Conference Championship Previews: It's Gonna Be A Great Saturday For The Arizona State Sun Devils!

What a Saturday we have on our hands fellas with this Conference Championship lineup! Let's get right into it and make some $$$ shall we?!?!?

Big 12 Championship: Arizona St (-1) vs. Iowa St (O/U 49.5)

This game is at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas.

NO ONE is more lava hot than the Arizona State Sun Devils who have come out of nowhere to play for this title and a playoff berth. Head Coach Kenny Dillingham is the top young coach in America and a wizard play caller. RB Cameron Skattebo has been going nuclear every single week. 

Matt Campbell continues to do a stellar job coaching up Iowa State and also deserves a ton of praise. After a 7-0 start the Cyclones dropped back to back games to Texas Tech and at Kansas.

Right when things were going wrong, Iowa State bounced back with 3 straight Ws to secure this spot in the Big 12 Title game after beating Kansas State in Ames last week. The Cyclones offense is led by 3,000 yard passer Rocco Becht and 1,000 yard WR Jayden Higgins.

This should be a really fun game on the fast track at Jerry World where high scoring games are the norm. This location strongly favors the speed and athleticism advantage of Arizona State. Iowa State also struggles against the run on defense and they are playing the wrong team to have that as an issue. 

I see Skattebo running wild and the Sun Devils going to the playoffs…..

Arizona St 34 Iowa St 24 FINAL

MAC Championship: Ohio vs. Miami (OH) (-2) O/U 44

This game is indoors at Ford Field in Detroit.

My MAC knowledge ain't great so will keep this short & sweet.

Miami has a better offense and passing game led by QB Brett Gabbert. Ohio has a good defense and will try to keep this game low scoring but ultimately Gabbert's passing game on the turf is enough for me to think he'll lead the Redhawks to a MAC Title.

Miami (OH) 27 Ohio 19 FINAL

SEC Championship: Georgia vs. Texas (-3) O/U 50

This game is at Mercedes Benz Dome in the heart of Atlanta and Georgia should have a home field edge.

Georgia won the 1st matchup 30-15 in Austin in October behind a dominant defensive line effort. The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of short fields the entire game and controlled from start to finish.

What happens in round 2?

Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian is a master play caller and will make adjustments. The Longhorns Offensive Line is a good unit and should play A LOT better. Can QB Quinn Ewers take care of the football? Texas certainly has better WRs and skill guys than UGA and that should play well on turf.

On the UGA side, the same turnover question can be asked of QB Carson Beck. This Bulldogs offense somehow lacks playmakers and firepower which makes literally zero sense with the way Kirby Smart recruits.

RB Trevor Etienne being out also ain't good. Texas has a stout defense and I am having trouble seeing how Georgia can light up the scoreboard at all. 

Can the Dawgs defense dominate again? It is certainly possible. But Texas offense and play making advantage will be too much. The Longhorns clinch the #2 seed in the playoffs and exact revenge on their only blemish of the season.

Texas 27 Georgia 17 FINAL

Sun Belt Championship: Marshall at Louisiana-Lafayette (-5.5) O/U 58

ULL Coach Michael Desormeaux is going for his 1st Sun Belt title after replacing Billy Napier who went to Florida a couple years ago after wrecking the Sun Belt.

The Cajuns have a pretty potent balanced offense & home field advantage here too led by QB Ben Woolridge. Marshall is also not afraid to score some points. The Thundering Herd got rolled the first two weeks at Virginia Tech and Ohio State but bounced back to win 9 of the final 10.

One thing I know is true….. it gets wild in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Cajuns will have a big home field edge and I think they will ride it to a Sun Belt title.

ULL 34 Marshall 27 FINAL

Big 10 Championship: Penn State vs. Oregon (-3.5) O/U 50.5

This game is at Lucas Oil Dome in Indianapolis.

What an unbelievable opportunity for the Penn State Nittany Lions who had literally no idea 7 days ago they would be playing for a championship and playoff bye. Michigan shocked the college football world as a 20 point underdog at Ohio State to give the Lions the ultimate free roll here.

Can Penn State take advantage? Will James Franklin finally win a big game?

The Nittany Lions have been a model of consistency for years but have not been able to get over the hump in the big ones ESP against Ohio State.

QB Drew Allar had a solid year under 1st Year OC Andy Kotelnicki who came over from Kansas. Penn State has a good running game and a strong defense as usual. There are no real holes on this football team.

Oregon is the #1 team in America led by QB Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks have taken advantage of the unlimited NIL $$$$ from Nike founder Phil Knight who just wants to see a championship before he dies. (He is 86)

Coach Dan Lanning has come over from Nick Saban & Kirby Smart's coaching staffs to bring that SEC Championship mindset to the northwest and it has paid off in spades. The Ducks have a really good defensive line and playmakers everywhere.

Oregon also has better speed at at the skill positions which always means more on turf indoors. The Ducks offense is too much in my eyes and I see Oregon rolling to the #1 seed in the playoffs.

Oregon 31 Penn State 23 FINAL

ACC Championship: SMU vs. Clemson (+2.5) O/U 55.5

This game is in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Panthers stadium and also will be a cold one with a low of 31 but no rain.

Somehow Clemson has a shot at a top 4 seed and a bye with 3 losses?!?!? How the heck is that even possible?

It is because 2 of the 3 losses were against the SEC to UGA & South Carolina in non-conference games. QB Cade Klubnik had a good year and the Tigers have a better opportunity here than they probably deserve. 

Will they seize the moment?

SMU finished 11-1 with only a week 2 home loss to BYU when the Mustangs were juggling 2 QBs. The dual threat Kevin Jennings took over in week 3 and the Ponies have not looked back.

Head Coach Rhett Lashlee deservedly signed a huge extension last week too. SMU is flourishing in the NIL world as they have piles and piles of $$$$ as a private school in the wealthy Highland Park area of Dallas. And lost in all this is their defense is actually pretty good too.

SMU has not been in this big of a moment since the 80s before they got the death penalty. How nervous will the Mustangs be? Is the moment too big? Clemson also has a home field advantage here in Charlotte with the proximity to their South Carolina campus.

This feels like a game that could go to the wire but the Over/Under does feel kind of high at 55.5 in the colder weather. I definitely do not feel strongly about it but my instincts are feeling a Clemson mild upset here and the Ponies not quite being ready for the huge moment.

Clemson 27 SMU 24 FINAL

Will SMU still get into the playoffs with a 2nd loss? Who the hell knows?

Let's make some $$$ with our #dkpartner at DraftKings this weekend!