Look for UGA defense to keep things close

Panthers and interim coach will cover, Falcons win.

The Georgia Bulldogs will play LSU for the SEC championship and (almost certainly) a College Football Playoff berth Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The next day, in the same building, the Falcons will play Carolina for the chance to mess up their chances of drafting Ohio State star Chase Young. They’ll also be playing for professional pride, but that’s boring and doesn’t provide a cheap punchline for Weekend Predictions.

Four hours after LSU-Georgia kicks off, Ohio State and Wisconsin will meet in the Big Ten title game. UGA fans might begin mourning their team’s crushed CFP hopes just as ex-UGA quarterback Justin Fields takes the field to lead the Buckeyes to the top seed. I’d rather Georgia and Ohio State end up in a playoff semifinal matchup because it would be fun to watch Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart try to offer nothing but platitudes about Fields for three weeks.

Panthers (+3) at Falcons

The consensus Las Vegas line on this game briefly moved a half-point in favor of the Fal

cons after the Panthers fired coach Ron Rivera on Tuesday. Apparently, not even a midweek coaching change was enough to convince the betting market that the Falcons will fare any better. Interim Panthers coach Perry Fewell went 3-4 in the same role with the Bills in 2009, but lost 31-3 in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons win, but the Panthers cover.

Conference championship games

No. 2 LSU (-7) vs. No. 4 Georgia (Mercedes-Benz Stadium): Georgia’s best wide receiver (Lawrence Cager) is out with an injury and No. 2 receiver George Pickens (suspension) won’t play in the first half. But while looking back at Georgia’s explosive plays, I was surprised that players other than those two have produced eight of 18 big pass plays against SEC foes. I think QB Jake Fromm connects on a few of those and UGA’s defense limits LSU enough for the Bulldogs to lose by fewer than seven points.

No. 1 Ohio State (-16½) vs. Wisconsin (Indianapolis): Since Young wrecked Wisconsin’s offense in Columbus, the Badgers have won four consecutive games, including an impressive victory at Minnesota last weekend. I mention that not because I think Wisconsin has a good chance to win the rematch, but because it gives me another chance to say the Falcons desperately need Young. Ohio State covers.

No. 3 Clemson (-28½) vs. No. 23 Virginia (Charlotte): The College Football Playoff selection committee has ranked Clemson No. 3 for four weeks, but coach Dabo Swinney said it “doesn’t want us in there anyways.” That prompted ESPN agitator Paul Finebaum to say somebody should “give (Swinney) a pacifier, send him to timeout.” Retorted Swinney: “We should have adult timeout time. Let’s just all bring a mat and take a nap.” That’s the decisive blow in this troll skirmish (and a good idea, actually). The Tigers have been favored by at least four touchdowns in eight conference games and covered seven times. They’ll do it once more.

No. 5 Utah (-6½) vs. No. 13 Oregon (Santa Clara, Calif.): The Oregonian reports the stadium is expected to be about halffull for this game for the second straight year. Pac12 officials hope moving the championship game to Las Vegas next season will juice attendance. Getting people to come to a game by offering better entertainment options than the game is the sign of a healthy league. I’ll take Oregon and the points.

No. 6 Oklahoma (-9½) vs. No. 7 Baylor (Arlington, Texas): The winner of this game has a shot to make the CFP. It would need LSU to beat Georgia and Utah to lose to Oregon, or at least not win more impressively in the committee’s judgment. I’m sure glad we left behind the subjective nature of the BCS for a true playoff. Baylor covers.

Louisiana-Lafayette (+6) at No. 21 Appalachian State: App State has the league’s top-scoring offense (38.9 points per game) and Louisiana-Lafayette is No. 2 (38.8). App State won 17-7 at Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 9, but the Ragin’ Cajuns have won six straight since then, with QB Levi Lewis producing 11 touchdowns vs. one interception. I’ll take them with the points.

Other NFL games of interest

49ers (+2½) at Saints

The NFC East is being ridiculed because the Cowboys (6-6) are on top. But after 12 games they had a better point differential (+74) than the Saints (+50). The Saints will win the NFC South and try to get another playoff run out of Drew Brees, who is starting to look his age (40) again. San Francisco covers.

Ravens (-5½) at Bills

QB Lamar Jackson was effective without highlight plays in the Ravens’ tough victory Sunday over the 49ers. Bobby Petrino’s reluctance to fully take advantage of Jackson’s talents at Louisville was the first sign he was losing his touch. Jackson won the Heisman anyway, yet he was the fifth QB selected in the 2018 draft. Too many NFL front offices play it painfully safe. I like the Bills as a home underdog.

Chiefs (+3) at Patriots

After losing at Houston on Sunday, the Patriots (10-2) are the AFC’s No. 2 seed behind the Ravens (10-2 with a head-to-head victory). If the Pats lose, excitement about the demise of their Evil Empire will reach new heights before they inevitably go on another run to the Super Bowl. Pats cover.

Last week: 8-5 (102-73-5 for the season)