COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW

by WCT, The Ship of Fools

It all comes down to this. Championship Week. Three conference championship games, and three other games of note to end the season.

One more Saturday so lets make it count!

(What? You think I'm changing this now? Of course not. Eastern)

Army vs. Navy (noon) – When considering great college rivalries, I have always felt that this one should be considered separately. The quality of play is not the same, nor are there the BCS implications that you see in a OSU-Michigan, or an Oklahoma-Texas, but the passion, the pageantry, and the intensity are unmatched anywhere in the nation. And that in itself, makes this an entertaining game for any college football fan. This year, as has been the case in recent years, Navy comes in as clearly the superior team. They run about 20 different variations of the option, and have a quarterback with 21 letters in his name (Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. And that isn’t even his full name). Army has basically been a fringe D-1A level team for the last few years, but rest assured they play their ass off in this game.

The ACC Championship Game - Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (1:00pm) – As I’m sure you all know, these teams met back on October 25th in Blacksburg, with BC using a furious three-minute, 14-point rally to earn the comeback win. This loss came after a five -game winning streak for the Hokies, and VT hasn’t lost since. BC on the other hand, had inexplicable losses at home to Florida State, and at Maryland, and has been wearing the “fraud” label ever since. In my opinion, Tech is the best two-loss team in America, and would be playing for a spot in the title game if not for one fourth quarter collapse. The Hokies have also switched to the two-quarterback system in recent weeks, with Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon splitting time. The system is working as VT is averaging nearly 40 points in their last three games. I’m taking the Hokies.

The SEC Championship Game – Tennessee vs. LSU (4:00pm) – I don’t think I have ever been less excited about an SEC Title Game. Usually this is the marquee game of championship week, but this year the game has very little meaning. LSU is coming off of their second loss of the year, and their coach is probably going to leave the program. Tennessee simply has no business playing in a conference championship game. The Vols three losses, two of them to teams we would later learn were total frauds (Cal and ‘Bama), were by a whopping 74 points combined! And their last two wins, both over unranked opponents, were by a total of 3. Unless Les Miles is totally distracted (and I’m talking “accidentally call his team ‘Michigan’ in the pre-game locker room” distracted) I don’t see LSU losing. Although an LSU loss, along with a couple other stars aligning, would set up a very interesting bowl game possibility.

UCLA at USC (4:30pm) – I know I might offend some people when I say this, but I think this rivalry is kind of overrated, as far as true rivalries go. First of all, sports fans in L.A. are really not as passionate as the fans you find in the South, or the Midwest, so the hatred isn’t as intense. You also see a lot of people in SoCal who consider themselves USC football fans and UCLA basketball fans. How the hell does that work? I defy you to find me someone who says, “Well, I’m an Auburn football fan, but I love me some Crimson Tide basketball!” It just doesn’t exist in any other rivalry. In terms of this year’s installment, I really don’t think that the Bruins have much of a chance. That said, I give them a better chance than I would’ve given them this time last year, when they pulled the upset. The Trojans are finally healthy (healthy enough for for some myopic douchebags to clamor for them to be #1) and have got to be revenge-minded after last year. I’m taking SC.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia (7:45pm) – The Panthers have no chance.

The Big 12 Championship Game – Missouri vs. Oklahoma (8:00pm) – The schedule makers have once again done us a favor by putting the game of the week in prime time. Can you remember a time when the #1 team in the nation was playing its conference title, on a neutral field, and was an underdog? I sure can’t. But Vegas has the Sooners favored by 3. Oklahoma is tough to figure out, having lost to two unranked teams and beaten the two ranked teams they have played, including Mizzou. I’m going to take the Tigers, who have been playing much better football since they met Oklahoma in last month Norman. Heisman ballots are due on Sunday, so this may be my Chase Daniel’s last chance to impress the voters, and make us look smart for touting him way back in September. The “lunatic-fringe” Buckeye fan in me would love to see an OU win, but I am going to do my best to suppress those feelings. There is nothing wrong with going to the Rose Bowl people.

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