College Football Games To Watch: Championship Week

A look at the college football games I'll be watching during championship week

If Notre Dame wins its ACC Championship game matchup against Clemson they are a lock for the College Football Playoff. No, they don’t have a 97% chance of getting in with a win (I’m looking at you ESPN), the Irish are a lock with a win.

But what happens if Notre Dame falls short? I still believe the Irish are in even with a loss, but things would get a bit hairier if that were to happen, unless the top contenders also drop games. That’s what I’ll be looking at when I scoreboard watch during Championship Saturday.

#4 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (5-0) vs. #14 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (6-1)

Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: Fox
Spread: OSU -18.5

If Ohio State knocks off Northwestern it would lock the Buckeyes Into a playoff spot. We can debate whether or not that should be the case - and I don’t think it should be - but the committee ranked Ohio State No. 4 despite only playing five games, so beating the #14 team for the Big Ten title is obviously not going to hurt the OSU resume.

Ohio State is an 18.5-point favorite for a reason. They have matchup advantages all over the field, and despite the Wildcats having a quality defense, this game is unlikely to be competitive. Should Northwestern shock me and the rest of the college football world and actually upset Ohio State it would eliminate any conversation about Notre Dame being out.

#5 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-1) at TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (3-6)

Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ESPN
Spread: TAMU -14.0

When talking about who would replace Notre Dame should they lose to Clemson, Texas A&M is often the first team that gets brought up. It’s obvious why that is the case, as the Aggies are ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings. My personal view is an 8-1 Texas A&M team with a 52-24 loss to Alabama and only one win over a ranked opponent isn’t getting in over a 10-1 Notre Dame squad no matter what happens to the Irish on Saturday.

Of course, I’m not on the committee and what I say doesn’t matter. The best way to eliminate this debate is for Notre Dame to win. The second best way to eliminate this debate is for Tennessee to salvage its season with an upset of the Aggies. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt could be coaching for his career with the Volunteers, which adds some intrigue to this game against a Texas A&M team that will be looking for style points.

#6 IOWA STATE CYCLONES (8-2) vs. #10 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (7-2)

Time: 12:00 PM ET
Network: ABC
Spread: Oklahoma -6.0

I don’t believe the committee would put a 9-2 Iowa State team with a 17-point loss to #19 Louisiana and a loss to #21 Oklahoma State over a 10-1 Notre Dame team with a loss to #3 Clemson. There is absolutely nothing in the committee’s track record that makes me believe this would happen.

But that hasn’t stopped the talking heads from talking about the possibility of Iowa State leapfrogging the Aggies and Irish should they drop games. That is one reason I’ll be watching this game. The other, of course, is this is two quality programs that I enjoy watching anyway.

#1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (10-0) vs. #7 FLORIDA GATORS (8-2)

Time: 8:00 PM ET
Network: CBS
Spread: Alabama -17.0

In a normal year there is no way that a 9-2 Florida team with a win over Alabama but losses to LSU (who has a losing record) and Texas A&M gets in over a 10-1 Notre Dame team. But this is 2020, and weird things keep happening this year. That’s why Notre Dame fans should be pulling for the Tide to hammer the Gators.

#23 TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANES (6-1) vs. #9 CINCINNATI BEARCATS (8-0)

Time: 8:00 PM ET
Network: ABC
Spread: Cincinnati -14.0

The committee clearly doesn’t think much of Cincinnati, who dropped in the polls after not playing last week. Could an undefeated Cincinnati team jump up with a win over #23 Tulsa? I highly doubt it, but I’ll be tuning in nonetheless. Of course, I also plan on continuing to study the Marcus Freeman led defense in the Queen City.

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