It is that time!!! 10 Conference Championships on tap with 8 today. Congrats to Utah Utes and UTSA Roadrunners on Friday Night Punk-12 and C-USA Championship wins!! Saddest game on the Saturday Slate slate ( unless you like to wager and looking for a lifeline around 10pm !) is the USC vs. Cal Covid Make-Up bowl with a pair of 4-7 squads on tap. Lincoln Riley will be in on site in the USC private jet while the rest of the USC gang will arrive via Greyhound bus. Happy for the Seniors but otherwise….Why??
2nd saddest event was new LSU HC Brian Kelly attempting use a cajun/southern type accent in his first fan meeting at Baton Rouge. ZT hears he has now hired this guy on staff to help him quickly get the Cajun dialect down for recruiting….
Back to the Championships. CFP will either be very clear or in complete chaos by the end of the day. Historically, the “chaos” just hasn’t happened but it is 2021 so lets go!!!
Padre taking a sabbatical after a stressful week of coach search for his Gators. Word is he is currently 58% through a pick up truck load of boiled crawfish he vowed to consume if Billy Napier joined the Gator Nation.
ZT been in ATL on business but also gathering intel for the SEC championship. Only time will tell if the sources were credible……
Rocket Mortgage MAC Championship – 11am
Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois Huskies
ZT loves November when we get the MACattack on Tues/Wed nights! Kent State has the “Fast Flash” offense and it has been good for over 490 YPG and helped them hang 52 points on NIU ( with over 680 yards of offense ) in early November! Fun to watch and they don’t care about time of possession….just get the ball and score. Flip to defense and seems they just want to give the offense a chance for some oxygen. Huskies led by QB Rocky Lombardi. With a name like that, you know he is tougher than a woodpecker’s lips! Game played at Ford Field in Detroit so a true neutral site. ZT calling for Huskies even though Vegas says otherwise in a high scoring affair. Huskies 52 Golden Flashes 49
BIG 12 Championship – 11am
Baylor Bears vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
ZT likes that the winner of this one will win their 1st Big 12 Championship Game. ZT just likes the Cowboys and the way they have been playing. Some concern of how they bounce back after an emotional win over OU last week but winning the Big12 and a shot at the CFP should take care of this. Bears dealing with a hamstring injury to veteran QB Bohanon. Freshman QB Shapen did a nice job last week vs. Texas Tech but Okie State is a much better defense. OSU QB Spencer Sanders is prone to turn it over but HC Gundy has a solid running attack and they are happy to run it 60% of the time and let their defense handle the rest. ZT sees the Mullets making it to the CFP Cowboys 24 Bears 16
Mountain West Championship – 2pm
Utah State Aggies vs #19 San Diego State Aztecs
SDS Aztecs have a solid defense and have become more balanced on offense vs. run only as the season has progressed. Only loss was to a solid Fresno State team in late October but have played several close games this season. Aggies had a 5 game win streak stopped by Wyoming 2 weeks ago but like the leadership from QB Bonner who followed HC Anderson over from Ark. State ( that is becoming too common in NCAA!! ). ZT likes avocados and guacamole ( a lot!! ) and those 2 words in English are attributed to the Aztecs. Enough to tip the scales for ZT!! Aztecs ( and a side of guacamole ) 31 Aggies 21
Sunbelt Championship – 230pm
Appy State Mountaineers vs #24 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
These 2 have met 3 times in last 4 years of the Sunbelt Championship game. 2020 game was cancelled due to Covid. Appy State has won 10 games and 6 straight to get here. Their biggest loss this year? A 41-13 loss to the Ragin Cajuns in October! Biggest distraction? RC HC Bill Napier will be headed to Gainesville after this game. Do like part of his accepting Gators job was coaching this game but has to be a distraction. Appy State QB Chase Brice averages just over 35 PPG and 439 YPG leading this offense. Solid O-line has only yielded 10 sacks. Ragin Cajuns defense only allows 18 PPG and Offense led by QB “My jeans have to be” Levi Lewis. Similar stats to Brice and is 33-7 as a starter. ZT thinks Appy may be a touch better and Napier leaving is a concern, but this game is played at Lafayette and ZT believes that is just enough of a difference. Ragin Cajuns 28 Mountaineers 24
SEC Championship – 3pm
#1 Georgia Bulldogs vs. # 3 Bama
Pretty simple….Can Bama run the ball enough to support their passing game to force the Bulldog defense to play honest? Much depends on the Bama O-line, who apparently enjoys imitating a piece of swiss cheese. Nice passing stats but got to give QB Bryce Young some time to work on the Bulldog secondary. If not, could be a long day in ATL. Good news is Bama should also be the best defense Bulldogs have seen this year. Kirby looking to get the 0-3 vs. Saban monkey off his back and believe he does this time. Bulldogs 27 Bama 20
American Athletic Conference Championship – 3pm
#21 Houston Cougars vs. #4 Cincinnati Bearcats
Bearcats just keep winning and with that their chances grow for a G5 invite to the CFP!!! Love QB Desmond Ridder with 3000 yds. passing, 27 TDs and only 8 INTs. HC Luke Fickell appears to be staying put so good news in Cincy. Houston has only lost 1 game which was the opener to Texas Tech. HC Dana “I look like Nick Nolte sniffing glue” Holgorsen has the cougars playing some solid ball! QB Clayton ” I can’t carry a” Tune has 26 TDs and over 3000 yds. with only 8 INTs as well ( 4 of those were in the opening game! ). Both squads have good defenses so this one should be a great game to watch. Toss up but ZT going with some chaos. Cougars 31 Bearcats 28 – Upset Special
Big 10 Championship – 7pm
#2 Michigan Wolverines vs #13 Iowa Hawkeyes
Coach Khaki proved ZT and many “non-Wolverines” wrong last week by getting the W against THE Ohio State in the Big House. Lots of talk about letdown and the Hawkeyes defense leading into this one. ZT doesn’t see it.. Michigan QB Cade McNamara makes good decisions and will use RB Hassan Haskins effectively. ZT not going against Michigan for the rest of 2021! Wolverines 27 Hawkeyes 21
ACC Championship – 7pm
#15 Pittsburgh Panthers vs. #16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett has emerged as a late Heisman contender but it is the Panther defense that is a big part of their success. Consistently ranked at the top in sacks and tackles for loss. Even with all the yards on offense, Pitt does very well in controlling the clock. Go to the other sideline, Demon Deacons are a bit like Kent State and just score, score, score. QB Sam ” my luggage is all ” Hartman leads an attack averaging 43 points per game but does come with the INT risks. ZT sees a track meet and make sure you have your remote ready to toggle between this one and the Big10 game. Panthers 45 Demon Deacons 41
Saturday Night Degenerate Gambler Bowl – 10pm
USC Trojans 4-7 vs. California Golden Bears 4-7
Well….Lincoln Riley reported to be watching USC practice already. All will be decided for the CFP by the time this one gets underway. Other than the seniors getting one more game, only reason to watch this is if you have a bet on it. Being played at Berkeley so expect protests because Riley comes from a state that loves fossil fuels, has a negative carbon footprint with the private Jet use in his contract and PETA not happy with how the Sooner Schooner treats their horses………Golden Bears 35 Trojans 27
ZT out to go watch 14 hours of College Football ( Yes, will watch the USC- Cal game while eating a bag of Cheetos and diet Mountain Dew )…..Enjoy!!!
SATURDAY AM UPDATE: PADRE FINISHED THE CRAWFISH AND INSPIRED FOR SOME SPICY PROGNOSTICATIONS:
Pac-12 Title? Was finishing my “bugs” but noted I did not miss much. Long week at work, so this run is about as creative as Brian Kelly’s new cajun accent…
Okie State 27 Baylor 26
Aranda isn’t moving to Southern California – instead he is staying in east central Texas ( for now ). Hey, at least he has cheaper housing there. Anyway, The Mullet is perfectly fine living in the flat lands of Oklahoma. And his team scores just enough points to get him a conference title — and playoff?!?!
Appy State 24 Louisiana Lafayette 23
My new boy Napier has had a lot to deal with this week. I think that helps the mountain men from Boone. I’ll be pulling for my new coach, but I think Appy finds a way. Nothing humorous here. All in Napier in Gainesville. **….until he loses a game and we Gator fans will burn down The Swamp!! 🙂
Georgia 27 Alabama 16
Bama is an underdog. In other news, I have always mocked pastors who tried to predict the end-times, but maybe this is sign! Meanwhile, before the great tribulation that is evidently coming, the only people pulling for Bama this weekend?? Bama fans and Gator fans like me. I wish that were enough to smash through Georgia’s amazing defense, but I feel this is the Dawgs’ year. Ugh. Roll Tide!! But I don’t think it matters.
Michigan 26 Iowa 16
Me: Don’t pick your nose Son!
My Son: Why not?? Jim Harbaugh does it and he is going to make the CFP!!
Wake Forest 38 Pitt 36 – Minor Upset of the Week
Two great offenses. Two bad defenses. Two teams that nobody expected to see in Charlotte. And two points separates them in the end. The Deacs get the minor upset today.
Houston 30 Cincy – 27 – Major Upset of the Week
I am pulling for the Bearcats, but I think Holgorsen and his cougars roll into Cincinnati and ruin their Cinderella season. Luke Fickell to Notre D……..WAIT!
Playoff Prediction
IN: 1 ) Georgia 2) Michigan 3) Okie State 4 ) Notre Dame
Just Out: 5) Bama 6) Ohio State 7) Billy Napier’s statement that “Scared money don’t make money.” 8) Gator fan consolation prize: FSU finished 5-7 and had their 4th straight losing season.
Padre back out to order more crawfish and have a T-shirt made with Billy’s Pic and the “Scared money don’t make money” on it…which he can also use for a tithing sermon in the future…..
Pigskin Prognostications by the Piedmont Padre and Zimmern's Twin 