Week 14 College Football Preview

After a long wait, we are at the final weekend of the college football season. The big matchups are here and the judgment day has arrived for many teams.

Recap of last week: Ball State beat Western Michigan. Nothing too much but that. Texas and QB Colt McCoy had their hand full all night with Texas A&M. It took a superhuman game from McCoy to secure the win and keep their perfect season in tact and keep themselves on course for a national title game appearance. Rutgers had little trouble with Louisville. Temple did not have enough to outlast Ohio as anytime that Temple tried to get back in the game they were stopped by the Ohio defense and a score here and there. Cincinnati cleared another hurdle as they beat Illinois and now prepare for the battle for the Big East title at Pittsburgh. Central Michigan continued their great season and rolled over Northern Illinois and now await a matchup with Ohio for the MAC championship. Bowling Green and Toledo had a pretty competitive matchup until Bowling Green pulled away in the 4th quarter. Nebraska came out and gave another good enough effort on defense and now prepares to halt the Longhorns unbeaten season and crash down their BCS title game dreams. Boise State got a fight from Nevada and looked in danger of going down, but did enough late in the game to stay perfect.

In what looked to be a close matchup, South Carolina outperformed Clemson in all phases and gives the Tigers a bad taste in their mouths entering the ACC title game. Florida State did not have much of chance this week against Florida the way they played. Miami (FL) came out strong and played very good overall against a slowly emerging South Florida. Ironically, I predicted that Arkansas and LSU might go to overtime, which it did with the Tigers barely surviving the Razorbacks in another SEC classic showdown. Georgia Tech entered their rivalry game against Georgia on a roll then got stifled and thrown all over on in a bad loss going into the ACC title game. USC is in a bit of a down year, but still owns LA with a win over UCLA.

In terms of my top 5 matchups picks, I went 3-2 this past week and after thirteen weeks I'm 47-18 on the year. Notre Dame played Stanford tooth and nail all game, but every time they looked to gain momentum; Stanford HB Toby Geirhart would extinguish any hope. He was a man amongst boys as he ran all over the Notre Dame defense and concluded a four game losing streak now for the Fighting Irish, where questions will now circulate around the program. For Geirhart, he made a huge statement to Heisman voters and has his team back in a bowl game. Many probably thought that Alabama would rump over Auburn in their Iron Bowl rivalry. Last year wasn’t much a game and this Tide team looks even stronger. But the Tigers put up a big fight this year and almost pulled off the upset if it were not for a late score by the Tide. A couple years ago, Pittsburgh tripped up West Virginia when they were very close to playing for the national title. This year, Pittsburgh came into the Backyard Brawl with a chance to enter next week’s game against Cincinnati undefeated in conference play and even an outside chance at the national title game with a win. However, the Mountaineers got a little revenge with a big win.

BYU and Utah probably don’t get as much attention as many teams in the country, but were able to deliver a great game this past week. BYU jumped to a nice lead before Utah surged in the second half to force overtime where they fell. It was definitely a great display by both. And in Bedlam, it wasn’t much of contest. Oklahoma did whatever they wanted to Oklahoma State and despite their setbacks this year; will take satisfaction with this big win. It is a great win for the Sooner as they look to finish a down year on a strong note.

Now turning to this week's slate of games that might be worth watching/feature a team or teams with something on the line:

Thursday: Arkansas State at Western Kentucky: An average matchup and a bit of a way to build people up for a big weekend.

Friday: Ohio at Central Michigan (MAC Championship Game): Both teams have good offenses and can put up a lot of points and turn this one into who has the ball last; wins the game type of matchup. Should be a close one.

Saturday: 21 Houston at East Carolina (CUSA Championship Game): Houston has lucked very good at times and was in the BCS conversation during the first half of the year. East Carolina is no slouch and could easily win this one. Both teams have won their share of big games in recent years.

23 West Virginia at Rutgers: Rutgers has had a good amount of success in the last few years, but hasn't had any against the Mountaineers. This is a battle for the best behind the other conferences top two teams.

New Mexico State at 6 Boise State: Boise State needs to win once more to lock up a BCS bid and still keep their undefeated season alive.

Arizona at 18 USC: USC has struggled in the Pac-10 this year and Arizona has made big strides this year and is on the cusp of greatness. Expect a fairly low scoring defensive Pac-10 battle. Both want this one.

19 California at Washington: Both have had their share of good wins and tough losses and are fairly even.


Now my top 5 matchups for Week 14:

5) 10 Georgia Tech vs Clemson (ACC Title Game): Georgia Tech features a spread, big play offense. Clemson has a home run threat in HB CJ Spiller. This one could be a back and forth battle that might be shaped on a handful o big plays. Pick: Georgia Tech

4) 5 Cincinnati at 15 Pittsburgh: Cincinnati has weathered the season and stands one win away from a Big East title and an undefeated season still in tact. Pittsburgh has had a very good season and have returned to old form. This one might come down to the fourth quarter and the turnover battle as a mistake and late score could be the difference in this one. Pick: Cincinnati

3) Thursday: 16 Oregon State at 7 Oregon: The Civil War has not had more on the line in a long time. The winner punches a ticket to the Rose Bowl and is the winner of wide open race this year for the Pac-10 title. Both feature great offensive players and the better running game should withstand the close battle. Pick: Oregon

2) 3 Texas vs 22 Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game): Texas has been on a mission this year to right that one mistake in Lubbock that cost them an opportunity to play for the national title. Expect them to play a strong defensive game and feature enough key plays by QB Colt McCoy. Nebraska's tough defense will keep this one close and down to the wire. Pick: Texas

1) 1 Florida vs 2 Alabama (SEC Championship Game): Alabama knows they had a chance to knock off Florida a year ago in this game. They look better than a year ago while Florida has struggled at times despite being undefeated. QB Tim Tebow plays his best in big games and will need to play near flawless against this aggressive Tide defense. This one should be close throughout and be a back in forth battle. Expect a game changing drive that decides this one early in the fourth quarter. Pick: Florida

Championship weekend is here. We will finally know who are the top teams and where everyone will fall. Conference titles are on the line and anything is possible.