Championship Weekend

Big 12 Championship- BYU vs Texas Tech – This game features a regular season rematch. In their first contest Texas Tech blew out the Cougars 29-7. In this rematch the Red Raiders come in as a 13 point favorite. TT has scored more points than every team in the nation except for North Texas and Indiana. They have a top-10 passing attack and the nation’s top rushing defense. This high-speed offensive attack rest solely on the shoulders of QB Behren Morton, who was out due to injury in their only loss. Last week he had a very easy regular-season game as he threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns against West “By Golly” Virginia. Even with this high-power offense that is not the strength of the Raiders, that would the defense. In the earlier game against BYU this defense completely suffocated the Cougars rushing attack, and they limited the Cougars passing attack to only 11 attempts. BYU loves to rush the ball, they rank in the top 10 of the nation in their attack with RB LJ Martin leading the entire Big 12 in rushing yards. The Cougars also have one of the highest-ranking defenses but when they played earlier that defense was cut apart. BYU has to play better than they’ve played all year if they want to win this conference championship game. Most of the time when a team has to face the same one again in a season it is very difficult to win twice. However, that might not be the case in this game as Texas Tech is just too loaded and too good. Should the Red Raiders not beat themselves in this game, they will come out the Big 12 Champion.

SEC Championship – Alabama vs Georgia -  The Crimson Tide are the underdogs where they again will have to face the Georgia Bulldogs. In the regular season the Tide overpowered the Dawgs in Athens, making it 10 out of 11 victories. Georgia is going to do everything they can to establish a hardcore rushing attack against a struggling Alabama defense. UGA’s offense ranks 15^th nationally and they have been lethal in the red zone, scoring 77% of the time. The Dawgs are very balanced and very good, but they are not explosive, they only have 6% of their plays for over 20 yards. This offense when everything is going well is like an evil boa constrictor that just slowly crushes a defense until they are completely winded and can’t keep up anymore. On the defensive side of the ball they are highly disciplined, they take tackling seriously and they are efficient as they rank 8^th in the nation. Where they are weak, is the secondary, if the front line doesn’t put pressure on opposing QB’s the secondary has not been able to keep up, luckily the front-line bails them out. Alabama’s offense raises and falls on the shoulders of Ty Simpson and their receiving corps. They rank 22^nd nationally despite an uneven rushing production. QB TY completed 65% of his passes and he’s thrown for 25 touchdowns and 3,056 yards. He has been consistent most of the time, against Oklahoma he was not and it cost the Tide the game. Bama has been working on their running game and trying to make that aspect a respectable threat, it worked out pretty well against Auburn but against UGA they have to do better. Defensively Alabama has been good, not St. Saban defense great, but good. As the season progressed the front line got more and more pressure on opposing QB’s and this unit is disciplined enough to keep opponents in check. UGA is going to do everything they can to keep the ball and keep control of the ball, the more the offense is on the field, the better. Alabama is going to do all it can to light up the score board with a high flying passing attack, the bigger lead the Tide has early, the better. Georgia wants revenge and they want it bad. Alabama doesn’t have the revenge factor, but they are still playing to prove they are respectable, something they were gaining until they lost to Oklahoma. As an Alabama fan, this game is very worrisome, everyone is picking Georgia to win, but I must go with my heart and that heart is the Crimson Tide, but I will be sweating bullets during the game.

The Great White North Championship – Indiana vs Ohio State – These two teams have been on a collision course all season. Both of them have been able to avoid some slip ups and keep their undefeated record. Both QB’s are firmly in the Heisman race, both offenses can be explosive and both of them have strong defenses. Ohio State is getting all the attention, they are the defending national champions, and they are the blue blood program in this match up. Indiana comes into this game as the scrappy underdog, the upstarts. Ohio State has not lost to the Hoosiers since 1988 but if there ever was a time for the Buckeyes to be vulnerable it would be this game. OSU boast the best defense in the nation, and their offense does not rank far behind. QB Julian Saying leads this Buckeye offense as he has thrown for over 3,000 yards with 30 touchdowns. He is backed up with RB Bo Jackson who has run for over 950 yards. This offense all season long has been superior to everyone they have matched up against. However, the defense is what has driven this team to greatness. Indiana under HC Curt Cignetti has an offense that is very explosive to the where they lead the Big Ten with 44 points per game and over 480 yards per game. When this offense is on fire it is extremely difficult to stop much less slow down. They are led by QB Mendoza who has posted over 3,000 yards and a ton of TDs with a 73% completion. The Hoosier offense also has a very good rushing attack led by RB Roman Hemby and they are very balanced. Their defense has also matched the offensive’s shine, as they are ranked as one of the best in the nation. But even with all this success the Hoosiers are the underdogs, and not many are giving them a chance to win the game. Here at CSF we are giving the Hoosiers a chance to win, not just a chance but a very good chance to pull the upset. This game is going to be closer than everyone thinks. Last year when these two teams met, Indiana was intimidated and they lost the game before it started. This game will be different, and the Hoosiers are going to give Ohio State their most battled game. The Buckeyes will win, but its going to come down to the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

ACC Championship – Virginia vs Duke- This is the game where SMU, Miami, Pitt and Georgia Tech fans and players are going to be slamming their heads against the wall. Each of these teams had the opportunity to win and they were in, but they all stumbled and created a five way tie for second place in the conference and according to the tie-breaker, Duke came out on top, the 7-5 Blue Devils will be playing while the highest ranking teams, Miami will enjoy a nice day at the beach as they will not be playing this weekend. No matter anyone says, that’s got to hurt. Virginia put themselves on the map by being the team that gave Florida State’s it's first upset and sent them on their downward spiral. The Wahoos are one of the most surprising teams in the nation, no one, even their fans thought this was going to be the year that UVA could make the playoffs. They win this game and they are set for a first round appearance. Virginia did play Duke earlier and they beat the Blue Devils by 20 points before they moved on to VA Tech and beat them by 17 points. This was in stark contrast to how they won their other games which were all one-score games. Duke on the other hand has not be very consistent , when they have won, they played as well as anyone else in this conference, but they haven’t been able to hold themselves to that standard. Duke in this game has got to keep from beating themselves, if they can come out of the gates and stay on pace with the Wahoos, they can make this game very interesting, if they don’t this game will get away from them very quickly. Virginia is the hands on favorite to win and there’s not reason to buck the trend. Wahoo’s ride on to victory.