THE LOOKAHEAD

The Five Biggest Games This Weekend

5) MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP (FRIDAY AT 8PM ET)

#20 UNLV AT #10 BOISE STATE -4

Thanks to Tulane’s random loss against Memphis last week, this game is essentially win-and-in for the College Football Playoff. It’s also an intriguing rematch of a close game that Boise State won 29-24 in Vegas back in October.

The Broncos and star running back Ashton Jeanty have been the toast of the Group of Five, winning 10 straight after a back-and-forth affair with Oregon back in Week 2, and will have the advantage of playing the Rebels at home on the Smurf Turf. There’s a strong likelihood that Boise State could end up with a first round bye if it wins this game.

But winning is not a given. This game was a battle the first time around and UNLV has more than enough firepower to avenge its loss. Keep an eye on Ricky White III, a dynamic receiver for the Rebels who also is something of a special teams extraordinaire.

4) BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP (SATURDAY AT 12PM ET)

#16 IOWA STATE VS. #15 ARIZONA STATE -2

The Big 12 was the craziest power conference in college football this season, so it’s only fitting that the season would end with a four-way tie at the top and feature a championship game with a team (Arizona State) that was picked dead last in the preseason media poll. The Sun Devils are riding an incredible wave of momentum and went 5-0 in November, including back-to-back wins over Kansas State and BYU. Suffice to say, Kenny Dillingham is way ahead of schedule by finishing 10-2 in just his second year on the job.

Meanwhile, Iowa State rebounded from consecutive losses at the start of November and edged out BYU and Colorado to get into this game. The Cyclones have exciting pieces but have been somewhat inconsistent.

The winner of this game gets into the College Football Playoff and would need Boise State to lose in order to get a first round bye.

3) SEC CHAMPIONSHIP (SATURDAY AT 4PM ET)

#5 GEORGIA VS. #2 TEXAS -2.5

Can we interest you in another rematch?

Both Texas and Georgia will be playing in the College Football Playoff, so this game lacks some of the juice its had in the past. That said, the result will determine which team gets a first round bye and which gets to play a playoff game on campus.

You may recall that Georgia punked Texas the first time around in Austin by a 30-15 score and completely overwhelmed the Longhorn offensive line. This time around, the game is in Atlanta for what amounts to a home game for the Dawgs. Can Steve Sarkisian devise a plan to avoid a similar fate?

2) ACC CHAMPIONSHIP (SATURDAY AT 8PM ET)

#17 CLEMSON VS. #8 SMU -2

It’s been a minute since we had an ACC Championship with this much intrigue! Clemson’s spot in this game fell off the back of a truck last week with Miami losing on the road to Syracuse. Meanwhile, SMU is one of three newcomers to the conference and has flown under the radar for most of the season. The Mustangs are favored by 2.5.

We already know that the winner of this game is getting into the playoff. But what we don’t know is if the selection committee would include SMU even if it lost on Saturday night. If two ACC teams make the College Football Playoff, the first team out would be Alabama.

This week, Rhett Lashlee discussed this possibility with our friends, Andy & Ari, at On3.

1) BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP (SATURDAY AT 8PM ET)

#3 PENN STATE VS. #1 OREGON -3.5

Look, both these teams are getting into the Playoff, but that’s beside the point. We’ve been doing our podcast since 2008 and this is the first time our two alma maters have met!

To commemorate the occasion, we’re hosting a giant watch along stream on Saturday night with guests and live bets and probably a few adult beverages. Set your watches for 8pm ET on Saturday night and stop by to celebrate with us!

ON THIS DAY IN 1969

On this day in 1969, Texas and Arkansas squared off in one of the most iconic games in college football history. Originally scheduled for October, ABC convinced both teams to move the game to December, setting the stage for a 9-0 vs. 9-0 showdown. President Richard Nixon was in attendance and presented a victorious Texas with a national championship plaque, despite not actually being national champs. At least not yet. The Longhorns capped their title run with a win in the Cotton Bowl over Notre Dame.

More details here

⌚ WIN AN APPLE WATCH ⌚

You’ve got a little over 24 hours to join our pick’em game, Run The Board, for a chance to win an Apple Watch. Just sign up for any of our paid Patreon tiers (starting at just $5) and pick winners (against the spread) for all six of Saturday’s games and four interesting player props.

By signing up for Run The Board and reap the other benefits of our Patreon perks, including ad-free episodes, bonus content, unfettered access to our Discord community and much more! Pledging our Patreon goes a long way towards helping the show.

The game locks at 11:59 AM ET on Saturday!

THE PODCAST

Your full Championship Week Preview Pod is live!

It’s Championship Week, and there are just 9 big games left before the college football postseason! In this college football podcast episode, we debate whether Iowa State can stop Arizona State’s momentum, if Georgia-Texas 2.0 will look any different, the difference in playstyles between Clemson and SMU, the ways Penn State could pull an upset over Oregon, whether Boise State’s offense has gone stagnant, and how this week’s games will ultimately affect the College Football Playoff field. Plus, a disagreement over Tulane vs. Army, back-to-back Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State games, a shoutout to Tim Albin and Ohio, and a key matchup to watch in the Sun Belt title game. Oh, and Lehigh playing far away from home in the Kibbie Dome.

▶️ Listen on Apple Podcasts

▶️ Listen on Spotify

▶️ Watch on YouTube

Also, don’t forget that a new episode of our video series, Big Ten Breakfast, is out now and pays tribute to the big game this weekend between Penn State and Oregon.