College Football: Conference Championship Week

ACC Championship- #17 Pittsburgh 45, #18 Wake Forest 21 (Charlotte, NC)

I wasn't far off when I predicted this game last week with my initial pick being Pittsburgh 45-27. This is the first time since 2010 that the Coastal Division representative won the ACC Championship and ends a decade-long streak of Clemson and Florida State dominance over the title. Kenny Pickett showed why he was the ACC Player of the Year, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while also opening the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown run that came about after he fake slid and kept running. The Pitt defense also forced Sam Hartman to throw four interceptions sacked him five times, and held Wake Forest to just 82 yards rushing. Wake Forest led the game 21-14 after the first quarter but was held scoreless from there while their defense couldn't find an answer for the Panthers' offense. The victory will likely secure the Panthers a spot in the Peach Bowl, with the usual destination of the Orange Bowl being used as a semifinal game. No matter which fruit bowl it is, Pittsburgh is the perfect representative for the ACC in a New Year's Six game. 

Big 12 Championship- #9 Baylor 21, #5 Oklahoma State 16 (Arlington, TX)

After the smoke cleared and the day was finished, this was the best championship game of the day. The ending is what movie scripts are made of. Oklahoma State had the ball on the one-yard line with barely any time left on the clock with a touchdown potentially winning the game, but they came just inches short as the running back dove for the endzone. Maybe it sounds a little like "Friday Night Lights", but it was a great ending to a hard-fought game. Baylor deserved to win that game the way their defense had played all afternoon, picking off Spencer Sanders four times and never allowing the Cowboys' offense to get comfortable. The Bears offense let Oklahoma State stay in the game, being held scoreless after leading 21-6 at halftime. The biggest moment of this game was midway through the fourth quarter on third down from the one-yard line trailing 21-13, the Cowboys fumbled the handoff and though they recovered it, they had to settle for a field goal to make it 21-16, instead of possibly 21-20 with a chance to kick a field goal at the end of the game. The Bears' defense completed the goalline stand with perfection, allowing them to upset the Cowboys and prove the first semblance of chaos to the day, while also securing a spot in the Sugar Bowl. 

Big Ten Championship- #2 Michigan 42 v. #15 Iowa 3 (Indianapolis, IN)

Ladies and gentlemen, this Michigan team is legit and they proved it with an emphatic win to secure their first Big Ten Championship in 17 years. While Hassan Haskins didn't tear through the Iowa defense, he and Blake Corum combined for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Corum's 67-yard touchdown run was impressive, but the 75-yard touchdown pass from running back Donovan Edwards was equally so. This was another instance where Cade McNamara didn't need to have the biggest game, which he honestly didn't, but that's never really been Michigan's identity. Any little bit helps, and McNamara's 169 yards and one touchdown were certainly helpful. Michigan's defense was really the star of the show. They held Iowa under 300 total yards, hurried the quarterbacks often, kept the running game in check, and forced an interception. Spencer Petras never found his groove and backup Alex Padilla didn't fare any better. With their big win, Michigan is likely to stay at #2, meaning they'll be the home team in whichever bowl #1, likely Alabama, doesn't pick. This also means they'll likely be seeing Georgia in the semifinal, which is a tough situation to be in, but I think this Wolverines team can do it. 

Pac-12 Championship- #14 Utah 38, #10 Oregon 10 (Las Vegas, NV)

I said in my preview for this game that I didn't think Oregon would allow what happened a few weeks ago to happen again. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was completely wrong because that's exactly what the Utes did. The Ducks' offense never got going and were held scoreless in the first half. Oregon QB Anthony Brown threw two interceptions in the first half, one that was returned for a touchdown, as Utah led 23-0 at halftime. Oregon managed to eclipse their score from a few weeks ago by putting up ten points in the second half, but it was nowhere near enough to win. A season that began with so much sadness and loss for the Utes, not to mention a 1-2 record, has ended with a chance to play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Ducks will likely be heading to the Alamo Bowl after losing for the third time this season and for the second time to Utah. They were in such a good position to make the playoff three weeks ago, but they've fallen hard. Utah deserved to win with their performance tonight and I was happy to be wrong about this one. 

SEC Championship- #4 Alabama 41, #1 Georgia 24 (Atlanta, GA)

I've stood by the idea that the committee has always wanted Alabama and Georgia to both make the playoff so with Alabama winning, they are going to get what they wanted. It provided a rather anti-climactic ending to it all with a Michigan win being the only thing needed to solidify who the top four teams were going to be. Now that I'm off my soapbox, Alabama was able to do something to Georgia that no other that has done this season. I don't think we should at all be surprised by the fact that Nick Saban was able to win this game, but we should be impressed with how his team did it. Bryce Young may have just had his Heisman moment, throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns against the best defense in the country. They were able to stretch the Georgia secondary to perfection, while also getting the job done defensively against Stetson Bennett. Bennett, while throwing for three touchdowns, threw two costly interceptions. Georgia's running backs couldn't get much going either, eliminating a key aspect to their offense. So now, Alabama is likely to jump to #1 with the win, while Georgia won't fall too far, but just far enough that they'll likely be the road team against Michigan in whichever bowl Alabama doesn't pick. It makes Baylor's win less important in the grand scheme of things and chaos was not allowed to run supreme across the College Football Playoff. 

AAC Championship- #3 Cincinnati 35, #16 Houston 20 (Cincinnati, OH)

The Bearcats got the job done to continue their perfect run with a win over a ranked Houston team in the conference championship game. By all accounts, going 13-0 and winning their conference should be good enough to get them into the College Football Playoff. Desmond Ridder needed to throw the ball 17 times, going 11/17 for 190 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Jerome Ford ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns. The Bearcats' defense got to Clayton Tune eight times and intercepted him once while allowing just 1.8 yards per carry. This was the type of statement win Cincinnati needed to prove they were worthy of a playoff spot. I think they've done more than enough to make that happen. With the way the rest of the championship games went, I'd imagine they'll be #4 when it's all said and done and they'll be getting Alabama in the semifinal. This will be a tall task for the Bearcats after what they just did to Georgia. Houston deserves some major props as well. They managed to keep this a game through the first half, trailing by one point going into halftime, The difference was the 21-point effort from Cincinnati in the third quarter to pull away. I'm hoping for big things for Cincinnati. Just imagine them making the playoff and upsetting someone to get to the National Championship Game. 

C-USA Championship- UTSA 49, Western Kentucky 41 (San Antonio, TX)

While it wasn't as high-scoring as their meeting earlier this season, there were still a lot of points scored in San Antonio. Western Kentucky struck early, but UTSA handled play through two and a half quarters, leading 42-13 with 10:16 to go in the third. The Hilltoppers proceeded to make things very interesting, getting it to within eight points with just over 11 minutes left in the game. They traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter and Bailey Zappe had a chance to tie the game with one last throw towards the end zone, but it was intercepted to give the Roadrunners their first C-USA Championship in school history with a 49-41 victory. Zappe, the nation's leading passer, finished the game with 577 yards and four touchdowns, but it was UTSA's ability to both run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense that proved to be the difference. Roadrunners' running back Sincere McCormick finished with 204 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while the defense allowed negative yardage rushing (-9) from Western Kentucky. Had UTSA not lost last week, who knows where they'd have ended up. They might have snuck into the conversation for a New Year's Six game, but they'll have to settle with a smaller bowl since they're in a Group of Five conference. 

MAC Championship- Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23 (Detroit, MI)

Revenge is always fun, no matter what form it comes in. For the Huskies, it was avenging a loss to Kent State earlier this season on a much larger stage for a much bigger prize. I wouldn't say either team moved the ball super effectively, but they cashed in when they got their chances. That perfectly embodies the day Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi had. Throwing the ball, Lombardi was just 7/15 for 102 yards and an interception and while he only ran for 17 yards, he scored three times with his legs, which alone was almost enough to beat Kent State. The difference in the game was arguably the pick-six thrown by Dustin Crum, one of his two interceptions on the day. The Huskies' defense shut out the Kent State offense in the first half and while they mounted a little bit more in the second half, it was just too little too late, giving Northern Illinois the conference title and a prime bowl game representing the MAC. 

MWC Championship- Utah State 46 v. #19 San Diego State 13 (Carson, CA)

This might have been the most shocking result of the day for me. It wasn't just because San Diego State lost, but it was how bad they lost. The offense for the Aztecs was nowhere to be found. This was a scoreless game after the first quarter and the flood gates opened for the Wolfpack from that point on. Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner finished the game with four touchdowns while the defense allowed just over 300 total yards and forced two turnovers and a safety. Neither team ran the ball well, but Utah State scored twice on the ground and held San Diego State to nothing. The Aztecs managed a garbage time touchdown to make it look like the offense did something good because otherwise, it was just two field goals. The Wolfpack truly earned their first Mountain West Conference Championship with an emphatic win against a strong San Diego State defense that they tore apart. 

Sun Belt Championship- #20 Louisiana 24, Appalachian State 16 (Lafayette, LA)

This had the potential to be one of the better games of the weekend and I'm honestly not disappointed. This game continued a trend of quarterbacks not having their best days with Chase Brice going just 12/30 for 199 yards and a touchdown, while Levi Lewis went 15/30 for 210 yards and a touchdown passing and rushing, but running back Emani Bailey ran for 117 yards and a touchdown that sealed the game for Louisiana early in the fourth quarter. I'm not sure how much more different this game would've been even if Brice completes a few more passes because the Louisiana defense didn't allow a whole lot to happen for the Mountaineers. Appalachian State had a chance to drive down the field and potentially tie the game, but a strip sack from Chauncey Manac put an end to that threat at the end of the game, giving Louisiana the Sun Belt Championship.