by Chris Asbrock
The college football season is on the backstretch, heading into the final few turns, as we head into week 12 of the 2019 season. With conference championship weekend just a few weeks away, each game gets bigger and bigger for the teams vying for a spot in the college football playoff or anyone tying to make a bowl game in general. Let’s take the time to look ahead at the weekend in college football.
Big storylines to watch this weekend:
1. Big 10 slate is full of big matchups to keep an eye on
The Big 10 has been one of the premier conferences in college football and four games on this weekends slate are ones to watch. The big one to keep your eye on is the 8th ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers traveling to Iowa to face the 20th ranked Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes are favored in the matchup and not many are picking Minnesota to win the game. Coach P.J. Fleck has the Golden Golphers playing great football this season and coming off one of the biggest wins in program history last weekend, over Penn State. Now the trip to Iowa City can be a tricky one for the undefeated Gophers. Penn State, coming off that loss at Minnesota, now heads home to face a 7-2 Indiana Hoosiers team looking to make some noise. Penn State is favored by 15 in this early matchup but don’t be surprised if Indiana makes it a closer game than expected. Michigan and Michigan State meet at the Big House as the Wolverines look to continue their solid run of play. Victories at this point of the season are huge, with massive matchups looming in the final two weeks of the regular season.
2. How do the non Power 5 teams fare in their quest to make a New Years Six Bowl?
Making a New Years Six Bowl will help a non Power 5 team immensely. Right now, there are five teams that are ranked and looking to gain that coveted spot in a New Years Six Bowl. The Cincinnati Bearcats are currently the highest ranked non Power 5 school. Coming in at #17, the 8-1 Bearcats travel to South Florida to face the 4-5 Bulls. Fellow AAC team Memphis, who is also 8-1, travels to face the 3-6 Houston Cougars. Cincinnati and Memphis will face off in the last game of the regular season but don’t forget about Navy and Boise State. The 21st ranked Boise State Broncos host a brutal 2-7 New Mexico team. Those three teams should not have many problems in their games today but the 23rd ranked Navy Midshipmen travel to South Bend to face the 16th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This game should be solid and a fun one to watch. If Navy pulls off the upset, look for the Midshipmen to jump ahead of everyone for a spot in the New Years Six.
College Football Playoff Pairings:
1. LSU vs 4. Oregon
2. Ohio State vs 3. Clemson
Even though LSU and Ohio State are the clear top teams in the country, Clemson and Oregon will provide stiff competition. The beauty of this is these matchups set up the potential for the proper championship game, Ohio State vs. LSU.
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Oregon
5. Alabama
6. Minnesota
7. Georgia
8. Utah
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
There is a clear top two teams in the country and it will be a damn shame if they don’t meet for the National Championship. Ohio State and LSU have been the best teams all season and that has showed on the field. The Buckeyes have pummeled everyone in their way, outscoring their opponents 459-77 in their nine wins this season. The LSU Tigers, who rose to the top of the rankings, haven’t dominated like the Buckeyes but do have some better wins, most recently over Alabama in Tuscaloosa last weekend. Even though the SEC bias is real, with a few more dominating performances, the Buckeyes should quickly rise to the top. To quote the Macho Man Randy Savage, “the cream rises to the top” and that couldn’t be any more true with these two teams.
Heisman Trophy Watch:
1. Joe Burrow
2. Chase Young
3. Tua Tagovailoa
4. Justin Fields
5. Jalen Hurts
The Heisman race has two front runners at heading into this week. Joe Burrow had himself one heck of a game against the Crimson Tide last weekend and rose to the top of the rankings. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, will sit out this week once again due to an unfortunate suspension handed down by the NCAA but will be back for the last two regular season games.
Michigan over Michigan State
Notre Dame over Navy
Upset: Wyoming over Utah State
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