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College Football Week 15 Champ Week
Final week before the playoffs are set. My main takeaway is that they better never expand beyond 12 teams. We are already looking at 3 loss teams getting a spot. If anything, you could make a case it should narrow to 8 or 10 teams. With 12, there's still a meaningful regular season. Expand to 16 and you will have Big 10 and SEC teams that can lose 3 games and make it in with no sweat.
Everybody loves the backetball tourney, but having 64 teams means the regular season is almost meaningless. There's a handful of bubble teams fighting it out for the last few slots but if you're the fan of a ranked team, the regular season is a formality.
College and NFL football have the best regular seasons because each game means so much due to a limited playoff field.
Other thoughts. Travis Hunter should not win the Heisman. He's not having a special WR or DB season. You shouldn't just add together a pretty good WR season and a pretty good DB season and call that a Heisman. He's not even the best WR on his team. They just force him the ball to pad WR stats.
Saturday
Big 10 Championship Indianapolis
3 Penn State vs 1 Oregon 8:00 CBS Ore -3.5
Last meeting was the 94 Rose Bowl where Penn State capped an undefeated season then was robbed of the National Championship when inferior Nebraska was voted ahead of them. Ki-Jana carter was robbed of the Heisman too.
This is the biggest game of the week based on rankings and also the game that could possibly have the least impact. The winner will almost certainly be the 1 seed and the loser is likely the 5 seed.
In terms of analytics, this game is a toss up. ESPN analytics actually give Penn State a 53.6% chance to win. Styles make fights. What Penn State does well on offense matches up with some vulnerabilities (outside zone runs) for Oregon.
You can argue the loser is the real winner by getting the 5 seed in the playoff which looks to be the easiest path.
Penn State will be fine if they lose, but a win could help take the stigma off them for coming up short in big games.
Should be an interesting uniform matchup. Oregon plans to wear all black and Penn State will be all white.
Friday
Mountain West Championship - Boise ID
20 UNLV vs 10 Boise State 8:00 FOX BS -4
Can Jeanty do enough to win the Heisman? Maybe they should give him 40 snaps at LB. Winner is in the playoff as the likely 4 seed. Loser likely out.
American Athletic Conference - West Point NY
Tulane at 24 Army 8:00 ABC Tul -5
The winner has an outside chance to make the playoff but not very likely. Army in the unique situation of playing for a Championship before they finish their regular season. Army Navy next week. That's their playoff game anyway.
SATURDAY
Big 12 Championship Arlington TX
16 Iowa State at 15 Arizona State 12:00 ABC ASU -1.5
Arizona State has been on a tear. They never outright won the Pac 12 (I believe they tied once and got to the Rose with Jake Plummer) but they can win the Big 12 in their first year. The winner seems destined for the 11 or 12 seed and a trip to someplace cold.
SEC Chamnpionship Atlanta GA
5 Georgia at 2 Texas 4:00 ABC Tex -2.5
Georgia handled Texas pretty easily last time but that was Texas's first real battle and Ewers was just back from injury. Tex played a better 2nd half. Georgia is up and down every week. They only survived vs Georgia Tech due to some questionable calls going their way. Winner is likely 2 seed. Tex could possibly get the 1 if Penn State beats Oregon but I think beating #1 would give it to PSU.
ACC Championship Charlotte NC
17 Clemson at 5 SMU 8:00 ABC SMU-2.5
This is the biggest game in terms of playoff impact. Every bubble team is rooting hard for SMU. Clemson is only getting in the playoff if they win and that would essentially steal a playoff spot. SMU could possible still get in with a loss unless it's a blowout.
Final week before the playoffs are set. My main takeaway is that they better never expand beyond 12 teams. We are already looking at 3 loss teams getting a spot. If anything, you could make a case it should narrow to 8 or 10 teams. With 12, there's still a meaningful regular season. Expand to 16 and you will have Big 10 and SEC teams that can lose 3 games and make it in with no sweat.
Everybody loves the backetball tourney, but having 64 teams means the regular season is almost meaningless. There's a handful of bubble teams fighting it out for the last few slots but if you're the fan of a ranked team, the regular season is a formality.
College and NFL football have the best regular seasons because each game means so much due to a limited playoff field.
Other thoughts. Travis Hunter should not win the Heisman. He's not having a special WR or DB season. You shouldn't just add together a pretty good WR season and a pretty good DB season and call that a Heisman. He's not even the best WR on his team. They just force him the ball to pad WR stats.
Saturday
Big 10 Championship Indianapolis
3 Penn State vs 1 Oregon 8:00 CBS Ore -3.5
Last meeting was the 94 Rose Bowl where Penn State capped an undefeated season then was robbed of the National Championship when inferior Nebraska was voted ahead of them. Ki-Jana carter was robbed of the Heisman too.
This is the biggest game of the week based on rankings and also the game that could possibly have the least impact. The winner will almost certainly be the 1 seed and the loser is likely the 5 seed.
In terms of analytics, this game is a toss up. ESPN analytics actually give Penn State a 53.6% chance to win. Styles make fights. What Penn State does well on offense matches up with some vulnerabilities (outside zone runs) for Oregon.
You can argue the loser is the real winner by getting the 5 seed in the playoff which looks to be the easiest path.
Penn State will be fine if they lose, but a win could help take the stigma off them for coming up short in big games.
Should be an interesting uniform matchup. Oregon plans to wear all black and Penn State will be all white.
Friday
Mountain West Championship - Boise ID
20 UNLV vs 10 Boise State 8:00 FOX BS -4
Can Jeanty do enough to win the Heisman? Maybe they should give him 40 snaps at LB. Winner is in the playoff as the likely 4 seed. Loser likely out.
American Athletic Conference - West Point NY
Tulane at 24 Army 8:00 ABC Tul -5
The winner has an outside chance to make the playoff but not very likely. Army in the unique situation of playing for a Championship before they finish their regular season. Army Navy next week. That's their playoff game anyway.
SATURDAY
Big 12 Championship Arlington TX
16 Iowa State at 15 Arizona State 12:00 ABC ASU -1.5
Arizona State has been on a tear. They never outright won the Pac 12 (I believe they tied once and got to the Rose with Jake Plummer) but they can win the Big 12 in their first year. The winner seems destined for the 11 or 12 seed and a trip to someplace cold.
SEC Chamnpionship Atlanta GA
5 Georgia at 2 Texas 4:00 ABC Tex -2.5
Georgia handled Texas pretty easily last time but that was Texas's first real battle and Ewers was just back from injury. Tex played a better 2nd half. Georgia is up and down every week. They only survived vs Georgia Tech due to some questionable calls going their way. Winner is likely 2 seed. Tex could possibly get the 1 if Penn State beats Oregon but I think beating #1 would give it to PSU.
ACC Championship Charlotte NC
17 Clemson at 5 SMU 8:00 ABC SMU-2.5
This is the biggest game in terms of playoff impact. Every bubble team is rooting hard for SMU. Clemson is only getting in the playoff if they win and that would essentially steal a playoff spot. SMU could possible still get in with a loss unless it's a blowout.
