Nate - Once again, the college football regular season has gone by far too fast for my liking. For the regular season, my record rests at a respectable 41-29. It’s Championship and de facto championship weekend, so all of our picks are going to be either title games or games that are essentially title games.
Adam - A 4-1 record last week keeps me in winning form going into the Bowls. Things were looking shaky for my credibility after the first half of the season, but I’m back on track with some great games to play this week.
No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 15 Pittsburgh
Nate - Pitt lost a hard game last week against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and now has to face Cincy for what is, in effect, the Big East title game. You can bet that Pitt is going to be looking to lay the wood to the Bearcats after losing to their bitter rival.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, has escaped unscathed in each of their last three games, winning by a total of 12 points. The defense has been exposed as suspect, but the offense, now with more Pike, has been up to the task of simply out-scoring anything and anyone. Don’t think that the rampant rumors that head coach Brian Kelly is headed to South Bend after the season ends isn’t going to play a part here, especially since he hasn’t denied anything and refuses to even talk about the issue to his own players. That can’t be good for team unity.
As much as I like the Bearcats and Brian Kelly, I think Pittsburgh ends their streak right here.
Pitt wins, 38-35
Adam - Last week Pitt stopped a great offensive team in West Virginia but lost the game. This week, they face undefeated Cincinnati who are on their way to a BCS game. I see a similar game with just a few more points being scored.
Bearcats Win 27-24
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama
Nate - Will we finally see the fall of the Tebow child in a big game or will he continue to build on his inexplicable Heisman hype? (seriously, he’s not having that good of a season at all) Mark Ingram is going to try and go for Alabama, but their struggles against an attacking Auburn defense don’t make me hopeful that they can pull out a game against Florida’s defensive juggernaut, Carlos Dunlap or no.
Florida wins, 28-17
Adam - I would love very much for Alabama to spoil the final season of Tim Tebow’s career, but I don’t see that happening. Bama’s defense is great, but they had a tough time with Auburn Last week. I don’t think Florida will score even as much as Auburn, but Tebow and the Florida defense will find a way to win.
Gators Win 20-17
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 22 Nebraska
Nate - The Boy Wonder Colt McCoy vs. Big Suh. That’s essentially what this game grinds down to. The Huskers offense leaves so much to be desired, it’s not even funny. Why they haven’t lined up Suh at TE at least once or twice this year is beyond me. The intimidation factor alone would be worth it.
Texas’ defense was exposed last week against A&M, but I don’t think that Muschamp is going to let that happen again, especially against an offense that is anything but explosive. If Nebraska has any hope of fucking up the BCS, it’s in shutting down Colt McCoy for 60 minutes, like they did with Oklahoma. But McCoy hasn’t been shut down like that all season and I don’t expect it to happen in this game.
Texas wins, 24-14
Adam - Colt McCoy is catching fire at the right time, and that spells trouble for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers’ defense has been solid all year, but Texas can smell the BCS Championship game and there’s no way they’ll lose.
Longhorns Win 31-20
No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson
Nate - Excitement, thy name is the ACC title game. Both GT and Clemson come limping into this game after getting their butts whupped in rivalry games last week. This game should be frustration revenge meted out in quarter-lengths. Expect a lot of big hits, late hits, breathtaking runs and mouth punches. I don’t think that Clemson is man enough to stop Paul Johnson’s offense, and C.J. Spiller can’t play every position, even if he wanted to.
Georgia Tech wins, 31-20
Adam - Tech beat Clemson early on this season by just a field goal, and now they face off in the ACC title game. Clemson’s defense has looked vulnerable lately, and after their loss to South Carolina, I think the Tech rushing game is going to have a nice day. Clemson is going to need big plays on defense and special teams to keep this game close.
Georgia Tech Wins 35-24
No. 16 Oregon State at No. 7 Oregon
Nate - Autzen Stadium at night. The Rose Bowl on the line. The Civil War. Retina-burning uniform colors. Micro-brew drunk fans. I can’t imagine a better game to kick off championship weekend than this.
We have two high-powered offenses coming in at full strength. Two capable defenses who play opportunistic football but are not shut-down caliber. With the bitter rivalry angle, everything is lined up for a big time shootout. Do not be surprised to see sluggo LaGarrette Blount make a surprise appearance at some point and run over a few Beaver defenders. Chip Kelly has shown that he is nothing if not innovative and that would be one hell of a wrinkle to pull out in a game like this. In the end, I think that Oregon has just too much firepower to lose this game.
Oregon wins, 48-45
Adam - I’m gonna call this one like most of the recent Oregon games. Their defense will surrender plenty of points to the Beavers, especially with the way the Oregon State offense is playing, but the offense of the Ducks is just too damn good. Add to that, that Oregon is playing at home and you have a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Ducks Win 45-41
