The conference championship slate is among us, there are a lot of great games with massive implications. This is the first year of the 12 team playoff, the bracket will be changed mightily should a few upsets be pulled off. I am going to give predictions for the four power conference games, as well as the two best group of 5 conferences (AAC and Mountain West). Let’s get into it.
SEC: Georgia +2.5 vs Texas
I am taking Georgia +2.5 against Texas at Darrell K Royal. Personally, I think they are going to win outright. Not only have they already won this game, but I think they have the goods to shut down the Texas offense. Quinn Ewers and Steve Sarkissian have trouble with the best defenses. Georgia has massive stud defensive lineman, Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann are two elite defensive minds. Georgia’s offense is starting to click right now. To play it safe, we will take the points.
B1G 10: Oregon -3.5 vs Penn State:
The narrative has been the same since James Franklin has been at Happy Valley, Penn State cannot beat the best teams. I do not see that changing on the road against the most consistent program in the nation. Oregon has not lost a game this year, they have beaten a better team than Penn State in Ohio State already this year. I like the points for Oregon, I wouldn’t hate shifting the line down to -2.5 to make sure a field goal covers.
ACC: SMU -2.5 vs Clemson
This game is a fun one, Clemson is historically an excellent premier program that wins this game. That is what scares me, but SMU is a damn elite program currently. Since losing to BYU, SMU has steamrolled their competition to this point. They are playing the best complimentary football in America currently alongside Oregon. For this reason I think SMU covers -2.5.
Big 12: Arizona State -2.5 vs Iowa State
Arizona State is on fire right now, I would run through a wall for Kenny Dillingham. His offense has been scoring a ton of points. Iowa State is no easy matchup, they have been consistent and playing great football as well. What is moving the needle for me? I like that Arizona State is at home, they want a playoff appearance and I think they will get it.
AAC: Tulane -4.5 vs Army
This line is a tough one to take, I honestly thought Tulane would be closer to -1.5 or underdogs, but maybe Vegas is valuing Tulane more than I do. I do like Tulane to win, I think Army since playing tougher competition has struggled. Tulane has the players, coaching, and scheme to get the job done. I think they cover against a tough Army team, their athletes are better than Army’s athletes.
Mountain West: Boise State -4 vs UNLV
This is going to be a really fun game between the clear two best teams in their conference. UNLV hasn’t shown they can win these big games. I like their fun offense, but it’s clear Boise State is a different animal than them. The game changers on Boise State are apparent, while I am not sure UNLV has those game changers.