Conference showdowns and pre season pushes

5 months ago

It's hard to believe we are already in December and the long awaited conference championship games are just a day away. Actually, two of them start tonight if you are really paying attention. I take that back as well, there are likely more than two games being played tonight, but only two of them are part of the top 25.

While most people expect that these games will follow a predetermine route, you never know what kind of surprises might be in store. One simple twist of fate and we could be looking at a totally different college football playoff picture come next week.

It's unlikely, but let's say #16 Iowa beats #2 Michigan, does Ohio State move back up and find themselves in the running? At this point they are probably sitting on the wrong side of the bubble. What if #14 Louisville beats #4 Florida State? I find that one a bit more realistic than the first scenario. Does that put Louisville in the running? Does it push Ohio State up?

It's anyone's guess.

That game tonight between #5 Oregon and #3 Washington could be huge. I might have to check that out. The game tomorrow between #1 Georgia and #8 Alabama has a lot of question marks around it as well. I think Georgia should be able to hold off Bama, but then again, it's Bama, so you never know.

If you are interested in what Vegas has to say, they think Oregon is going to beat Washington, Louisville and Florida State will be a very close game with FSU having the slight advantage. Georgia tops Alabama, but not by much, and Michigan blows Iowa out of the water.

You willing to put money on any of that?

I think you could watch any of those games this weekend and not be mad you did.

Now on to college basketball...

There are four games tonight in the top 25. If you had to pick just one of them to watch, I would hold out until 9:00 PM and check out the #4 UConn versus #5 Kansas game. That should be a pretty good contest.

#1 Purdue faces a Northwestern team that has had a great start to the season, but I expect the Boilermakers will come out on top in this early conference play game.

Meanwhile, BYU looks to stay undefeated against Fresno State.

Saturday brings us 12 games in the top 25. Oddly enough, it doesn't look like Michigan State plays at all this weekend. I didn't see them on my schedule until a game later next week against Wisconsin.

#2 Arizona looks to remain undefeated against Colgate, likewise #9 Baylor is hoping to not take their first loss against Northwestern State (who?). Oh, #20 Colorado State is still 7-0 on the season too. If you had to pick a handful of games to watch on Saturday, I would keep on eye on these ones:

#3 Marquette vs. Wisconsin. These two teams have similar records, but I think Marquette has had a tougher schedule so far this year. I expect the Golden Eagles will fly high, but since it is in Wisconsin, you never know what might happen.

#24 Illinois vs. Rutgers. Both teams are 5-1 on the season. This could be an early Big 10 match up that gives us a good idea of how tough the conference is going to be this season. I wouldn't let the rankings fool you, this one could go either way.

UNC Willmington vs. #12 Kentucky. I really think Kentucky is going to win this one, but they have a tendency to implode sometimes, so we could get a shocker in this one from the 5-2 Seahawks. I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. Maybe make this the game you flip to on commercials from the Illinois/Rutgers game.

Finally, if you can stay up late enough, that #11 Gonzaga vs. USC game that comes on at 10:00 pm EST could be a good game. The Bulldogs are 5-1 on the season, and the Trojans are 5-2. It's at USC, so the crowd could play a big part in the outcome of this game.

I wouldn't sleep on it, unless you are already asleep of course!

Finally, on Sunday we have three games in the top 25. #22 James Madison will be looking to keep their perfect record against a Keystone team that is 0-1 on the season. How does that happen? #21 Mississippi State is 6-1 and playing a Southern University team that is 1-6. Talk about a snooze fest.

If you can pull yourself away from the NFL action long enough, I suggest you check out the afternoon game of #15 Creighton versus Nebraska. Creighton is 6-1, Nebraska is 7-0. Strength of schedule is definitely a factor, but this could be a close game.

Hopefully by the time this game comes on, the Lions will be celebrating a win over The Saints and shaking off the horrible loss they had against Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day.

Check back next week for a recap of all the action!

source