Week 15 belongs to the cream of the crop. Nine conference championship games will be played Friday and Saturday with many of them the deciding factor for who’s in, who’s out and where teams are seeded in the College Football Playoff.
Here are the top five games of the week ranked in inverse order:
5. No. 17 Clemson (9-3) vs. No. 8 SMU (11-1) | Saturday | 8 p.m. ET | ABC
SMU has thrived in the ACC and it now has a chance to win the conference championship in its inaugural season. This is possibly a must-win game for SMU’s CFP hopes. A loss would make the CFP committee choose between 9-3 Alabama and 11-2 SMU. Clemson needs a win to qualify for the CFP. Both offenses rank in the top 25 in the nation, but SMU’s pass defense is the unit to watch. The Mustangs held opponents under 160 yards passing the last two games. That’s a difference maker.
“We’re playing one of the best teams in the country that’s playing with a lot of precision on both sides of the ball. We’re going to have to play our best football, and we have not done that yet,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney in a news conference Sunday.
Prediction: SMU, 28-21.
4. No. 16 Iowa State (10-2) vs. No. 15 Arizona State (10-2) | Saturday | noon ET | ABC
Big 12 teams have been in playoff mode for weeks now as a loss would have signaled the end of the line for both of these teams. The winner most likely slots in at No. 12 in the CFP. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo has been on a tear, scoring six touchdowns in the last two games. That could spell trouble for Iowa State. The Cyclones rank 96th in the country in rushing defense, one spot ahead of Arizona. Skattebo dominated the Wildcats for 177 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Prediction: Arizona State, 38-31.
3. No. 20 UNLV (10-2) at No. 10 Boise State (11-1) | Friday | 8 p.m. ET | Fox
The Mountain West Championship is a rematch of an Oct. 25 instant classic that saw Boise State prevail, 29-24, in front of 42,228 fans in Las Vegas. The lead changed hands five times in the game.
UNLV did a solid job on Boise State’s Heisman-hopeful running back Ashton Jeanty in October, limiting him to 128 yards on 33 carries. The Rebels will need another effort like that to win. Along with Jeanty, watch UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams. He’s accounted for 23 touchdowns since taking over the starting role in the fourth game of the season. He threw for two TD’s and ran for another in the first matchup against Boise.
Prediction: Boise State, 28-24.
2. No. 5 Georgia (10-2) vs. No. 2 Texas (11-1) | Saturday | 4 p.m. | ABC
Georgia dominated Texas in the regular season, winning 30-15 on Oct. 19 in Austin. A first round bye is on the line in the SEC Championship. Georgia overcame quarterback Carson Beck’s three interceptions, but Texas must also find more of an offensive rhythm than it had in the last meeting. The ‘Horns had just 23 yards of total offense at the half. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has thrown only one interception to 10 touchdowns in Texas’ last four games.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best football tonight, but we were still competitive. Hopefully, we get another crack at them,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after the October loss.
Wish granted.
Prediction: Texas 27-17.
1. No. 3 Penn State (11-1) vs. No. 1 Oregon (12-0) | Saturday | 8 p.m. ET | CBS
Penn State head coach James Franklin has another opportunity to win the big one. He’s 1-14 against top-five teams in his career, but is playing in his second Big Ten Championship game thanks to Michigan’s upset of Ohio State last week. The Nittany Lions have an opportunity to steal a first round bye from Oregon, the lone undefeated FBS team.
On paper, the matchup is even. Both teams rank in the top seven in total defense and top 20 in offense. That leaves coaching as the difference and history says to bet against Franklin if that’s the case in a big game.
Prediction: Oregon 28-17.
