As usual, the final week of the season found several upsets. Two previous unbeatens fell, leaving just Wisconsin and UCF. Ole Miss knocked Mississippi State out of the Top 25, and Georgia Southern won their second game in a row after losing their first eight games.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Wisconsin Badgers (12-0) [2]
2. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) [4]
3. Clemson Tigers (11-1) [3]
4. Auburn Tigers (10-2) [8]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [7]
6. UCF Golden Knights (11-0) [5]
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [6]
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [1]
9. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) [10]
10. Washington Huskies (10-2) [11]
11. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) [13]
12. Miami Hurricanes (10-1) [9]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [15]
14. South Florida Bulls (9-2) [14]
15. Stanford Cardinal (9-3) [19]
16. USC Trojans (10-2) [16]
17. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [17]
18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [12]
19. Memphis Tigers (10-1) [21]
20. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) [25]
21. Toledo Rockets (10-2) [24]
22. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2) [NR]
23. Troy Trojans (9-3) [NR]
24. LSU Tigers (9-3) [NR]
25. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [NR]
Dropped off: Boise State Broncos [#18], Washington State Cougars [#20]. Mississippi State Bulldogs [#22], Michigan Wolverines [#23]
On the Edge: Florida Atlantic Owls (9-3), Michigan State Spartans (9-3), Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-3), Ohio Bobcats (8-4), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3), Army Black Knights (8-3), Houston Cougars (7-4)
One game to pick aside from the Conference Championships...
#23 Troy Trojans at Arkansas State Red Wolves: This game determines the winner of the Sun Belt. Troy certainly has the edge, but Arkansas State is a fierce opponent at home. I'll favor Troy, but watch out for a Wolf attack! TROY
ACC Championship -- #12 Miami Hurricanes v #3 Clemson Tigers: Miami has a stiff defense, but they can't compete with the powerful offense of the Tigers. They avoided the Tigers in the regular season, so they really don't know what they are about to experience. CLEMSON
American Athletic Championship -- #19 Memphis Tigers at #6 UCF Golden Knights: The Knights get home field advantage, as it was Orlando's turn to sponsor the championship. I'm not sure the Knights needed that advantage, but they will make the most of it. UCF combines the strongest offense in the conference with one of the stiffest defenses. That is a dangerous combination. UCF
Big XII "Championship" -- #11 TCU Horned Frogs v #2 Oklahoma Sooners: I'd love to see Oklahoma lose this game just to show the conference that this pseudo-championship was a bad idea, as a Sooner loss removes them from playoff contention. Unfortunately, I think the Sooners are too strong for TCU, although TCU might make this game more competitive than their earlier 18-point loss. OKLAHOMA
Big Ten Championship -- #7 Ohio State Buckeyes v #1 Wisconsin Badgers: Prior to the second half of "The Game", I would have picked Ohio State with no question. However, it is uncertain whether JT Barrett will play. Granted, redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins came in and played excellently, spurring a comeback that won the game. However, watching the dominant Badgers defense later against a decent Minnesota team, I'm not sure Haskins can handle that. If Barrett is healthy enough to play, I think the Buckeyes have more offensive options and can win. If not, I have to give Wisconsin the edge. WISCONSIN
Conference USA Championship -- North Texas Mean Green v Florida Atlantic Owls: The Owls will prove why they moved from the Sun Belt Conference as they win their first FBS conference championship. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
MAC Championship -- Akron Zips v #21 Toledo Rockets: The Rockets have been rocky recently, but they SHOULD win this game. The Rockets easily beat Akron earlier this season. If Toledo can get out for their own way, they should win their fourth MAC Championship. TOLEDO
Mountain West Championship -- Boise State Broncos v Fresno State Bulldogs: This is a rematch of last week, when Fresno State beat the Broncos. Can they repeat that effort, or will Boise State learn from that game? As any NFL playoff team can tell you, it is difficult to beat the same team when you play too close together, so I think the Broncos will reverse their fortunes. BOISE STATE
Pac-12 Championship -- #15 Stanford Cardinal v #16 USC Trojans: Aside from the Big Ten Championship, this might be the closest championship game. The Trojans have an extra week to prepare for this game, but preparing for Stanford is different than actually facing them. USC beat them early this season, but that was before Stanford really got themselves together. Since losing two of their first three games, the Cardinal have been relentless. USC may not know what they are getting themselves into. STANFORD
SEC Championship -- #9 Georgia Bulldogs v #4 Auburn Tigers: We all know this is a rematch of the game when the Tigers beat the previously unbeaten Bulldogs. Georgia wanted this rematch, and had an extra week to prepare for it. Will that help? Maybe, but Auburn has been getting better each week, and their ability to fluster even the mighty Crimson Tide make me believe the rematch, though closer in score, will result the same. AUBURN
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