After the craziness of rivalry week, the conference championships are set. This year’s championship week in college football has an extra prize. These game-winners will likely get an automatic spot in the College Football Playoffs. Any upsets here and the 12 teams become very open. So, how did the Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, and SMU Mustangs (among others) fare this week?
SEC Championship: Texas vs Georgia
The SEC Championship game this year was between the number two-ranked Texas Longhorns and the number five-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Coming into the game, the Longhorns were the favorite. But their only defeat this season came against the Bulldogs. Will it be the same story here, or will Texas get revenge and win the SEC title in their first year in the conference?
The Longhorns had the game’s opening possession but would make the first mistake. The Texas offense, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, went down to the Bulldogs’ 41-yard line. Here, Ewers’ pass was deflected by the defense and then fell into the hands of Daylen Everette for the interception. Luckily for the Longhorns, the following drive from Georgia could not go anywhere.
Texas would get points on their next drive. The offense went down to the Bulldogs’ 23-yard line, where their drive would stall. This set up Longhorns’ kicker Bert Auburn with a 41-yard field goal attempt, something he would be successful with. Auburn would again be used on the following drive from the Longhorns, where he would successfully make a 42-yard field goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Bulldogs then got their first points on the board. On a drive that started from their 25-yard line, the Georgia offense, led by quarterback Carson Beck, made its way down to the Longhorns’ 26-yard line, where the drive stalled. This set up a 44-yard field goal attempt from Peyton Woodring. His kick was good, and the Bulldogs were only three points behind.
Texas tried to extend their lead on their next drive, but Auburn’s kick would miss.
On the final half play, Beck was sacked and fumbled the ball. While this did not affect the scoreline, it did injure Beck, and he was ruled out of the second half with a neck injury.
This meant before a pivotal second half, the Longhorns had a 6-3 lead over the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs had the opening possession of the second half and could take the lead from it. Now led by Gunner Stockton, the Bulldogs’ offense could move down the field and reach the Longhorns’ 10-yard line. From here, returning running back Trevor Etienne (who terrorized the Longhorns when they last met) found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
A few drives later, Auburn again faced a field goal from 51 yards out. However, like his attempt before halftime, the kick missed. While the Longhorns could not make a field goal, the Bulldogs could extend their lead on the next possession from a 24-yard attempt by Woodring.
If Texas wanted to stay in this game, they had to find the endzone on the first drive of the fourth quarter. Luckily for them, that is what they were able to do. Ewers and company were able to move down to the Bulldogs’ 41-yard line, and from here, the quarterback found DeAndre Moore Jr. for the touchdown pass. A successful PAT from Auburn meant that the game was tied.
But not for long; Woodring kicked a 21-yard field goal to cap off a nine-minute drive to give the Bulldogs a slim lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen, the mistakes came. Ewers threw an interception deep in his own territory. Soon after, Stockton handed possession back to Texas, also due to an interception. This meant the Longhorns had one more chance to win the game or take it to overtime.
Starting from their 34-yard line, the Longhorns moved down the field and reached the Bulldogs’ 19-yard line. This set Auburn up with an important 37-yard field goal attempt. His kick was successful, meaning the SEC Championship Game would be overtime.
The Longhorns had the first possession of the period, and the best they could do was a field goal. In response, a touchdown was all the Bulldogs needed to win the game. Georgia went down to the Longhorns’ four-yard line, where Etienne found the endzone to give the Georgia Bulldogs a 22-19 overtime win over the Texas Longhorns to win the SEC Championship.
I wrote that Georgia’s season was over two weeks ago. It has only begun, as winning this game has won them an automatic spot in the CFP. As for the Longhorns, several factors could be blamed for the loss, but they need to shake this off. It is likely that they will be in the playoffs as well and will still be a threat to many others.
Big Ten Championship: Oregon vs Penn State
The number one-ranked Oregon Ducks are the only undefeated team in College Football. Their perfect season was on the line against the number three ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship Game. This is the first conference championship game without Michigan or Ohio State in it since 2016, a game that Penn State won. Could an upset occur in this game?
The Ducks had the first possession of the game and would be able to get the first set of points from it as well. Starting from their 16-yard line, the Ducks’ offense, led by quarterback Dillion Gabriel, moved down to the Nittany Lions’ 28-card line. From here, Gabriel found Kenyon Sadiq for the touchdown pass.
In response, Penn State, led by quarterback Drew Allar, made its way down to the Ducks’ 16-yard line. Here, the drive would stall, but kicker Ryan Barker was successful from 33 yards out to put their first points on the board.
Embed from Getty ImagesOregon increased its lead on its next drive when Gabriel again found Sadiq, this time for a two-yard touchdown pass. But the Nittany Lions immediately kept themselves in the game when Allar found Nicholas Singleton for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
But, this slight reduction in the lead did not last long, as Gabriel, this time, found Terrance Ferguson for a four-yard touchdown pass. The Nittany Lions could not respond to this and, soon after, would make a costly mistake.
On their 11-yard line, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw an interception, which the Oregon defense returned to the one-yard line. One play later, the inevitable happened, as Jordan James found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown to further increase the Ducks’ lead.
Penn State was able to cut into this lead before halftime. First, Allar found Omari Evans for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Then, on their next drive, Allar found the endzone, recording a seven-yard rushing touchdown.
In response to these two scores, the best the Ducks could do was a 32-yard field goal from kicker Atticus Sappington.
This meant after a very high-scoring first half, the Ducks had a 31-24 lead over the Nittany Lions.
Penn State had the opening possession of the second half and was nearly able to put another dent in the Ducks lead. The Allar lead offense went down to the Oregon 23-yard line, where the drive stalled. This set up Barker with a 40-yard field goal attempt. However, this was missed.
Unfortunately, the Ducks could capitalize on this failed field goal from the Nittany Lions. The following drive would end in a 48-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Tez Johnson.
A few drives later, the Nittany Lions again looked like they were back in the match. They quickly made it down from their six-yard line to the Ducks’ one-yard line. Here, Kaytron Allen found the endzone for the rushing touchdown. However, the two-point conversion attempt the Nittany Lions then decided to go for was unsuccessful.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Ducks then scored another touchdown, with James finding the endzone from three yards out. Penn State matched this, with Allar finding Harrison Wallace III for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it an eight-point game again.
With time running out, Penn State had one final chance to score and stay in the game. But on his 46-yard line, Allar threw an interception, which killed the game.
This meant the Oregon Ducks had defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 45-37 to win the Big Ten Championship game.
The win puts the Ducks into the second round of the playoff bracket, where they will be the number one seed. Penn State’s fate is up to the committee, but I think they will make it.
ACC Championship: SMU vs Clemson
The ACC Championship game was between the number 17 ranked Clemson Tigers and the number eight ranked SMU Mustangs. The Mustangs have been a surprise team this season, as everyone expected the ACC to be between Clemson and Miami. But here we are. Could SMU bag an automatic spot in the CFP, or will Clemson win and make things very interesting
The Mustangs had the game’s first possession, but it did not end well for them. On the game’s first play, Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings was sacked and then fumbled the ball. The Tigers would scoop up the ball and gain possession from this.
This was something that Clemson capitalized on, as quarterback Cade Klubnik found Bryant Wesco Jr for a 35-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead. They would add to this lead on their next drive, as Klubnik found Jake Briningstool for a five-yard touchdown pass.
The Mustangs would then shake off their initial mistake and assemble a successful drive. Starting from their 25-yard line, Jennings and company moved down to the Tigers’ 24-yard line. Here, Jennings ran for the endzone to score a 24-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Tigers’ lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut, the reduced lead did not last long, as Klubnik found Wesco Jr again for a 43-yard touchdown pass. In response, the Mustangs made another mistake, as Jennings’ pass was intercepted. Luckily for SMU, the following drive from Clemson resulted in a missed field goal attempt from kicker Nolan Hauser.
The Mustangs had a chance to score a field goal on the next drive when it stalled at the Tigers’ 36-yard line. This set up Collin Rogers with a 53-yard attempt. However, this was missed.
A few drives later, the Tigers would have success from a 44-yard field goal, which added to their lead. This meant that the Tigers had a 24-7 lead over the Mustangs at halftime.
On their first drive of the second half, the Mustangs could cut into the Tigers’ lead when Jennings found Brashard Smith for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
However, this lead reduction would again not last long for SMU. Clemson would soon strike back when Klubnik again found Brinngstool for a five-yard touchdown pass. But, the Mustangs quickly struck back early in the fourth quarter when Jennings found Matthew Hibner for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesSMU would further reduce the lead soon after when Rogers was successful with a 41-yard field goal. This made it a seven-point game, and it quickly became a tie game when Jennings found Roderick Daniels Jr for a four-yard touchdown pass.
With the scores tied with 16 seconds left to play, the Tigers had to have a perfect drive to quickly get into field goal territory. They made it down to the Mustangs’ 38-yard line, setting with Noland Hauser’s 56-yard field goal attempt to win the game and give them an automatic spot in the CFP. Hauser’s kick was successful, meaning the Clemson Tigers had defeated the SMU Mustangs 34-31.
This affects who will make the playoffs. Number 17-ranked Clemson will be in, but who will join them? SMU now joins the debate on which two-loss teams are worthy of making it in.
What Happened in the Other Championship Games?
Big 12: Arizona State vs Iowa State
This year, the Big 12 Championship game was between the number 15 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils and the number 16 ranked Iowa State Cyclones. This game was all about Cam Skattbo, who ran for 170 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Sun Devils cruised to a 45-19 victory to win their first Big 12 title. No one expected this team to do anything this year (many said they would be last), but now they have an automatic spot in the CFP.
Embed from Getty ImagesMountain West: Boise State vs UNLV
The 10-ranked Boise State Broncos faced the 20-ranked UNLV Rebels in the Mountain West Championship game. A win here would put the Broncos in as the best group of 5 teams. Like the rest of the season, Ashton Jenanty had another strong game, rushing for 209 yards as the Broncos recorded a 21-7 win to take the Mountain West title. They have a chance to cause many upsets in the playoffs.
Embed from Getty ImagesAmerican: Army vs Tulane
The number 24 ranked Army Black Knights faced the Tulane Green Wave for the American Athletic Championship. Army easily won this game, with another strong performance on the ground. Their 35-14 win is their first conference win in their history (they have been an independent program for most of their history). However, a spot in the CFP, while everyone will want it, may not happen.
Embed from Getty ImagesWho Makes the College Football Playoff?
The CFP Selection Committee will now meet to decide the 12 teams who make the CFP. This is easier said than done. Here is how the bracket works.
The Four Highest Ranked Conference Champions get an automatic bye into the second round. Oregon, Georgia, and Boise State will likely get the bye. The committee will then have to decide between Clemson and Arizona State for the final bye, with the other team to play in the first round.
They then must decide on the other 7 “at large” bigs. One of these will definitely go to Notre Dame, as they are likely to be in the top 12 rankings. However, as they do not have a conference, they cannot win a conference bye.
Other teams that I think are definitely in are:
-Texas Longhorns
Ohio State Buckeyes
-Penn State Nittany Lions
-Tennessee Volunteers
This leaves two spots left. SMU should get one, and Indiana or Alabama will get the other.
With the bracket being released soon, the playoffs are set to begin just before Christmas, with the first round of games being held at the higher-ranked team stadium.
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