College Picks, Week 15

Last week: 16-4 (.800)
Season: 208-72 (.742)

This is Championship Weekend. It is as close as college football gets to playoff competition. Large conferences use this weekend to hold championship games. More importantly to athletic departments, they generate huge sums of cash. Non-revenue sports cost a lot of money, and these championships help pay for them. In addition, the Big East and Pac-10 have moved some games to this weekend for TV exposure. Plus, Army and Navy meet for their annual showdown. If you like college football, this is your weekend.

Just 10 picks this week…

Big XII Championship at Kansas City: Oklahoma vs. Missouri: The Sooners arrive in Kansas City as the beneficiaries of a slight bump in the BCS computers, placing them in this game ahead of Texas. Missouri is the best of a mediocre bunch in the Big 12 North, despite losing a week ago on this same field to archrival Kansas. Strange things can happen in conference championship games, so don’t count Mizzou out, especially on a cold night in Kansas City. Nonetheless, OU is on a gigantic roll. Pick: OU

SEC Championship at Atlanta: Alabama vs. Florida: A virtual national semifinal. Florida has been impressive since a September loss to Ole Miss. Alabama has gone 12-0. Many think it is a foregone conclusion that Florida is going to win going away. Vegas agrees, making the Gators 9 ½ point favorites. However, Alabama is undefeated for a reason. Tide shocks the world once again. Pick: Alabama

ACC Championship at Tampa: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech: The ACC was nothing if not balanced this season. 10 teams are bowl eligible, and every team lost at least three conference games. BC and Tech survived the tiebreakers in the two divisions and make the trip to Tampa. The conference hopes to draw a better crowd in Tampa than they did in Jacksonville last year for the same two teams. Pick: BC

MAC Championship at Detroit (Friday): Ball State vs. Buffalo: The Cardinals are undefeated at 12-0, and have moved up to 12th in the latest BCS standings. They are the real deal. On the opposite sideline are the Buffalo Bulls. Before former Nebraska great Turner Gill arrived as coach, Buffalo was the worst program in college football. It is a miracle that they are bowl eligible within four years of Gill’s arrival. A bigger school needs to hire him. In the meantime, it’s the year of the Cardinals. Ball State should roll again. Pick: Ball State

Conference USA Championship: East Carolina at Tulsa: Both teams made noise earlier in the year, and finished with enough to make it to the championship game. The West division was strongest this year, with similar offensive results to their cousins in the Big 12 South. Tulsa was the best of those teams, and is playing at home. Pick: Tulsa

Army vs. Navy at Philadelphia: The annual classic returns to Philly, and Navy once again has a better team. Both teams will win when fighting terrorists and other enemies of the state. Only one team will win this game, however. Pick: Navy

USC vs. UCLA: The Trojans will wear red jerseys in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. USC coach Pete Carroll is willing to lose a timeout in each half to honor the previous tradition set by the schools when both played at the Coliseum. What a stupid NCAA rule, as teams should be able to wear whatever color they want as long as they are not the same as their opponents. Outside of this, there’s not much else to this game. USC should roll. Pick: SC

Arizona State at Arizona: Both teams would like to be better. The Sun Devils need a win to become bowl eligible, while the Wildcats need a win to achieve a winning season at 7-5. Pick: Arizona

South Florida at West Virginia: The Disappointment Bowl. This game was originally scheduled as a de facto Big East championship game. Instead, these teams are trying to save face. Don’t trust a team from Florida traveling north in December. Pick: West Virginia

Pittsburgh at Connecticut: Two Big East bowl-eligible teams do battle in a season-ender. UConn is tough at home. Pick: UConn