College Football Quick Picks: Week 14 – Championship Week
By Anthony Della Calce
December 1, 2006
Alas, the end of the college football season has arrived – at least until the bowl games. Quick Picks was busy last week, predicting 23 games in a week filled with rivalry games. But, it turned out to be a good week as Quick Picks went 15-8 and enters the final week with a 77-33 overall record.
Week 14 is highlighted by the three big conference championship games in the ACC, SEC and Big 12. Also, there are few more rivalry games on tap including the annual showdown between Army and Navy, which is always a great game to watch regardless of the outcome.
But, the most important of the rivalry games is the match-up between Southern Cal and UCLA. Will the Trojans defeat their crosstown rivals and secure a spot in the BCS title game? Let’s find out who wins that game and the other key games in the season’s final weekend.
Around the Country:
Saturday
Connecticut (4-7) at #6 Louisville (10-1) – Noon, ESPN
The Cardinals will take care of business in the afternoon and then hope for a West Virginia victory in the evening. If that happens, it would make them Big East champions and give them a spot in a BCS bowl.
Prediction – Louisville 34, Connecticut 17
Rivalry: Army (3-8) at Navy (8-3) – 2:30 p.m., CBS
Game: Army-Navy Game
With a victory, Navy can claim the Commander in Chief’s Trophy for the fourth straight year. The trophy is awarded annually to the service academy – Army, Navy, or Air Force – with the best record against the other service academies. Earlier this year, Navy defeated Air Force.
Further, Navy’s senior class can become the first in history to go 8-0 against Army and Air Force with a win Saturday. That should be plenty of motivation for the Midshipmen, who have won the last four in this rivalry and now lead the all-time series for the first time since 1991, 50-49-7.
Army has struggles all season but expect them to find a way to keep it close for awhile. But in the end, the Midshipmen are just going to have too much for the Black Knights. They’ll pull away in the fourth quarter and wrap-up the Commander in Chief’s Trophy.
However, the service these players will go on to provide our country off the field is far greater than the football game they will play on the field. The media talks about this every year but it can’t be emphasized enough. These men are competitors on the field, but brothers in arms off the field. As always, this is a can’t-miss game.
Prediction – Navy 31, Army 20
Rivalry: Stanford (1-10) at #21 Cal (8-3) – 3 p.m., FSN
Trophy/Game: The Stanford Axe/The Big Game
Cal won’t need any miracle plays to win The Big Game this year. The Golden Bears will axe the Cardinal and assure everyone that the only time the band will be on the field is at halftime.
Prediction – Cal 27, Stanford 13
#2 Southern Cal (10-1) at UCLA (6-5) – 4:30, ABC
Trophy: Victory Bell
LA’s crosstown rivalry has added meaning this year. The Trojans can pretty much assure themselves of a spot on the BCS title game with a win while the Bruins can spoil their rival’s hopes of a national championship with an upset.
Quick Picks will admit it would love to see UCLA win because it’s tired of seeing USC in the title game – a trip this year would make it four years in a row. Plus, Quick Picks believes Michigan is more deserving regardless of whether USC wins or loses Saturday.
However, the debate will be mute after the Trojans hoist the Victory Bell and secure their trip to Glendale for the BCS National Championship Game.
Prediction – Southern Cal 30, UCLA 24
#13 Rutgers (10-1) at #15 West Virginia (9-2) – 7:45, ESPN
Scarlet fever makes its final regular-season stop in Morgantown. And although Rutgers lost its chance for an undefeated season a couple weeks ago, it won’t lose its chance at a BCS bowl. The Scarlet Knights will beat the Mountaineers, which will make them Big East champions and BCS bowl bound.
Prediction – Rutgers 26, West Virginia 23
Oregon State (8-4) at #24 Hawaii (10-2) – Midnight, ESPN
Hawaii’s QB Colt Brennan has thrown 51 touchdown passes this season. If he throws four more against Oregon State, he’ll break the NCAA’s single season record for touchdown passes. Houston’s David Klingler set the record in 1990 when he threw 54.
Normally, four touchdown passes would be tough task for one game. But, Brennan has averaged just over four touchdown passes a game for a team that has averaged 48.6 points a game, 442 yards passing per game and 561 total yards a game. They lead the NCAA in all three categories. Brennan also leads the nation in completion percentage (71.9), passing yards (4,589) and total offense (4,929).
However, his most impressive stat is yet to come. You heard it from Quick Picks first; Brennan will throw for five touchdowns and lead his team to a win. Take a nap during the day if you must because you’re not going to want to miss this shootout.
Prediction – Hawaii 42, Oregon State 35
Championship Games:
Saturday
ACC: #16 Wake Forest (10-2) vs. #23 Georgia Tech (9-3) – 1 p.m., ESPN
Led by coach of the year candidate Jim Grobe, Wake Forest has been slowly making believers out of the college football world all season long. The most unlikely of all the conference game participants – even more unlikely than Arkansas – will continue to make believers against the Yellow Jackets. The Demon Deacons will be on their way to a BCS bowl after their improbable journey to the top of the ACC.
Prediction – Wake Forest 20, Georgia Tech 17
SEC: #8 Arkansas (9-2) vs. #4 Florida (10-1) – 6 p.m., CBS
Before its loss to LSU, Quick Picks would have said Arkansas was going to win the SEC title game. But, it’s not so sure of that anymore.
Florida has been squeaking by tough opponents all year long. That’s either the sign of a team that’s not as good as its 10-1 record or the sign of a team that’s tough enough to grind out wins in crunch time. Right now, Quick Picks thinks it’s the latter.
But, we’ll find out Saturday night in game that is all but guaranteed to be close throughout. Quick Picks has been going back and forth all week on its selection for a game it thinks will go back and forth on the scoreboard. However, the time has come to make a prediction and Quick Picks is taking…
Prediction – Florida 23, Arkansas 22
Big 12: #18 Nebraska (9-3) at #8 Oklahoma (10-2) – 8 p.m., ABC
After dismissing starting QB Rhett Bomar from the team before the season and losing starting RB Adrian Peterson to injury midway through the season, not too many people thought Oklahoma would be in the Big 12 Championship Game at season’s end.
But, that’s exactly where the Sooners will be Saturday night when they face their old rivals from Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are back in the conference title game for the first time since 1999. Head Coach Bill Callahan has had his most successful season in Lincoln since taking the job before the 2004 season.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is making its fifth trip to the conference title game in the last seven years in what might be head coach Bob Stoops’ best coaching job to date – that included his National Championship season in 2000. He’ll continue his fine coaching job Saturday night as the Sooners will capture the Big 12 crown.
Prediction – Oklahoma 25, Nebraska 23
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