I can’t believe the conference championships are here already. This season went by so quickly!
CONFERENCE USA- #24 Southern Miss @ #6 Houston: I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that there are two teams from C-USA in the top 25. I expect undefeated Houston to win what should be an entertaining game between two pretty evenly matched teams.
SEC- #14 Georgia vs. #1 LSU (neutral site): Georgia has turned things around completely in the weeks since their 0-2 start to the season. Their defense will be the best one the Tigers have faced in several weeks. However, the Bulldogs are a young team (especially on offense), and I don’t see them hanging with LSU for an entire game.
ACC- #5 Virginia Tech vs. #20 Clemson (neutral site): A month ago I would have picked Clemson in a close one. Since then, the Tigers have lost three straight. They still have the talent, obviously- they have more or less the same players on the field- but I imagine the team’s confidence has to have taken a big hit. I’ll be surprised if they can get it together mentally to beat a team as good as the Hokies.
BIG 10- #15 Wisconsin vs. #13 Michigan State (neutral site): Tough one to call. Wisconsin lost a last-second heartbreaker to MSU last month, their second consecutive lost to Sparty. At the same time, Wisconsin has looked like the better football team for most of the season. I expect another tight, well-played game, but I think the Badgers take this one.
REGULAR SEASON GAMES:
Iowa State @ #11 Kansas State: Iowa State pulled off a big, big upset against Oklahoma State two weeks ago. Call it a hunch, I see them pulling off a less-major upset here.
UNLV @ #18 TCU: One more easy win for TCU.
#22 Texas @ #17 Baylor: If RGIII were going to miss the game after being banged up last week, I’d have given Texas a decent chance of winning this game. As it is, I think a win for them is possible, but not likely. My pick is Baylor.
New Mexico @ #7 Boise State: This game should be over by halftime. Boise State by at least 2 TDs, probably more.
#10 Oklahoma @ #3 Oklahoma State: The de facto Big XII championship game should be a fun one to watch. It’s a tough game to pick. Given the injuries Oklahoma has faced this year, I’m picking Oklahoma State.
