This is my first college football article that I have ever written, so we’ll see how this turns out. Over the last couple of weeks, I have watched more college football than I have in years. I haven’t been able to watch a lot of college football over the last few years and I almost forgot how intense college football games are and can be. It also helps when you follow gambling lines. There are a lot of marquee matchups this weekend and there is a lot at stake. Other than Georgia, nobody really is locked in to the College Football Playoff and if they lose in bad fashion on Saturday, they may not be in. I will highlight a 7 Conference Championship games going on this week and give my predictions.

- PAC-12 Championship

#10 Oregon vs. #17 Utah (-2.5)

This game will be taking place tonight at a neutral site. They’re playing at the Las Vegas Raiders home and that adds a different element to the game. Just like any sport with fans in attendance, having home-field advantage is key. Despite Oregon coming in ranked 10th at a neutral site, they’re 2.5-point underdogs. Oregon will likely have the fanbase advantage in Las Vegas, but will it be enough? I don’t think so. Utah has been on a roll lately and these two teams met only a couple weeks ago. Utah destroyed Oregon 38-7 at home and the Utes have won 5 straight games. Both teams have a high-powered rushing attack, but Utah has a slight defensive edge. Look for Mika Tafua to be a big-time performer tonight and it will also be a huge game for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is projected as the current Number 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Momentum is huge and Utah has that advantage. I am picking Utah to win and cover.

- Big 12 Championship

#9 Baylor vs. #5 Oklahoma State (-6)

Baylor has the offensive edge, but Oklahoma State has the defensive edge. It is going to be a great battle and determining the outcome of the game could be a little easier because we have seen these teams matchup up this season. Both teams are stout defensively, so I wouldn’t expect a big scoring outburst from either team. Oklahoma State is 5th in the nation in terms of Scoring Defense and Baylor is 17th. That’s not a big margin, but Baylor allows a good bit of yardage compared to the Cowboys. OSU is 3rd in yardage allowed and Baylor is 39th. Where Baylor lacks in defense though, they cover it with their offense. They have the most prolific offense in the Big 12 and it is led by their RB Abram Smith. They’re playing at the Dallas Cowboys stadium, so it is tough to say who’s fans will show out more. I think Baylor will cover the 6 points, but I think they will lose the game. That Ok. State defense is gritty. I expect a low-scoring, tight, defensive game here.

- Sun Belt Conference Championship

Appalachian State (-3) vs. #24 Louisiana

It looks like this will be the first of two games that I feature that isn’t going to be played at a neutral site. App State and Louisiana have very similar defenses and it should be another great defensive matchup. When these two teams met back in mid-October, Louisiana throttled the Mountaineers, 41-13. The circumstances are different and these teams are seemingly different. After that game, App State’s average margin of victory for the rest of the season was 25.7 PPG. Needless to say, they have looked dominant. On the other hand, Louisiana has won 11 straight games. Both defense are top-notch. Louisiana is ranked 13th in scoring defense and App State is just 1 spot below in 14th. Despite getting demolished in October, I think the Mountaineers get the win and cover 3 points. App State has beaten teams badly over the last 5 games and Louisiana hasn’t made teams look as bad. Give Me App State on the road.

- SEC Championship

#1 Georgia (-6.5) vs. #3 Alabama

Unless Alabama gets trampled in this game, both teams will likely be in the College Football Playoff from the looks of things. I think it will be a close game, but by the looks of Georgia stats, it may be a barn-burner. Georgia has the best defense in the nation, hands-down. Georgia allows only 6.9 PPG. Yes, you read that right. Alabama has a stout defense (19.9 PPG allowed), but nothing like what Georgia is bringing to the table. All eyes are going to be on this matchup and if Alabama loses by more than a TD, I think they’ll miss out on the playoff this year. I don’t think that will happen though. Alabama’s Heisman-favorite QB, Bryce Young will keep them in the game and not let it get out of hand. Alabama has a Top 10, if not Top 5, offense in the country, but Georgia doesn’t have a very prolific offense. They don’t need to. When your defense is holding teams under a TD a game on average, you don’t need to put up 40 points every week. If Georgia loses here, I think they will still make the playoff. If they lose by a couple TDs, that will definitely make things more interesting, but I don’t expect that to happen. The O/U is 49.5 and I think it will be an under game. I think Alabama will get the points, but lose the game.

- AAC Championship

#21 Houston vs. #4 Cincinnati (-10.5)

I think there will be a lot of channel flipping at this time tomorrow. Cincinnati will look to become the first non-Power 5 conference team to play in the College Football Playoff. Other than those fans of rival teams, I think most of America is rooting for Cincinnati to win big here. 10.5 points is quite a bit for a conference championship game, but the Bearcats will have to win big to maintain their status as number 4. With that being said, Houston isn’t a slouch of a team. In fact, they’re not a far worse team than Cincinnati statistically speaking. Both teams have good offense with stout defenses. Houston allows 289 yards per game and Cincinnati is just above the 300-yard threshold per game. Cincinnati has the bigger advantage in allowing points though. Both teams have good defenses, but I think it will come down to QB play. Desmond Ridder vs. Clayton Tune. Both QBs have something to prove and it should be a fun battle. Also, keep your eye on Ahmad Gardner. He’s a big CB who is projected to be a high 1st-rounder. I think Cincinnati wins and covers here at home, but don’t be surprised if Houston is hanging around or even winning at any point during this game.

- Big Ten Championship

#2 Michigan (-11) vs. #13 Iowa

This is the biggest spread among the bigger conference games this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see how this one shakes out. Michigan is coming off of their biggest win of the season last week against Ohio State. On defense, these two teams are about as evenly matched as you can get. Offense is a different story. Michigan is far superior and Michigan is far from an elite offense. Iowa just doesn’t have it on the offensive side and I think they’ll lose pretty big tomorrow night. Iowa has had a stretch of sub-par performances since mid-October and that just isn’t gonna cut against a team with as much momentum as Michigan has. All eyes are going to be on Aidan Hutchinson, the D-Lineman from Michigan, who is a projected Top-5 pick. Look for Michigan to win big here, I just don’t think Iowa has enough offense to cover the points.

- ACC Championship

#15 Pittsburgh (-3.5) vs. #16 Wake Forest

This game is taking place in the home of the Carolina Panthers and while this probably wasn’t the ideal matchup, I think it will be a great matchup, honestly, this may be the most fun game to watch this weekend. These teams haven’t seen each other this year and both teams have very good offenses. Pitt has the edge on defense by a large margin, but both offenses will keep fans entertained. Pitt QB, Kenny Pickett is in the Heisman discussion with the 4th highest odds at the moment. I don’t think he has a real shot at winning it, but a big performance here could propel his odds. Pickett is number 5 in terms of passing yardage in the country and I think he will carve up this Wake Forest defense that ranks 101st in yardage allowed. In terms of passing though, Wake is ranked 49th in passing yardage allowed. If Pitt can get some sort of rushing attack going, I think it will be bad news for the Demon Deacons (118th Rush Yards Allowed). I think the Panthers, Pitt that is, will get a neutral site road victory and cover those 3.5 points.

Yacs

College Football Championship Week Preview 2021