Plenty to prove in conference championships
Conference championship weekend is finally here. Here’s a look at the biggest storylines heading into the most important games of the year:
Georgia’s time to prove itself: While much of this college football season has been unpredictable, Georgia’s dominance has never been questioned. The Bulldogs rose to No. 1 in the polls in Week 7 and didn’t look back, rolling to big wins week after week thanks to a historically great defense. But if there’s one knock against Georgia, it’s the lack of quality opponents.
The Dawgs faced just three teams ranked in the College Football Playoff committee’s Top 25 — No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas and No. 23 Kentucky. Georgia beat those teams by a combined score of 77-16, so it’s not as if the Dawgs have shown any signs of weakness. But No. 3-ranked Alabama coached by Nick Saban is a different beast.
There’s a long-running joke of how long it’s been since Georgia last won a national title — 14,947 days as of Saturday, to be exact — and any Dawgs fan, player or coach is fooling themselves if they don’t think all of that pressure won’t resurface in Atlanta. Of course, there’s a certain swagger about this Georgia team that feels a little bit different. In fact, Alabama hasn’t been this big of an underdog since 2008, Saban’s second season in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia’s defense is championship caliber, but how will it handle Heisman Trophy front-runner Bryce Young? Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV has been unflappable so far, but what happens if the Dawgs fall behind early?
Bearcats eye perfection: Don’t stumble now, Cincinnati. The Bearcats have defied the odds by putting themselves in great position to be the first Group of Five team to make the playoff. After a perfect 12-0 start, it’s win-and-in against Houston on Saturday night.
But this won’t be a cake walk for No. 4 Cincinnati. Led by a talented offense and a surprisingly effective defense, No. 21 Houston has rolled to 11 straight wins after a season-opening loss to Texas Tech. Quarterback Clayton Tune has been exceptional of late, throwing 14 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past five games. The defense ranks 15th in ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of efficiency.
There’s no question Cincinnati is the most talented team in the American Athletic Conference, but Houston is a close second.
Iowa could play spoiler: Michigan finally broke the streak against hated rival Ohio State, beating the Buckeyes for the first time in 10 years. It gave the No. 2 Wolverines their first Big Ten championship game berth since its inception in 2011 and a shot at their first playoff appearance. That is, if Iowa doesn’t get in the way.
The No. 13 Hawkeyes needed a loss by Wisconsin last weekend just to get into this game, but they’ve been one of the most solid teams in the country all year. The offense remains one of the nation’s worst, but the defense is championship caliber. That’s the only thing that stands in the way of one of the biggest moments in Michigan history.
Big 12 about to enter a new era: Nobody expected No. 5 Oklahoma State to be this good this season. The Cowboys have ridden one of the nation’s best defenses to the Big 12 championship game. If they win Saturday against No. 9 Baylor and Alabama and Cincinnati both lose, they’re sitting pretty for the final playoff rankings.
But even if this season does not end with a playoff berth, it signals a potential changing of the guard in the Big 12. With No. 14 Oklahoma and Texas leaving for the SEC, Oklahoma State and Baylor have emerged as the new leaders of the conference. The Bears have managed to keep coach Dave Aranda during this whirlwind hiring cycle, a big step toward establishing a consistent winner in a conference welcoming Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and UCF. Oklahoma has been the face of football in the Big 12 under coach Lincoln Riley, but his departure for USC opens the door for another contender to emerge.