By Dallas Jones

IOWA CITY, IOWA – Time goes by fast when you are having fun and even though the bad knee has not been completely dialed this season, fun was had. Now we are staring the most important part of the season right in the eyes.

The College Football Playoff bracket is a complete war zone. We have athletic directors going back and forth on social media, non-power four teams pushing for byes and a whole slate of games that can change everything.

#16 Iowa State vs #12 Arizona State (O50): We start off with the Big 12 and a very familiar face in the Hawkeye sports circle, the Iowa State Cyclones. A legacy defining season for Matt Campbell as the Cyclones have finally secured their first ever ten win season, but will it stop there?

Almost every media outlet and website believe the red hot (no pun intended) Arizona State Sun Devils will come out on top in this game. I am not so sure about that, but when in doubt just take the over and cheer for good football. Both of these teams average over 30+ points per game. It is the conference championship, time to pull out all the tricks in the book.

#5 Georgia vs #2 Texas (-3): Anyone who has played organized sports or even just watched sports has heard the phrase, “It’s hard to beat a team twice.” That statement is even truer when the team you beat has not lost to another opponent the entire season.

That is the situation in the SEC Championship as the Georgia Bulldogs face the Texas Longhorns once again after handing them a 30-15 loss in Austin back in October. While Georgia has only lost one game (@ Ole Miss) since the previous matchup, they narrowly escaped defeat against Georgia Tech last week in an eight overtime thriller. Texas has their eyes on a bye and Head Coach Steve Sarkisian won’t be bested twice in a row.

#17 Clemson (+3) vs #8 SMU: At first, I really wanted to bet SMU because I respect any team that can win eleven games in one season. Then I took a look at their schedule and my goodness is it weak. SMU did not face any of the top three teams (besides themselves) in the ACC this season. Their lone loss? At home to BYU, a team that is on the outside of even the Big 12 title game.

Clemson is coming off of a tough loss against South Carolina, but their only other losses are to a solid Louisville team and the Georgia Bulldogs. Trust the team with the better QB and Clemson’s Caleb Klubnik is certainly that. Klubnik had 36 total touchdowns and just six turnovers on the season. It is time for a legacy game.

#3 Penn State vs #1Oregon (-3.5): James Franklin has probably already sent his thank you letter to Ryan Day as an Ohio State meltdown led to their birth into this Big Ten Championship game. Penn State has put a great season at 11-1, but their three toughest opponents (Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota) all pushed them until the end, Ohio State coming away with the victory. It is the same story for the Nittany Lions, always the team that is just one step behind the elites.

Speak of elite, the Oregon Ducks have been the standard this season. No matter who has stood in their path they have found a way to win and many times in dominant fashion. They are a perfect 12-0 and have only played in three games that finished within one score. Both their offense and defense rank in the top 20 in multiple stats and they have clearly made their mark on the conference in their debut season.

Once again, thank you to our partners at Wildrose Casino & Resort as well as BetRivers Sportsbook for these lines. One of the best Saturday’s of the year is upon us, I just hope everyone has fun.

Season Record: 18-24-2 (2-3 last week)