Big 10 Championship #4 Iowa vs #5 Michigan State

If you are a fan of old school, ground and pound, Big 10 football then this is the game for you. The undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes will be taking on the Michigan State Spartans in a matchup for the Big 10 championship and a playoff spot. The game will take place in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium at 8:00 on FOX.

Iowa has been the butt of the joke all year long. Not a single opponent that the Hawkeye’s have played this year currently ranks in the top 25. And it hasn’t been pretty either, struggling in 6 of their 12 victories. After playing a cupcake schedule in an ugly fashion, Iowa will finally have their chance to shut the critics up with a win over a highly ranked Spartan team.

Led by a rock solid offensive line and a steady run game, Iowa has successfully put together their first undefeated regular season since 1922. CJ Beathard has been impressive off of play action this year, but hasn’t received very much attention in their old school power run offense.

Michigan State is also a Big 10 team that grinds out victories. They also rely heavily of the strength of their power run game. Instead of looking for big plays, the Spartans pound the ball down the middle and wait for the defense to make a mistake to strike. Michigan State’s quarterback, Connor Cook, makes great decisions in the pocket and doesn’t turn the ball over very easily.

Prediction: Michigan State by 10

Both teams have great ability to run the ball and stop the run. However, the Spartans have one of the best defensive lines in the country and Iowa has yet to play a team that poises a threat to their run game. In week 12, Michigan State held Ezekiel Elliot to a stunning 33 yards. Iowa is used to being able to use the run to set up the pass, but that will not be the case this week. Look for the Spartans to eliminate the run and force the Hawkeyes to pass the ball on first down. The difference in this game will be decided by CJ Beathard and his ability to run a pass first offense.

SEC Championship #18 Florida vs #2 Alabama

This game does not look pretty for the 18^th ranked Gators. The Gators better have something special planned or else this one could get ugly. The Alabama Crimson Tide will be taking on the Florida Gators this week for the SEC Championship at 4:00 on CBS.

Florida’s defense did more scoring than their offense in a 27-2 embarrassment to Florida State. Their task is not going to get easier against Alabama’s extremely talented defense. The Crimson Tide have the best rush defense in terms of yards allowed in the entire country, despite playing a difficult SEC schedule.

To make matters worse, Alabama has the leading Heisman candidate right now in Derrick Henry. Last week in the Iron Bowl, Henry ran for 271 yards of 46 attempts. The Crimson Tide have finally figured out that if they give Henry the ball, good things happen and look for more of that this week.

If the Gators are going to have any chance this week, they will need their rush defense to come up big against Henry and the big Alabama line. The Gators have the eight best run defense in college football and probably the most talented defensive backs in the country.

Prediction Alabama by 21

Do not let last week’s close game against Auburn fool you, Alabama is playing great football right now. The Tide is running the ball well and stopping it even better. Unless Alabama plays their worst football all year, look for a dominating performance that catapults them into the college football playoff.

ACC Championship #10North Carolina vs. #1Clemson

Most people counted out the Tar Heels after an embarrassing loss in Week one to South Carolina, however North Carolina has not disappointed since then, winning their past 11 games and advancing to the conference championship. This week they will have a chance to make a jump into the top four on ABC at 8:00.

The undefeated Clemson Tigers will need to resist the urge to think about the National championship for another week. Led by their senior quarterback Marquise Williams and a dangerous set of wide receivers, the Tar Heels poise the perfect threat to the Tigers. At 6’2 225 lbs , Williams is also a dangerous running threat. He has rushed for almost 800 yards and passed for over 2600. Alongside him is Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins, Quinshad Davis, and Bug Howard who all have at least 400 yards receiving this season. Hollins, Davis, and Howard are all over 6’4 giving them a significant height advantage over any defensive back core. Switzer, on the other hand is a very shifty slot receiver who has the ability score any time he touches the ball. So far this season, Switzer has 3 touchdowns from at least 60 yards out and one from 90.

Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is very similar to Marquise Williams. Watson is a little smaller that Williams at 6’2, but is just as dangerous with the ball in his hands with over 750 rushing yards and over 3200 passing yards. He also has a dangerous set of receivers. Artavis Scott is Watson’s favorite target with 77 receptions.

Prediction: North Carolina by 3

Although they are undefeated, Clemson has shown some vulnerabilities in the past few weeks. Watson had a difficult time hanging on to the ball against South Carolina last week, but was saved due to South Carolina’s inability to score. If Clemson continues to have turnover problems they could be in trouble this week against a great North Carolina offense. Expect a shootout and the team that holds on to the ball to win this one.