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They don't make mistakes and will force Michigan to play error-free. They're ninth in scoring defense and third in turnover margin. The Hawkeyes are much better prepared than Ohio State to handle the Wolverines running game. The assumption is that Michigan just strolls to the Big Ten title game and takes down Iowa for its first College Football Playoff berth. How do you handle the emotional fallout from winning the biggest game in your program's last 10 years with another huge game the following week? That is the challenge facing Michigan following its cathartic defeat of Ohio State that probably has Wolverines fans celebrating with a semi-permanent smile on their faces. The win would make it very complicated on the selection committee as it weighs a Notre Dame team playing without coach Brian Kelly against a two-loss, non-conference champion. That the Bears would score the upset isn’t too hard to believe given the two teams played a close game in the regular season and how coach Dave Aranda might be able to game plan a defense to slow down Spencer Sanders and the Cowboys. The Bulldogs will remind us they are the best team in college football this year and will beat the Crimson Tide by at least two touchdowns.īaylor upsets Oklahoma State and opens a way for 11-1 Notre Dame or 11-2 Alabama (with a loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game) to reach the playoff. It’s finally time for Smart to fully step out of Saban’s shadow, and I think this is the stage he does it on. Meanwhile, Georgia is fielding the best college defense we’ve seen since the Alabama teams of the early 2010s – units that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart oversaw.
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In fact, they haven’t beaten a Power Five team by more than seven points since downing Tennessee on Oct. Alabama has fought its way to 11-1, but this isn’t a dominant Crimson Tide team. But it’s so easy to talk yourself into the Crimson Tide here based on the recent history of this rivalry and the aura of Nick Saban. Saying Georgia, the top-ranked team in the land, should beat Alabama in the SEC championship game should not be a bold prediction. None of the other 10 teams in the Power Five conferences that are playing for league titles have a viable candidate that would justify casting a vote for, so look for an outsider, possibly Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis or Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, to garner significant support in the next week. Of course, if Young performs well, this is a moot point. Some of our experts offer their forecasts on what we'll be shocked by this weekend.Īfter Georgia dispatches Alabama to clinch its spot in the College Football Playoff and make Bryce Young look like every other quarterback the Bulldogs have faced this season, the Heisman voters are going to have to really come up with candidates to send to New York. In the crazy world of college football, there are always surprises and unexpected results. 18 Wake Forest clash for the ACC championship. 17 Utah play for the Pac-12's place in the Rose Bowl and No. In other conference title games that will only resolve New Year's Six spots, No.
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Winning their first championship game would be a nice consolation prize if the Cowboys get left out. 5 Oklahoma State, which needs to repeat its regular-season defeat of No. QB RANKINGS: It's Alabama's Bryce Young, then everybody elseīIG DEALS: Kelly's contract with LSU tops list of 10 biggest in historyīOWL PROJECTIONS: Michigan, Oklahoma State join playoff field 16 Houston as they attempt to win the American Athletic championship and clinch the first berth by a Group of Five school. The unbeaten Bearcats get the advantage of hosting No. 12 Iowa for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis, one week after their memorable defeat of Ohio State earned them their first division crown. 4 Cincinnati appear to have control of their destiny in their respective conference championship games.