Randy Smith: Championship Game Picks

While 10 different teams are trying to play themselves into the College Football Playoffs, a handful of other teams are anxiously awaiting the results....some hoping for some help getting in the fray. Through 14 weeks of the regular season, I picked 98 of 121 games correctly (81%). Saturday is a huge day for college football, with all power-four conferences in action to determine the automatic qualifiers for the playoffs which begin Dec. 20. Ironically, in all four conference title contests a newcomer is playing for a championship.

Big 12 Championship Saturday 12:00 Noon on ABC

Iowa State vs Arizona State

There were four different teams tied for first place in the Big-12....BYU, Colorado, Iowa State and Arizona State but the Sun Devils and Cyclones survived the tie-breaker and will meet for the title. Arizona State is a slim two point favorite in the game and it could be the most competitive game of the day. The two teams did not meet during the regular season and the loser will likely miss the playoffs and go to a good bowl game.

Arizona State 30 Iowa State 24

SEC Championship Saturday 4:00 on ABC

Georgia vs Texas

The Long Horns are 11-1 on the year and that loss was to Georgia 30-15 on October 19th. Now the two teams are meeting on a neutral field to determine the SEC Champion and there is a possibility that both teams get in the playoffs regardless of who wins. Texas is a 2.5 point favorite in the game on a neutral site but the 'Dawgs won by 15 at Texas. This is the highest profile game of the day as it pits two good quarterbacks against each other....Georgia's Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers from Texas are more than capable of leading their team to a victory but I believe Ewers has the edge as Texas gets retribution for that earlier loss.

Texas 27 Georgia 23

Big-10 Championship Saturday 8:00 on CBS

Penn State vs Oregon

James Franklin finally gets a chance to play for a national title. His 11-1 Nittany Lions only loss came in Happy Valley on November 2nd. They've had a few close calls including a 33-30 overtime win at Southern Cal. They face unbeaten Oregon.....a team that's been ranked number one for several weeks now. The most telling comparative score was the Ducks'32-31 win at home over Ohio State, while Penn State lost to the Buckeyes 20-12 at home. This should be a good competitive contest with both teams advancing to the playoffs but the Ducks will still be unbeaten when the smoke clears.

Oregon 24 Penn State 17

ACC Championship Saturday 8:00 on ABC

Clemson vs SMU

Even though the Tigers were beaten at home last weekend by rival South Carolina, they are still alive for not only an ACC title but a Clemson win places them in the playoffs. Dabo Swinney could likely be saying, " I told you so." as he faced a lot of criticism for not buying into the Name, Image and Likeness deals nor the transfer portal. As of December 7th, he's still alive for the school's fourth national title and his third. Clemson is a 2.5 point underdog to the Mustangs who are fairly new to the post season. They played just two ranked teams this season and even though they beat them both, their schedule was listed as the 75th toughest in the nation. This game has the smallest odds of any of the championship games and of the three Clemson losses one was on a neutral field, (Georgia) and the other two (Louisville and South Carolina) were at home. This should be a dandy game to close out the Championship weekend.

Clemson 27 SMU 23