College Football: Week 15 Recap, Pick Results and Bowl Projections

The College Football Selection Committee was probably hoping that more would be settled on the field during Championship Week, but that wasn’t the case at all. The top four teams, along with No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Baylor, all won their games and clinched conference titles.

Now it will be a battle for the fourth and final spot in the rankings between TCU, Ohio State and Baylor. The nation will find out the fate of these three talented teams on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Alabama should find itself at the No. 1 spot in the rankings for a fourth consecutive week with a convincing 42-13 win over East Division champion Missouri in the SEC Championship Game. Besides three big passing plays from Maty Mauk to Jimmie Hunt, the Tigers were held in check the entire game.

Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims passed for 262 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Derrick Henry bruised his way through the Missouri defense and recorded a career-high 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Alabama wrapped up its 24th SEC title with 504 yards on offense and was an impressive 9-of-13 in third-down situations.

No. 2 Oregon faced off Friday night with No. 7 Arizona in what many predicted to be another competitive matchup in the Pac-12 Championship Game. While the Ducks were up only 6-0 after the first quarter, it got brutal as the game progressed for a Wildcats team that was out-gained 382 to 25 yards and failed to convert a third down in the first half.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota finished the game with 313 passing yards and five total touchdowns, which did more than lock up Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy in school history. Not only did Mariota have an impressive performance, but physical freshman running back Royce Freeman racked up 114 yards. The Ducks defense also shut down an Arizona offense coming in averaging 481.3 total yards per game to just 224 total yards.

Oregon got the revenge it wanted with a blowout 51-13 victory to earn its fourth conference title in six years.

With the Ducks locking up the Pac-12 Conference, fourth-ranked Florida State managed to get by a dangerous 11th-ranked Georgia Tech team in the ACC Championship Game, 37-35.  

Jameis Winston had his best overall game of the season, as he was 21-of-30 for 309 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Winston was able to get all the help he needed with wide receiver Rashad Greene (123 yards, two TDs) and running back Dalvin Cook (177 yards, one TD) giving the Georgia Tech defense problems the entire game. The Seminoles won their 29th consecutive game and will be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

All three teams in contention for the final spot in the playoff had solid performances on Saturday. No. 3 TCU dismantled an inferior Iowa State team at home with a 55-3 win. Quarterback Trevone Boykin finished the contest 30-of-41 for 460 yards with four touchdowns.

The other Big 12 team in the race is No. 6 Baylor, who took a share of the Big 12 title with a 38-27 win over No. 9 Kansas State. Bears quarterback Bryce Petty finished 34-of-41 for 412 yards with one touchdown.

The Big Ten Championship was the biggest surprise on Saturday with Ohio State third-string quarterback Cardale Jones destroying one of the best defenses in the country in his first start under center. Jones, who threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, received a lot of help from running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver Devin Smith.

Ezekiel racked up 220 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Smith had 137 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes' 59-0 statement win over No. 13 Wisconsin gives Urban Meyer his first Big Ten title at Ohio State.

Pick Results

Overall Record: 48-27

Week 15 Record: 3-2

Note: Team in bold indicates author’s pick

Prediction: Oregon 43, Arizona 27

Result: Oregon 51, Arizona 13

Prediction: Alabama 38, Missouri 20

Result: Alabama 42, Missouri 13

Prediction: Baylor 41, Kansas State 24

Result: Baylor 38, Kansas State 27


Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, Florida State 24

Result: Florida State 37, Georgia Tech 35

Prediction: Wisconsin 35, Ohio State 30

Result: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0

Bowl Projections

Regarding how to differentiate No. 3 TCU, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Baylor, there are few aspects to look at. 

TCU moved to the third spot last week, but there has appeared to be inconsistency each week the College Football Playoff rankings have been released. Teams continue to jump around each week, and it has gotten to the point where it’s almost unpredictable. The Horned Frogs are a dangerous team and have played well, but losing to Baylor head-to-head in a tough 61-58 loss has to be taken into account.

If TCU is selected based on strength of schedule because of its nonconference 30-7 home win over Minnesota, that wouldn’t make sense, either. Ohio State has an SOS rank of 45, while TCU has an SOS of 54. Baylor finishes last in this category with an SOS rank of 59. 

The Horned Frogs lose in both head-to-head competition and in strength of schedule, meaning Baylor or Ohio State should be selected as the fourth team in the College Football Playoff instead. 

College Football Playoff

Rose Bowl	Jan. 1	Pasadena, Calif.	Semifinal	No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
Sugar Bowl	Jan. 1	New Orleans, La.	Semifinal	No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State

Selection Committee Bowls

Peach Bowl	Dec. 31	Atlanta, Ga.	TCU vs. Mississippi State
Fiesta Bowl	Dec. 31	Glendale, Ariz.	Boise State vs. Kansas State
Orange Bowl	Dec. 31	Miami, Fla.	Georgia Tech vs. Michigan State
Cotton Bowl	Jan. 1	Arlington, Texas	Baylor vs. Ole Miss