Well, not too many surprises this week. Aside from Illinois' loss, the Big Ten finished about as I expected. Only one other real upset among the games this week, as Tulsa fulled out a rare win against East Carolina.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0) [1]
2. LSU Tigers (12-0) [2]
3. Clemson Tigers (12-0) [3]
4. Utah Utes (11-1) [5]
5. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) [6]
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2) [4]
7. Wisconsin Badgers (10-2) [8]
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [7]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) [9]
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) [10]
11. Oregon Ducks (10-2) [12]
12. Baylor Bears (11-1) [14]
13. Michigan Wolverines (9-3) [11]
14. Memphis Tigers (11-1) [18]
15. Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-2) [13]
16. Florida Gators (10-2) [19]
17. Auburn Tigers (9-3) [17]
18. Boise State Broncos (11-1) [20]
19. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-3) [15]
20. Appalachian State Mountaineers (11-1) [21]
21. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-2) [16]
22. Navy Midshipmen (9-2) [22]
23. Air Force Falcons (10-2) [23]
24. SMU Mustangs (10-2) [24]
25. UCF Golden Knights (9-3) [25]
On the Edge: Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (10-2), Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (9-3), San Diego State Aztecs (9-3), Kansas State Wildcats (8-4), Wyoming Cowboys (7-5)
Pac-12 Championship: #4 Utah Utes v #11 Oregon Ducks : Utah has certainly been the more intense team recently. They also have the best defense in the conference, and a strong defense often leads to a title. You need a good offense to match, and Utah has that. This game will be close, but I like the Utes chances to win, and perhaps advance to the playoffs. UTAH
MAC Championship: Miami Ohio Redhawks v Central Michigan Chippewas : Congratulations to the Chippewas! Thought to be a mediocre team at the beginning of the season, and struggling in non-conference play, they got it together and won their division (although they did get a little help). They concluded with a three-game winning streak, and I think that will propel them to the conference title. The Redhawks have looked lethargic in the past two weeks, as if they didn't really care how they finished. The Chippewas want this title more, and they face the firepower to back up that desire. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Sun Belt Championship: Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at #20 Appalachian State Mountaineers: The Ragin Cajuns have had a great season, and nearly made the Top 25, but the Mountaineers have been here before. Their experience, and sheer offensive power, will propel them to victory. APPALACHIAN STATE
Big XII "Championship": #12 Baylor Bears v #9 Oklahoma Sooners : This game will progress differently from the earlier bout between these two. Then, Oklahoma didn't take Baylor seriously, and let them establish what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. But the Sooners proved to have the power to come back, engineering a record-setting comeback victory. This time they won't give Baylor such a cushion. OKLAHOMA
Conference USA Championship: UAB Blazers at Florida Atlantic Owls : UAB was impressive earlier in the season, but then they faltered. The Owls quietly kept on winning, and outlasted surges by Marshall and Western Kentucky. They'll outlast the Blazers, too. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
American Athletic Championship: #21 Cincinnati Bearcats at #14 Memphis Tigers : A rerun of this past weekend's game, Memphis will prove why Cincinnati didn't want to play them in the first place. While Cincy has the defense, their offense faltered last week, and I'm not sure they will get it together to outpace the dynamic Tigers offense. MEMPHIS
Mountain West Championship: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at #18 Boise State Broncos : While the Warriors have been a better road team this year than usual, they have to travel to the blue turf of Boise to beat the Broncos, who have a tremendous home record. Chalk up another conference win for the Broncos! BOISE STATE
SEC Championship: #5 Georgia Bulldogs v #2 LSU Tigers : The Tigers are so powerful this game seems over already. However, the SEC can surprise, and Georgia certainly has the talent to pressure Tigers QB Joe Burrows and company. This game might be closer than some think, but I think LSU will pull it out in the end. LSU
ACC Championship: Virginia Cavaliers v #3 Clemson Tigers : You have to pity Virginia. They had a good year, and what's their prize? Playing Clemson. Let's face it, there just isn't any team in the ACC capable of challenging Clemson. It's not that Clemson is that good (as I suspect the playoffs will reveal), but rather that the ACC, talentwise, is down this year. CLEMSON
Big Ten Championship: Even since Rutgers and Maryland joined the Big Ten, and the current East and West divisions were formed, what two teams have dominated? This is the fourth division title in six years for both Ohio State and Wisconsin, and the third time the two teams face each other in the conference title in that period (they faced each other once when the divisions were Legends and Leaders). This one will end the same way the previous two meetings have -- with a Buckeyes victory. OHIO STATE
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment