TWIF Notes 12-4-23

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Welcome Back!

This week and next will be slightly different, as with the season all but completed, I will spend most of the time reviewing the season, and how my predictions played out.

Speaking of predictions, I was a dismal 3-7 (30%) in my picks for the championship games. It seems that when I picked an upset, the favorite won, and when I picked the favorite, that was when we had an upset. Oh well. For the year I am still a respectable 652-215, finishing the season (pre-bowls) at 75.2%!

There will be no Power Rankings tomorrow, as I will wait until after the Army-Navy game on Saturday to update those. To see my pick for that game, check out my picks from last Thursday's blog.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will give final results from the regular season on how each conference did in their OOC games, review my preseason picks, and compare those predictions to the major preview magazines to see how I did.

By the way, I was right on 2 of my preseason CFP picks (Michigan and Alabama), but missed out on Ohio State and Clemson. Not bad. I expect in some ways, it may be more difficult to get them right when the CFP expands next season, but I will probably be able to get a majority of the 12 teams correct. I hope...


Conference Championship Games

Liberty traded scores with New Mexico State for most of the game before pulling away in the 2nd half to claim the CUSA Championship, an unbeaten season, and the G5 NY6 slot against Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. That may not go well. The Aggies finish the season 10-4, and will have a chance at 11 wins when they play Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.

Washington survived Oregon 34-31, winning both games against the Ducks by 3 points each. The Huskies will be a part of the CFP as the 2nd seed, taking on Texas in the Sugar Bowl, as they are the very last (maybe?) Pac 12 champions. OU will be going against Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl.

Texas blasted Oklahoma State 49-21 to claim the Big 12 title. The Longhorns will be playing Washington in the Sugar Bowl as part of the CFP as the 3rd seed. The Cowboys will take on Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Miami got revenge on Toledo 23-14, atoning for their loss earlier in the season as they claim the MAC Championship for the 2nd time in the last 5 years. The Redhawks will play in the Cure Bowl against App State, while the Rockets will play in the Arizona Bowl versus Wyoming.

Boise State stomped UNLV to win the Mountain West title. The Broncos will play UCLA in the LA Bowl, while the Rebels will play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Kansas.

Alabama upset Georgia 27-24, as the Crimson Tide wins the SEC Championship for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. Bama will play in the Rose Bowl against Michigan as part of the CFP, as they are the 4th seed. The Bulldogs will play FSU in the Orange Bowl, as each team will be out to prove they belonged in the CFP.

SMU defeated Tulane 26-14 despite not having their starting QB. The Mustangs win the AAC Championship, their 1st conference title since 1984, and will play Boston College in the Fenway Bowl. The Green Wave will play in the Military Bowl against Virginia Tech.

Troy crushed Appalachian State 49-23 to win their 2nd consecutive Sun Belt Conference championship, and theTrojans will take on Duke in the Birmingham Bowl. The Mountaineers will play in the Cure Bowl versus Miami, Oh.

Michigan shut out Iowa (as expected) 26-0. The Wolverines win their 3rd Big Ten title in a row, and will play Alabama in the Rose Bowl as the #1 seed in the CFP. The Hawkeyes will play in the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee.

FSU used a devastating defense to subdue Louisville 16-6 and win the ACC Championship. The Seminoles finish the season undefeated, but got left out of the CFP, and will play in the Orange Bowl against Georgia. The Cardinals will take on USC in the Holiday Bowl.


That's all the games for this week!

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!  

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