Championship Saturday is finally here, and there is a lot on the line. Most teams in action this weekend are fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff, while their opponents look to play the spoiler role to stop that from happening. Let’s break down who’s playing for what on Saturday, and which teams should be on upset alert.
Pac-12 Championship Game: No. 2 Oregon vs No. 7 Arizona, 9 p.m. Friday, FOX
Fans get a treat the night before Championship Saturday with the Pac-12 Title game on Friday. There’s the obvious at stake — a conference title and a likely playoff bid to the winner, even if it is Arizona. But this game is also a rematch game, as Oregon’s only loss this season came in a 31-24 upset to the Wildcats in Eugene, Oregon.
Arizona has quietly won 10 games and clinched the Pac-12 South Title after UCLA lost to Stanford last week. The Wildcats are the only team to say they’ve upset the Ducks in back-to-back seasons — Arizona blew Oregon out in last year’s regular season matchup too. If the Wildcats do it a third time, they’ll spoil Oregon’s playoff hopes, and make its own case to make it into the top four.
Big 12 Title Hunt
No. 6 Baylor vs No. 9 Kansas State: 7:45, ESPN: Baylor is playing for a Big 12 Title and a playoff bid as it faces Kansas State at home Saturday night. Baylor will have quarterback Bryce Petty despite him suffering concussion-like symptoms in last week’s 48-46 win over Texas Tech.
A Baylor win would give the Bears a share of the Big 12 Title and likely put them in the top four. The TCU Horned Frogs, who are ranked ahead of the Bears at No. 3, lost to Baylor by three points back in October. The Big 12 Title share and a head-to-head win could give the Bears the jump over TCU in the top four. That may be easier said than done though as Kansas State’s defense is ranked 23rd in the country.
No. 3 TCU vs Iowa State: Noon, ABC: Although TCU is currently a 34 point favorite over the Iowa State Cyclones, they have to win Saturday if they want to stay in the playoff conversation. If Baylor loses to Kansas State Saturday, TCU will likely be in the playoff with a win over Iowa State.
SEC Title Game: No. 1 Alabama vs No. 16 Missouri- 4:00pm, CBS: The top ranked Crimson Tide can solidify their spot in the playoff with a win in the SEC Title game on Saturday in Atlanta. Alabama is coming off of a 55-44 win over the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl last week — the 55 points scored tied an Iron Bowl record.
Missouri on the other hand needed two fourth quarter surges against Tennessee and Arkansas in the last two weeks to clinch a second consecutive trip to Atlanta. Quarterback Maty Mauk has improved in the last couple of weeks, and Mizzou’s run game led by Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy played a huge role in the Tigers’ go-ahead score to put Arkansas away last week. If Missouri’s pass rush can prevent Blake Sims from throwing the ball effectively, the Tigers could keep things close.
Big Ten Title: No. 5 Ohio State vs No. 13 Wisconsin: 8:17pm, FOX
Ohio State looked to be a Big Ten Title lock and from there in the playoff conversation, but that was before Buckeye star quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a season-ending leg injury against Michigan last week. With backup quarterback Cardale Jones, who has completed just 11 passes in a Buckeye uniform, getting the start the Buckeyes are four point underdogs to Wisconsin.
Badgers running back and Heisman contender Melvin Gordon could have a big day matching up against the Buckeyes, but a two-loss Big Ten Champ in Wisconsin likely wouldn’t make the playoff over other one-loss conference champs.
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Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) looks to throw towards the end zone during the first quarter against Stanford in an NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014.
