College Football Picks for Week 14: B/R Experts' Predictions for Top 5 Games
It all comes down to this.
Five conference championship games. Four playoff spots. Three more teams ready to punch their tickets. Two undefeated teams. And one defending champion, looking to pounce.
Welcome to Week 14, Championship Week in college football. In what seems like a snapshot or an eyeblink, three-and-a-half months of football has all been leading up to this weekend. Can you feel it?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here's a look at the final week of Experts Picks for the top five games.
In the least publicized of the championship games, the American Athletic Conference will crown its champion in Houston. Will it be the hometown Houston Cougars or the upset-minded Temple Owls? Each team has scored signature wins this year over Power 5 teams and have helped prove to doubters that the American is an underrated league. Houston quarterback Greg Ward powers the Cougars offense, and whether the Owls D can slow him down from adding to a season of eye-popping stats will be the key. And the quasi-home field advantage will surely help Houston's cause as well. It's not the marquee game of the weekend, but it should offer some fireworks.
In the Pac 12, we see the only rematch of teams in championship games, as USC looks to exact revenge on a Stanford team which dropped the first "L" on the Trojans this season. In that game, Stanford unexpectedly beat the high-octane USC team at its own game, outgaining them 474-429 in yardage and averaging more than 11 yards per pass attempt. USC head coach Clay Helton recently had the interim tag removed from his name, and since he took over, the team has responded well and surged to a Pac-12 South title once thought too far removed. For Stanford, it holds the slimmest of slim playoff chances, but a conference championship win could bolster its resume should chaos ensue across the country. In any event, expect another shootout in Santa Clara.
The most lopsided game, on paper anyway, will take place in Atlanta, as Alabama meets Florida for the SEC title. The Crimson Tide have been a juggernaut since their September loss to Ole Miss, pounding teams on the ground and averaging 241 rushing yards per game in four November contests. Heisman favorite Derrick Henry has been the catalyst, racking up more than 200 yards in four of his last six games. For a Florida team that has been in a downward spiral on offense since losing starting QB Will Grier to a PED suspension in mid-October, it's very hard to envision this ending any other way than a dominant Alabama victory. But, it's college football. It's a big rivalry, and as we've seen, especially this season, anything can happen.
The game with the most intrigue on Saturday is surely the ACC Championship game, which features the No. 1 team in America, Clemson, going up against the upstart North Carolina Tar Heels, winners of 10 in a row since an opening week loss to South Carolina. For Clemson, Deshaun Watson must continue to operate at a high level for the Tigers to keep their playoff and national title dreams alive. He's been masterfully efficient this season, and has led a late season surge in which he's scored at least three TDs in five of the last seven games. But North Carolina's offense has been incredible lately as well, as dual threat QB Marquise Williams and RB Elijah Hood (more than 2,000 combined rushing yards and 26 TDs) have led a unit that's scored at least 35 points eight times this year. Many are predicting an upset in Charlotte. Of all of the games, this one could have the most overall impact on which teams finish in the top four of the College Football Playoff. It's not to be missed!
Finally, we have the de-facto national quarterfinal game in Indianapolis, as Michigan State and Iowa square off for the Big Ten Championship. The winner of the game is all but assured a seat at the playoff table. Iowa, one of only two unbeaten teams remaining, flew under the radar for much of the year, but people are now taking notice. It's three-headed monster at running back of Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley is as close to unstoppable as any unit in the country. For Michigan State, strong-armed QB Connor Cook will have to play one of his best games for the Spartans to advance. Iowa has a stout run defense, and the Spartans ground attack averages only 4.0 yards per carry on the season, good for 88th in the nation. The eyes of college football will be on this one, as we see which Big Ten team will carry the torch into the playoffs.
In our own battle for supremacy, Adam Kramer holds a one-game advantage over Barrett Sallee on the season. Who will come out on top? Hit us up in the comments section and give us your picks for Championship Week.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
