Championship weekend got off to a hot start Thursday night as the Oregon Ducks beat the Oregon State Beavers 37-33 in the Civil War sending the Ducks to the Rose Bowl. Oregon versus Ohio State should be a great game.
Today’s slate brings us the CUSA, SEC, Big 12 and ACC Championship games, and technically the Big East championship game since the winner of the Pittsburgh/Cincinnati game wins the Big East. Central Michigan beat Ohio University to win the MAC last night.
SEC
A rematch of last year’s SEC championship game. Undefeated #1 Florida against undefeated #2 Alabama. Tim Tebow is seeking his second SEC championship (as a starter) and his third BCS Title trip. The Heisman Trophy is also on the line. Bama is trying to get to their first SEC Championship since 1999. Running back Mark Ingram is also a legitimate Heisman candidate. A strong performance against the Gators might propel him to the top.
Both defenses are elite. There are few, if any, weaknesses on this side of the ball for both the Tide and Gators. Bama’s defense might have the edge now that Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlop was suspended for the game following a DUI earlier this week.
The key for Bama, stop Tebow from being Tebow. If Bama can get to Tebow and put pressure on him, the Tide will win this game. This is a huge if considering no team has really been able to get to Tebow this year, but no other team has had Bama’s defense either. Saban will have his team ready to attack.
The keys for Florida is stop Ingram and disrupt Tide QB Greg McElroy. Again, no other team has yet to do this for an entire game this year, but Florida has the defensive talent to stop Bama’s offense. The loss of Dunlop will hurt though.
The money says to go with Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow. I am going to side with Bama though. The loss of Dunlop is going to impact the Gators ability to stop the run. Bama wins 21-17.
Big 12
Texas vs. Nebraska. Two great programs collide once again. Texas is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy. His offense is clicking at the right time of the season, and is clearly the favorite in this game. Under second year head coach Bo Pelini, Nebraska is back playing for the championship. As expected, the Cornhuskers’ defense is ranked in the top 20 in the FBS. The defense is led by Ndamukong Suh who is a beast in the middle of the Dline.
This game will be close until Texas opens up a comfortable lead in the third quarter. This will force Nebraska to press on offense and make mistakes. Nebraska is still a season or two away from being in elite again. Texas wins 42-21 and goes to the BCS title game again.
ACC
Talk about a downer. Georgia Tech and Clemson were riding high before last weekend when an average Georgia team beat the Yellow Jackets and an average South Carolina team throttled the Tigers. These two defeats did not help the image of the ACC. That being said, Clemson is playing for their first ACC title since 1991 and Georgia Tech is looking for their first title since 1998.
These teams collided in the second game of the 2009 season. Georgia Tech won 30-27 in a back and forth game. Look for more of the same tomorrow. Clemson will exact revenge this time. Tigers win 34-27.
Big East
Cincinnati vs. Pitt. Amid the Notre Dame coaching controversy is Cincinnati’s quest for a Big East title and an undefeated regular season. Head Coach Brian Kelly is the obvious leader for the open position at ND, but has this impacted his Bearcats’ preparations for Pitt? Probably a little.
Amazingly, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt has turned his team into a winner. They slipped a little last week against rival West Virginia, but the Panthers are solid and should give the Bearcats a tough game. Cinci will win the game, but they’ll have to come from behind to do it. Bearcats win 28-24.
Conference USA
Houston vs. East Carolina. Houston is explosive. With wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State, the Cougars have proven they can run with the big boys. East Carolina has played well down the stretch, but the Pirates lack some of the power they has last season. This will be a close game with a lot of offense which favors Houston. Cougars win 45-42, and get their first league title since 2006.
All the games should be good this weekend. The upset will be Bama over Florida, but don’t be surprised if Pitt beats Cinci.
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