1) Hoying 44-21 (4-10 upset)
2) Draper 43-22 (6-8 upset)
3) Schweinfurth 41-24 (6-8 upset)
3) Seeberg 41-24 (2-13 upset)
Pac-12: Arizona Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks
Draper: In a game that almost no one is picking lightning to strike twice, I'm very intrigued. The Wildcats enter Autzen with the most important thing...belief. They've already conquered the Ducks once, why not again? Anu Solomon is a fantastic quarterback, but still young. I don't think he'll show any ill effects, but with that said, his counterpart has playoffs and the Heisman in mind. Let's be clear, if Oregon wins and Mariota doesn't crap the bed, the Heisman is decided. The Ducks were granted a reprieve with all the losses (and the committee's ignoring of said losses) and have their eyes on the prize. RichRod makes it interesting, but the Ducks are on to the playoff. Zona: 34--OU: 41
Hoying: The Ducks don't lose very often, but when they do, they prefer Arizona (stay thirsty). The Wildcats are trying to become the first team to win 3 in a row over the Ducks since Cal(!) did it from 2006-08. It won't be easy. Oregon hasn't been seriously threatened since Utah's Kaelin Clay dropped the ball celebrating a touchdown at the 1-yard line, and they've shown up impressively in two marquee matchups against Michigan State and UCLA. Arizona's QB Anu Solomon (who is not hurt, silly me) has been a fantastic success story for RichRod, but Oregon has the lock-it-up Heisman winner slinging the football for their Buckeye-esque offense. Whatever went wrong in their first game against the 'Cats, the Ducks will have the kinks worked out for this one. Zona: 20--Oregon: 28
Schweinfurth: Arizona has beaten the Ducks the last two times these teams have played. Let that marinate a minute. I really don't see the Ducks losing 3 straight to Arizona. Ducks get their revenge and Mariota gets his bronze statue. Zona: 24--Oregon: 35
Seeberg: Keeping this one short and sweet. 1.) I have NO idea how Arizona beat Oregon- I presume Oregon saw Arizona on their schedule in football and not basketball and had a ho-hum week of preparation that bit them in the rear. 2.) There is NO way that happens again, particularly with Mariota leading the Heisman ballotting. Ducks fly into the playoffs. Zona: 24--Oregon: 44
SEC: Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Draper: Congrats Mizzou! You won the worst division in college football....here's the winner of the best division. Uh oh. The talking heads are trying to make this one interesting, but I don't see it. Can Mizzousi win? Sure...but I wouldn't hold my breath. Bama showed they can win with defense or offense given the opponent. If you want to beat them, you need to excel at both. The Tiger defense is pretty good...but the offense won't be able to rack up enough points to matter. Tide Rolls into the playoffs. Mizzou: 10--Bama: 27
Hoying: Two words: mis match. Missouri doesn't have a win over a single opponent with more than 8 wins, or an SEC opponent with more than 7. And they've been skating by, using a decent defense to cover for an offense that can't move the ball. Against Florida, the Tigers racked up all of 119 yards on the way to a 42-13 win. They won't be getting 6 turnovers against Blake Sims and the Tide, no matter what happened in the first half of the Auburn game. Run T.J. Yeldon, throw to Amari Cooper, steamroll the Tigers, secure (an undeserved) #1 seed in the playoff. Although it would be hilarious to see Missouri win and the SEC get left out of the inaugural playoff... Mizzou: 17--Bama: 31
Schweinfurth: Mizzou lost to Indiana. While I believe that Alabama is overrated, there is no way they lose to this Tiger team. Please remember that Mizzou was a middle of the road Big 12 team and has now made 2 straight SEC title game appearances. This is close just because that's how Bama rolls this year. Mizzou: 24--Bama: 28
Seeberg: Keeping this one brief as well. 1.) I have NO idea how Missouri made it back into the SEC title game. Remember- they lost to nearly-winless-in-the-B1G Indiana. I presume Gary Pinkel has made a deal with the devil. 2.) It will take the devil reincarnate in Tiger pads to give them any shot of winning this game. Mizzou: 13--Bama: 31
ACC: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Florida State Seminoles
Draper: I don't think the committee has realized this, but the Noles still haven't lost. Yeah, they haven't looked great, but they find a way. Maybe it's Jameis, maybe it's the defense, maybe it's Aguayo, but they find a way. Tech comes into the ACC Championship at just the right time: Chop block-o'clock. This is a horrendous matchup for any team but GT still doesn't have the horses on defense to run with the Noles for a full 60 minutes. Jameis played his worst game ever vs. a good Gator defense...and won. He's not going to be that bad here. Georgia Tech will have some success against the injury riddled D-line of the Noles, but the magic continues for the Seminoles. On to the playoffs (until they get jumped inexplicably by another team with a worse resume...TCU?!? Their best win is KSU followed by who? Minn? Ask Louisville, Clemson, a healthy ND, UF, etc. how good the Noles are). GT: 17--FSU: 28 Thank you Mr. Hoying for not giving us the touch of death.
Hoying: It seems like every week, I pick against the Noles, and every week, they play like garbage and win. That streak is coming to an end, not because I'm picking the Noles to win, but because you can't play like crap and beat Georgia Tech. The Jackets are riding high after two consecutive wins over ranked teams, shredding opposing defenses with their ridiculous triple option. Remember what a so-so Boston College team did to Florida State a couple weeks ago? Imagine that, more competently executed, putting together long drives that keep Jameis Winston and the erratic Florida State offense off the field. Not that the picture's any rosier when the Tech defense takes their turn. GT returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Clemson, and nobody's serving up quacking ducks like ol' Crab Legs these days. After so many ugly victories, a loss cruelly ends the Noles' chase for a second consecutive national title. GT: 31--FSU: 24
Schweinfurth: What has been with the defending champs this year? It almost seems like they are bored right now. With that said, a slow start and falling behind in this one could be the kiss of death to the Noles. Georgia Tech has a very good defense and an offense that will just grind you into oblivion. However, I expect Jameis to get the Noles up for this one (easier to do when a trophy is on the line) and pull off yet another nail biter. GT: 14--FSU: 17
Seeberg: I wasn't all too convinced of the Yellow Jackets' abilities until last week. Granted, they needed a 53-yard FG just to get to overtime, but the triple option rolled over a Bulldog D that had shut down an Auburn rushing offense that is every bit as potent. The Seminoles, meanwhile, have gone all '02 Buckeyes on everybody, winning by the skin of their teeth against highly inferior opponents. The difference between the '02 Bucks and the '14 Noles, however, is that FSU's mistakes are keeping opponents in it where as the Buckeyes were just being throttled by the ultra-conservative sweater vest. FSU's penchant for miscues finally catches up to them. GT: 28--FSU: 20
Kansas State Wildcats @ Baylor Bears
Draper: Another very intriguing matchup. Baylor is puffing their chest out playing Rodney Dangerfield (No Respect). Well, you want respect? Take care of business here. If Baylor wins this one, there's no reason to keep them behind TCU. Resumes are comparable at that point so head-to-head matters....but they need this win. Bill Snyder may be Emperor Palpatine or Yoda but he always finds a way to win 9-10 games a year. The health of Bryce Petty is key here. The Bears struggled last week, but they were looking ahead (and that whole concussion thing). Jake Waters will score, but Baylor is tough to beat at home. You need to put on an offensive show to compete and I don't think KSU quite has the horses. They'll slow the game down to a crawl, but Baylor is too explosive. KSU: 20--Bay: 28
Hoying: There's no longer a de jure Big 12 Championship Game since Nebraska isn't around to lose them anymore, but this game provides a very large piece of the puzzle. A Baylor win gives them no worse than a tie with TCU (and the head-to-head tiebreaker), while a Kansas State win provides a tie with TCU (and a head-to-head loss) unless Iowa State pulls the unthinkable in Fort Worth. Since the Big 12 is very unlikely to get 2 teams into the playoff (no matter what cowardly B12 Commissioner Dan Bowlsby tries to pull), who will be the "One True Champion"? I made the mistake last week of counting out a star quarterback with a potential injury, and I'm not about to count out Baylor QB Bryce Petty for this one after a possible mild concussion. KSU QB Jake Waters is nearly as good, but Petty isn't alone in the backfield. Yes, Virginia, Baylor does have a running game, and Shock Linwood is one of the best in the Big 12. The Wildcats couldn't handle TCU's balanced attack, and while Baylor couldn't either, at least the Bears had the horses to keep up. Kansas State, on the other hand, is going to get trampled. KSU: 31--Bay: 38
Schweinfurth: This game hinges on Bryce Petty's health. If he is healthy, the Bears should win this game. That offense just has too many weapons and can score too quickly for KSU to match. Regardless of Petty's health, this game should be close. Baylor can win the Big 12 with a win and jump into a playoff spot. I think that is motivation enough. KSU: 35--Bay: 42
Seeberg: Baylor's offense is, surprisingly, very 2-dimensional this year, perhaps costing Bryce Petty a serious shot at the Heisman. If it ain't broke, however, it ain't gonna get fixed. The Wildcats have played well all year and have only given up 30 points twice, to Oklahoma (in a 31-30 win) and TCU (41-20 loss). Both of those offenses are balanced and capable of the big play on any down, much like the Bears' O. Baylor scores enough to keep their playoff hopes alive. KSU: 28--Bay: 38
B1G: Wisconsin Badgers vs. THE Ohio State University Buckeyes
Draper: I believe a win here may propel the Bucks into the playoffs (over TCU). No way they pass FSU if they win (just a reality). Now to the game: Run, run, run, run, hello boys, I've missed you. This game will be about the Buckeyes slowing down Gordon and can Cardale make it happen. I know Cardale ain't come to play school, so hopefully he came to play football. I haven't seen anything out of him that wows me other than his clotheslining ability. For the Bucks to win, he needs to be competent and the defense needs to rise up. It's incredibly important for the skill players to step up (Zeke, Thomas, Marshall, etc.). Here's a little hint about how to stop Wisconsin: stop (or slow down) the running game. If they beat us through the air, so be it. Curtis Grant, I'm looking at you. This defense has actually been pretty strong vs. the pass (sans Michigan) but very suspect versus the run. If ever there was a week to completely sell out for the run, this is it. Sure tackling would do well to show up. I think we can score, but no JT is a major issue. It's on Cardale to manage, Zeke to control the ball, and the defense to get the Badgers off the field. You know where I'm going...GO BUCKS!Wisc: 20--Bucks: 24
Hoying: After Ohio State lost their second Heisman-caliber quarterback to a season-ending injury, a stupid question has been popping up all over the place: how will Barrett's injury affect the playoff committee's view of the Buckeyes? The correct answer is: NOT AT ALL. These babbling fools haven't noticed that the Buckeyes face a very stiff test this weekend in the Wisconsin Badgers. Sure, their quarterbacks think that a "forward pass" means pinching a farmgirl's rear, but they feature the B1G's best running game AND best defense (sorry, Sparty). If the Silver Bullets can navigate this minefield, there'll be no question as to Ohio State's playoff viability, no matter who's taking the snaps. Can they do it? One need only consider the Badgers' last game, against Minnesota. With a tremendous home-field advantage, Wisconsin needed every trick in the bag to pull out a win against a team that 1) doesn't like to throw; 2) runs pretty well; and 3) has a decent defense. Even if Cardale Jones in fact did come to play school and not football, you might recognize that Ohio State is basically a better version of Minnesota, and they'll be playing the Badgers on a neutral field in front of a (likely) friendly crowd. Don't start having flashbacks to Virginia Tech, Buckeye Nation. This secondary and offensive line are nothing like what we saw on that fateful September night. As for the nation's top RB, Melvin Gordon, the front seven have had all year to face elite backs and learn how to bring them down. Granted, they've opted not to do so as of yet, but I think they have one solid game left in them. Regardless of what happens in this game and beyond, this season has been a tremendous success, but I'm craving even more gravy after Thanksgiving weekend. Go out and win one for Braxton, JT, and Kosta. Wis: 27--OSU: 28
Schweinfurth: I can't remember an Ohio State team that has had to endure so much in a season. Replace almost the entire offense, lose a Heisman QB, lose another Heisman QB, and then have the death of Kosta Karageorge. This just does not set up well in my mind for an OSU win...but then again, it can be a rallying cry. I have faith in Eli Apple to lock down a wide receiver and I have faith that Ash and Fickell will put together a solid gameplan to stop, or at least slow down, Melvin Gordon. Cardale Jones should be a capable QB in this offense and he is a tank. Expect the offense to look less like Ohio State's offense and more like the Tebow Florida offenses. No matter what happens, this will be an entertaining, and long (thanks FOX) game. Wis: 17--OSU:24
Seeberg: Given the extent to which I follow and scrutinize B1G football, I could write about this game for days, but I won't. For me, it comes down to two things: Who runs the ball better and my own ridiculous superstitious ways. Thing #1: Wisconsin can almost throw the ball now that Stave is back as the starting QB- it's at least enough of a threat to keep our D honest against Melvin Gordon, who we all know can run it and run it well. Our passing offense? TBD. I'm PRAYING for lots of 3-step drops, play action, slants and quick ins (and find Heuerman and Vannett please!!), but lord knows what we will actually call. In any event, we'll need a very potent rushing attack to offset the fact that we're on our 3rd-string QB. Thing #2: My ridicuous superstition. Last year I was leaning ever so slightly towards Michigan State in this game, but picked OSU because, well duh, we want our Buckeyes to win. This year I'm leaning ever so slightly towards OSU because Wisconsin's D is not as tough and I believe the Bucks will put some points on the board. Since that's the case, I'm taking the Badgers in a tight game in hopes of spurring a Buckeye victory. Wis: 31--OSU: 28
Upset Special
Draper: Oklahoma State over Oklahoma (The only game left)
Hoying: Iowa State over TCU (do you believe in miracles?)
Schweinfurth: Fresno St. over Boise St.
Seeberg: Louisiana Tech over Marshall
