the top five games to watch.
No. 7 Arizona vs. No. 2 Oregon (Santa Clara, California)
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Friday, Dec. 5: No. 7 Arizona vs. No. 2 Oregon (Santa Clara, Calif), 9 p.m. ET, Fox
It will be a heated matchup when the seventh-ranked Wildcats and second-ranked Ducks take the field at Levi’s Stadium on Friday night in their first meeting in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Arizona is riding a two-game winning streak over Oregon, which it upset 31-24 in Eugene on Oct. 2 for the first time since 2006. Prior to this year and last year’s dominat 42-16 win, the Wildcats had previously lost five straight meetings to Oregon.
Third-year head coach Rich Rodriguez, who was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year on Tuesday, has helped revive a program that had not produced a 10-win season since 1998. If Arizona were to win this difficult contest, it would be the Wildcats' first league title since sharing it with UCLA and USC back in 1993.
They’ll need just as much success offensively as well as defensively if there is any chance of upsetting Oregon for a second time this season.
Freshman quarterback Anu Solomon and dynamic freshman running back Nick Wilson will look to cause trouble with their zone-read offense again against a Duck defense giving up 430 total yards per game and 23.3 points per game.
Solomon is an integral part of the offense; he helps it average 291.4 yards per game through the air, but it will be a Wildcat rush attack that will be key to knocking off the Ducks. Wilson, who has already hit 1,263 rushing yards on the season, recorded a combined 653 yards and eight touchdowns in his team's last four games.
Much like Arizona, it will be up to an explosive Oregon Duck offense, led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Marcus Mariota (3,470 passing yards, 636 rushing yards, 47 total TDs), to rack points up on a Wildcat defense surrendering 25.5 points per game this season.
The big matchup will be Mariota, the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, against Sccoby Wright, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year who stripped the ball from Mariota to give Arizona its upset win back in October.
The difference this time around will be better play from an Oregon offensive line that was without left tackle Jake Fisher at the time, as well as more experienced playmakers in both the run and pass game.
The lethal combination of Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year Royce Freeman, who is the first freshman in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards, along with Byron Marshall at the slot receiver position should challenge the Wildcats.
Since losing to Arizona, Oregon has won seven straight games and averaged 47.6 points per game against opposing defenses. It is one of the hottest teams in the country and will have revenge, as well as Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff aspirations, on its mind.
The Wildcats will hang in the game early, but the Ducks will be too much as they pull away in the second half and clinch their fourth Pac-12 title in six years.
Prediction: Oregon 43, Arizona 27
Result: Oregon 51, Arizona 13
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 Missouri (Atlanta, Georgia)
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Saturday, Dec. 6: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 Missouri (Atlanta, GA), 4 p.m. ET, CBS
While many predicted Alabama would make it back to Atlanta after missing last year’s SEC Championship Game because of Chris Davis’ historic 109-yard field goal touchdown return to earn Auburn the West Division title, many did not anticipate Missouri earning a second straight berth in the conference title game.
Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide are coming off a 55-44 shootout home win against hated in-state rival Auburn and find themselves in position to contend for their fourth national championship in six years.
Quarterback Blake Sims had a career-worst three interceptions against Auburn, despite passing for 312 yards and four touchdowns, and will need to be more of a game manager against a Missouri defense that has been holding opponents to 19.7 points per game this season.
Alabama’s offensive line must be on alert for defensive end Shane Ray, who has recorded 59 tackles and is tied for fourth in the country with 13.5 sacks.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper put on a career-high performance Saturday night, as he had 13 receptions for 224 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll look to have another solid showing for Heisman voters Saturday, while running back T.J. Yeldon will hope to run through the Tigers defense after coming off a 127-yard, two-touchdown game against Auburn.
On the other hand, Missouri barely found its way into the conference title game with a fourth-quarter, 21-14 comeback victory over Arkansas. It was another defensive struggle for the Tigers and their fifth straight game decided by 10 points or less. In those five games, the offense averaged just 25.6 points per game.
If Missouri has any chance in this matchup, Maty Mauk needs to be able to move the offense down the field and get more production out of running back Russell Hansbrough, who head coach Gary Pinkel expects will play. Hansbrough is only 51 yards away from rushing for 1,000 yards.
The Tigers have to be able to put points up on the scoreboard; otherwise, they're not going to be able to keep up with a Crimson Tide team that is scoring 36.7 points per game.
Alabama should take of business in this one and come away with its third SEC championship title in six years to take control of the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
Prediction: Alabama 38, Missouri 20
No. 9 Kansas State at No. 6 Baylor (Waco, Texas)
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Saturday, Dec. 6: No. 9 Kansas State at No. 6 Baylor, 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Baylor is one of two teams still on the outside looking in for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. If a head-to-head win over current No. 3 TCU wasn’t enough to persuade voters, a win over ninth-ranked Kansas State would hopefully get the job done for Art Briles’ squad.
The Bears are a just one win away from clinching their second straight Big 12 title, but they could potentially have to do it without star senior quarterback Bryce Petty if he were somehow unable to play because of a mild concussion he suffered in a 48-46 win over Texas Tech.
Briles thinks Petty will be able to start against Kansas State, but if he were unable to, it would be up to sophomore Seth Russell to run an offense leading the nation with 49.8 points per game.
Petty has weapons in both the pass and run game, which could cause more than enough trouble for a Kansas State defense that has given up an average of 42.3 points to the Bears in the last four meetings.
A receiving corps consisting of Corey Coleman, KD Cannon and Antwan Goodley will present a challenge against a Wildcat defense that has been much better against the run than the pass this season.
Kansas State’s defense, which is led by senior defensive end Ryan Mueller (31 tackles, 4.5 sacks), will still have its hands full against Baylor’s rush attack consisting of Shock Linwood, who has put up 271 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games.
With much of the focus on Baylor’s high-powered offense and its playoff fate, Kansas State has just as much at stake Saturday night when it takes the field for the first time at McLane Stadium. A win would earn it at least a share of the Big 12 Conference title.
The last time Bill Snyder’s Wildcats traveled down to Waco, they were riding high on an undefeated 10-0 season and appeared to be in solid position to earn a BCS Championship Game berth. That is, until they went into Floyd Casey Stadium and gave up 580 total yards in a blowout 52-24 loss to Baylor.
If Kansas State wants to win in Waco for the first time since 2002, it will be up to the production of the offense.
Quarterback Jake Waters, who has 2,863 passing yards and 18 touchdowns this season, will focus on his reliable receiving unit consisting of lethal threat Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton.
Lockett continues to be among the most dangerous players in the country with his speed and ability to make big catches in critical situations. He has 79 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Lockett also broke his father's career reception record of 217 yards last week against Kansas.
Sexton has been counted on as well in critical passing-down situations for the Wildcats this season. Sexton is coming off a 141-yard, one-touchdown performance in a dominant 51-13 win over Kansas.
Despite Kansas State having a chip on its shoulder and looking to spoil Baylor’s national championship hopes, it will have too many issues keeping the Bears out of the end zone, much like it did against TCU on Nov. 8. Baylor will pull away in the second half and hope for the best when Sunday's final playoff rankings are released.
Prediction: Baylor 41, Kansas State 24
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No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech (Charlotte, North Carolina)
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Saturday, Dec. 6: No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech (Charlotte, NC), 8 p.m. ET, ABC
It’s the final test for a Florida State team that has battled adversity the entire season and has fallen to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings after winning seven games this season by an average of 5.6 points.
It’s simple, though: If the Seminoles extend their streak to 29 consecutive wins on Saturday night, they’ll be a lock for one of the four spots in the playoff.
Florida State’s current 28-game win streak started with an ACC championship title over Georgia Tech back in 2012 and could end with a loss to the Yellow Jackets if it's unable to step up to the challenge.
Quarterback Jameis Winston had a student code hearing this week and is expected to hear a ruling in two to three weeks.
While Winston continues to deal with off the-field-issues, he has managed to lead the Seminoles to late wins this season, despite not playing at the same level he was last season. He threw for 125 yards, two touchdowns and a career-worst four interceptions against the Gators last week.
Winston has thrown 11 interceptions in the Seminoles’ last five games, which is something he will not be able to do against a Georgia Tech defense that is tied ninth in the country with 17 interceptions.
Florida State will need help from its run game Saturday and will be without running back Karlos Williams, who suffered a concussion against Florida last week. Freshman Dalvin Cook will be the go-to guy in the backfield now with Williams out.
Cook had a career-high 144 yards last Saturday and will be relied upon to get things going in a run game averaging just 131.2 yards per game this season.
Georgia Tech comes in hot off a five-game winning streak, having knocked off then-No. 19 Clemson, 28-6, and then-No. 9 Georgia, 30-24, on the road and in overtime for the first time since 2008.
Quarterback Justin Thomas leads a Yellow Jacket triple-option attack that is averaging an astounding 333.8 rushing yards per game this season. Not only will Thomas be the catalyst for an offense racking up 37.2 points per game, but he’ll look for another solid performance from Zach Laskey in the backfield after he rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia.
The pass game could take a hit this week with team-leading wide receiver De’Andre Smelter out with a torn ACL injury.
Florida State has managed to find a way to knock opponents off this year late in the fourth quarter, but Georgia Tech will be its toughest test yet. In what will be a close matchup between these two ACC foes, the Yellow Jackets upset the Seminoles and win their first conference title since 2009.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, Florida State 24
No. 13 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Ohio State (Indianapolis, Indiana)
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Saturday, Dec. 6: No. 13 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Ohio State (Indianapolis, Indiana), 8:17 p.m. ET, Fox
Ohio State is the other team on the outside looking in on the College Football Playoff. While the Buckeyes were one of the hottest teams in the country heading into a rivalry game with Michigan, the fate of Urban Meyer’s team may have taken a turn for the worst despite winning the game 42-28.
Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, who had become a spark for the Buckeye offense by passing for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns in relief of Braxton Miller this season, broke his ankle against Michigan, leaving Ohio State with its third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, for the remainder of the season.
Jones is just 10-of-17 for 118 yards and has thrown just two touchdowns this season. He'll have the difficult task of facing a Wisconsin defense holding opponents to 260.0 total yards per game and just 16.8 points per game. The Ohio State offense, though, comes into the Big Ten Championship Game averaging 257.4 yards on the ground and 44.1 points per game.
Jones will look for help from 1,000-yard rusher Ezekiel Elliott and wide receivers Devin Smith and Michael Thomas, who have combined for 1,301 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
While the Buckeyes will be without their leader on offense, Wisconsin expects Heisman hopeful Melvin Gordon to play a critical role in the backfield this week after exiting last week’s 34-24 win over Minnesota with a sprained ankle.
Gordon recorded 151 yards and scored two touchdowns against the Golden Gophers last week to give him a nation-best 2,260 rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns this season.
Gordon, along with running back Corey Clement, will be up against an Ohio State defensive line led by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Joey Bosa. Bosa, who is tied for fourth in the nation with 13.5 sacks this season, will hope to be a force to be reckoned with and shut down a Badger rush attack averaging 334.3 rushing yards per game (third in the country).
This will likely be the most evenly matched conference championship game of the weekend, and it could go either way, especially without Barrett under center for Ohio State.
Gordon has rushed for over 100 yards in 11 of 12 games this season and should be the game-changer in this ball game if he stays healthy. Getting a solid passing performance out of Joel Stave would be an added bonus for the Wisconsin offense and help give the Badgers their fourth Big Ten title in five years.
Prediction: Wisconsin 35, Ohio State 30
Latest College Football Playoff rankings courtesy of CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
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