Top Twitter Talk Ahead of College Football Conference Championship Games

The College Football Conference Championship weekend is upon us with teams and fans alike are getting ready for what should be an action-packed weekend. 

While most of the focus on Saturday's slate of games is fixated on the SEC, ACC and Big Ten title games, it's important to remember that there are a lot of very good football games that will be happening as well. From the Pac-12 Championship Game, featuring No. 20 USC vs. No. 7 Stanford to the inaugural AAC Championship Game that features two Top 25 teams. 

Without further ado, here are the top tweets and chatter ahead of Saturday's conference championship games: 

C-USA Championship Game: Southern Mississippi vs. Western Kentucky

Some of the best games are the ones that no one is talking about. This matchup features two teams that know how to put up points and stuff the box score. The Hilltoppers (10-2, 8-0 C-USA) lead the conference in scoring, with 44.2 points per game, and the Golden Eagles average 41.7 points per game themselves. NCAAFandom noted the "conference's top two offenses" will face off:

Southern Miss (9-3, 7-1) has the edge in total yards per game with 535 juxtaposed to WKU's 520.1 yards per game, so all this means is: Whichever defense can get a stop during the game should win. One fan, Jonathan Toups, tweeted well wishes to the Golden Eagles:

"

Good luck to @NickMullens and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles tomorrow in the C-USA Championship game #smttt #mullens4heisman

— Jonathan Toups (@jonathan_toups) December 4, 2015"

Prediction: Western Kentucky 54-41 Southern Mississippi, which will kickoff championship weekend in style.

Kickoff: Saturday, Noon ET; ESPN 2 

AAC Championship Game: (22) Temple vs. (19) Houston

Temple has been a pleasant surprise this year with a 10-2 record under head coach Matt Rhule's tutelage. The AAC title won't come easy for Temple, however, as they take on No. 19 Houston who have one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football in the inaugural AAC Championship Game. Ofilispeaks shared a YouTube video highlighting this matchup:

Greg Ward Jr. has thrown for 2,502 yards with 16 touchdowns against five interceptions and added 893 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground so far this season. He has led the Cougars offense to an 11-1 record under rookie head coach Tom Herman, and the team should continue their success against Temple this weekend. Via Twitter, Chimni labeled this a low-key matchup:

"

Temple vs Houston lowkey the matchup of the week

— chimdi (@acadretti) December 4, 2015"

Prediction: Houston 34-24 Temple, as Houston has its eyes set on a bowl game in the new year.

Kickoff: Saturday, Noon ET; ABC 

Mountain West Championship Game: Air Force vs. San Diego State 

Air Force is an intriguing team to watch as it runs a triple-option attack that has been devastating this season, in particular against Hawaii back in November when the Falcons ran for 496 yards in a 58-7 victory at Aloha Stadium. Brad Porter has predicted a San Diego State win:

But San Diego State has the conference's Offensive Player of the Year on its team in Donnel Pumphrey. Pumphrey is the MWC's best running back and one of the nation's most underrated backs. He ranks 11th in the country with 1,464 rushing yards but has also hauled in 333 receiving yards on the year with 18 total touchdowns. Sports handicapper Jack Jones has San Diego as a 6.5-point favorite:

Air Force will have to dominate possession with its rushing attack to keep Pumphrey off the field, but that isn't likely to happen.

Prediction: San Diego State 28-21 Air Force as Pumphrey goes over 200 yards rushing on the game for the Mountain West title.

Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN 2 

Big Ten Championship Game: (4) Iowa vs. (5) Michigan State

Let's face it. Nobody expected Iowa to be here at the start of the season. The Hawkeyes quieted the critics, as 670 The Score pointed out: 

But here it is—one game away from the College Football Playoff. But before everyone celebrates this year's Cinderella team, it has to defeat a Michigan State team that has been on a tear as of late. ESPN's College GameDay doubts Iowa's ability to win this game, as it predicted Michigan State will win the Big Ten Championship: 

The Spartans have defeated some of the nation's—and their conference's—best teams, such as Michigan and Ohio State, and it's not a secret that they have a legitimate shot of beating the No. 4 Hawkeyes who have not completely sold the CFP committee yet, even though they are 12-0. They also have not sold Drew Allen on their winning ability in this game:

But the Hawkeyes are out to prove themselves to the nation, to silence their critics and to earn a spot in the playoff behind the trio of Jordan Canzeri, Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels leading their rushing attack.

Prediction: Iowa 21-17 Michigan State in an overtime win that secures the Hawkeyes a spot in the playoff.

Kickoff: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET; Fox

Pac-12 Championship Game: (20) USC vs. (7) Stanford

The Trojans have come a long way this season. When head coach Steve Sarkisian was fired, it seemed as if all was lost.

Enter Clay Helton. ESPN Stats & Info provided some key stats and the team's official Twitter account announced his upcoming press conference:

USC is 5-2 under Helton, and most recently, the team won the Pac-12 South title over archrival UCLA in a 40-21 drubbing. However, Helton and the Trojans face a Stanford Cardinal that defeated USC earlier this year, 41-31, and will look to run the ball against the Trojans with Christian McCaffrey as the leading man in the backfield. ESPN's Arash Markazi noted Stanford is a "four-point favorite" over USC:

But senior quarterback Cody Kessler will take apart the Cardinals secondary like he has done to most defenses all season long with 3,128 yards and 27 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

Prediction: USC 27-24 Stanford in a hard-fought battle for Pac-12 bragging rights.

Kickoff: Saturday, 7:45 p.m. ET; ESPN 

ACC Championship Game: (1) Clemson vs. (11) North Carolina

On Saturday night, the Tigers and Tar Heels will meet again as Clemson looks to secure its No. 1 ranking ahead of the CFP. No. 10 North Carolina is 11-1 with that loss coming at the hands of South Carolina, 17-13. Dark Falcon and the Tar Heels Sports Network's Jones Angell shared their thoughts regarding Clemson and North Carolina, respectively: 

North Carolina have improved over the course of the season but has not faced a quarterback like Deshaun Watson who can, and will, beat you in multiple ways. This will be Clemson's toughest test of the season on Saturday, as there is a lot on the line for both teams. North Carolina—with a win—could catapult itself into the playoff conversation, and some are picking the Tar Heels to upset the Tigers at the Bank of America Stadium, including Colin Cowherd:

But in the end, the best team will come away with the win. Look for the Tar Heels to be on the heels (pun intended) of the Tigers for most of the game, but it will be Clemson and Watson who come away with the victory and a 13-0 record.

Prediction: Clemson 49-35 North Carolina in a high scoring affair that will see Watson scorch the Tar Heels' defense all game long.

Kickoff: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET; ABC 

SEC Championship Game: Alabama vs. Florida

Derrick Henry is currently the Heisman front-runner and has been the main reason Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff picture this season. Henry has amassed 1,797 rushing yards with a 6.1 yards-per-carry average, according to ESPN. He leads the nation in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (22) but will face a stout Florida front seven that ranks seventh nationally in rushing yards allowed per game with 111.4. The SEC Network shared Alabama vs. Florida's SEC Championship history, and the Big Lead's Jason McIntyre noted "Alabama is -17.5 vs. Florida," which he assessed as "low":

Florida will have to rely on its defense in this matchup as the Gators' offense has taken a significant decline since Will Grier tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was suspended by the NCAA. Treon Harris has held firm since taking over at quarterback, but the Crimson Tide defense should be able to stop the Gators from gaining any sort of traction. It's a sentiment Matt Bretz of Wahoo's on First agreed with, but he stated he would still be rooting for the Gators:

Prediction: Alabama 35-17 Florida as Henry rolls over Florida's defense.  

Kickoff: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET; CBS