American Athletic Conference Championship
#20 Memphis vs. #14 UCF
The first of our three rematches set up for the day takes place in the American Conference. The Gold Knights ROLLED the Tigers 40-13 in their first meeting this season, racking up 603 total yards and dominating the clock with over 37 minutes of Time of Possession. Memphis has been rolling on their own since, scorning no less than 41 points in their last 5 games. I expect lots of points and yards to be put up in this game, and this should be an interesting game. Memphis QB Riley Ferguson against the Knights defense will be a key factor to watch in this one as he threw 3 of his 8 picks against UCF earlier this season. He has 3,500 yards and 32 TDs, but UCF will bring lots of pressure again, especially since they sacked him twice last game, and will be looking for more today. UCF's offense is coming off an incredible game against USF, so look for Scott Frost and his crew to continue their momentum. This will likely be Frost's last game as a Gold Knight, but I know he'll get it done! UCF wins the American Athletic Conference Championship over Memphis 49-36. Be sure to watch for another thriller!
Big XII Conference Championship
#11 TCU vs. #3 Oklahoma
The second of our rematches takes place down in Texas as the Horned Frogs square off against Baker Mayfield and the Sooners. Oklahoma took the first meeting in a solid, unwavering 38-20 performance. The Frogs weren't quite at full capacity with Kenny Hill recovering from injury, but the defense was the big issue last time. They gave up 533 yards, including 383 from Mayfield himself. They will need to be extremely disciplined this time around and limit the big plays Baker will try to make with his mobility. With the Frogs offense, they need to get Darius Anderson rolling. If they can establish a rushing attack early, that will take a lot of pressure of Kenny Hill to win the game on his arm. Anderson has 768 yards and 8 TDs on the season while averaging 6 yards per carry. Oklahoma gives up an average of 150 on the ground per game, and let's be real, no Big XII team really has much defense. TCU has the best in the conference statistically, but Baker Mayfield makes any defense look like they're ranked in the 100s. I think it will be a tough game, hopefully a fun to watch, but I think Baker Mayfield is too much yet again for the Frogs. Not the best attitude all the time, but Mayfield is someone who just refuses to lose, and he's the best player in College Football because of that. I think this one has the most potential for the upset out of the 3 rematches, but I'll take the Sooners in a tight one. Oklahoma wins the Big XII and a spot in the playoff, 37-31.
SEC Championship
#6 Georgia vs. #2 Auburn
The third and final rematch comes down in Atlanta, GA as the Bulldogs look to avenge their only loss of the year against the Tigers of Auburn. This rematch plays the biggest role because the winner is almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. I've been calling it for the past few weeks, "Auburn will be the first 2-loss playoff team", and I will stick with it. Georgia will not be easy to beat... again. The Bulldogs are really set out on defense to stop the run and demolish the line of scrimmage. Since their loss to Auburn (where they gave up 237 rushing yards), they've given up 124 to Kentucky and 188 to Georgia Tech. This defense has stepped up and made it nearly impossible for teams to pace any sort of ground game on them for most the season, and will be looking to right the ship against Auburn this time around. The Tigers' star RB, Kerryon Johnson, had 167 yards in the first meeting between these teams, but could struggle today as he's battling a brutal shoulder injury that ended taking him out of the Bama game last week. That's why my focus will be on Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham. Stidham has been phenomenal over the second half of the season, completing no less than 67.9% of his passes in each of his last 5 games, including two back to back 75% performances. His scrambling ability has been another big factor for defenses to watch as he has 127 rushing yards and 3 TDs on the ground over those 5 games as well. He's playing with unbelievable confidence and that will be tough to slow down in this game. Georgia definitely has a shot, but protecting QB Jake Fromm will be crucial. Auburn's defense has 34 sacks on the season, and was able to pressure Jalen Hurts of Bama last week while locking down their run game. I think Auburn is playing like the best team in College Football right now, and I think they'll prove that to Georgia yet again. Tigers 36, Bulldogs 20.
ACC Championship
#7 Miami vs. #1 Clemson
Two of the best defenses face off in the ACC Championship as Miami takes on the reigning national champs of Clemson. Miami's perfect season was dashed last week as they lost to Pitt on the road, but luckily they still have a shot at the playoffs with a big win today. Clemson's one slip up this season came against Syracuse earlier in the year, with an injured QB. Syracuse played a great game, but with a sub-par Kelly Bryant, Clemson struggled to get anything going. Kelly Bryant will be healthy today, which could cause the U a lot of headaches. Yes, we all know about the Turnover Chain, and Miami's quick, hard hitting defense, but they have yet to face a player quite like Bryant. More accurately, they haven't faced a team with this many weapons! Bryant has one of the best receiving corps in the nation with Renfrow, Cain, McCloud and more. Miami hasn't faced a team with this much talent, so their secondary will be challenged a lot downfield today. Plus, you have the 3-headed rushing monster of Etienne, Feaster and Bryant. The 'Canes will need to have a Notre Dame-like performance if they want to pull this upset. In my mind, Clemson is arguably the most complete team in the CFP race this season, and they will be tough to stop. On the other side of the ball, Miami QB Malik Rosier will be the key factor to watch. He was benched at a point last week, and will face the number 6 total defense this week, compared to the 67th last week. The Tigers will make life very difficult for Rosier, which is why his decision making will be the difference. Scrambling when necessary and making smart throws will determine how well Miami plays in this game. Overall, I think Clemson is the best team, and they're going to prove that again today. Tigers head to their third College Football Playoff with a 38-20 victory over the Hurricanes.
BIG 10 Championship
#8 Ohio State vs. #4 Wisconsin
Of all the Conference Championship games, this one makes me nervous. Wisconsin has yet to face an offensive power like the Buckeyes, but the Buckeyes have been all over the place this season. The Badgers are undefeated and will likely lock in a spot in the playoff with a win, but they've faced only 1 top 50 offense in the nation! Their defense is good, I've witnessed it firsthand, but I'm not sure they can keep up with Ohio State, even if JT Barrett doesn't play. Barrett is rumored to be able to play today, even after a minor knee surgery last week. If he's unable to go, backup QB Dwayne Haskins will get his chance, and he played fairly well against Michigan. He came in mid-3rd quarter, so we don't have a very big sample size to draw from. That's could be a boost for Wisconsin, but Ohio State is still loaded with weapons. Wisconsin does have weapons of their own, two of them are the legs of Johnathan Taylor. The true Freshman RB has over 1,800 yards on the season and 13 TDs on the ground. He's the typical Badger Back that refuses to be stopped by anyone. Ohio State's 13th best rush defense will be tested to the max in this game. I think their linebackers will have the toughest challenge because of Wisconsin's play-action tendencies. Once they've sucked you in with their run game, Wisconsin will take their shots downfield to TE Troy Fumagali with play-action. Fumagali is a tough target to defend, so look for Wisconsin to use him a lot. My big concern in this game is Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibrook. Hornibrook has 13 picks this season, and is not the most accurate QB. If you try to make him beat you with his arm, he'll go 9-19 with 123 yards and 2 picks, just watch. JT Barrett is not very accurate as well, but he at least his his rushing ability to pick apart defenses with. Plus, the Buckeyes have wideouts that can make tough catches, so even when JT isn't on the money, they can still get the ball. Wisconsin doesn't have as much talent on the outside, so Hornibrook's accuracy has been an issue for their passing game. Ohio State will bring a lot of pressure, and I'm not sure Hornibrook can keep up. Wisconsin is a solid team, but I'm not sure they're good enough to take on a challenge like Ohio State. I think their defense will hold for a while, but give up a couple big plays that Hornibrook can't quite counter. Besides, I need to predict at least a little big of chaos, right?! Buckeyes win the BIG 10 and make life hard on the committee with a 30-23 win over the Badgers.
I hope you all enjoyed reading my predictions and have a fantastic Saturday watching the games! Let's hope for some more chaos!! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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