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CFB Preview Guide: Championship Week

Time to let the Conference Champions be decided. The PAC-12, B1G, SEC and BIG 12 have some major games this weekend.

By Zooby Q.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 Michigan season has, mercifully, come to an end.

With that, the Brady Hoke era is no more in Ann Arbor.  While major schools across the country will be hoping for championship dreams and possible playoff destinations, there is much to still be decided.

Let's get back to talking about football.

CFB PREVIEW GUIDE - CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH

#7 ARIZONA vs. #2 OREGON - 9:00 P.M. EST. - FOX

On the day that Michigan fired it's Head Coach, it's former coach, Rich Rodriquez, was named the PAC-12 Coach of the Year.  When it rains, it pours.

Now, Rich Rod will lead his Wildcats against the soon-to-be Heisman trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, and the rest of the Oregon Ducks.

This proves to be a high octane type of game, where both teams could score over 30+.  If Oregon wins, they are a lock to make it into the College Football Playoff.  If Arizona wins, it will have a strong case to crash the party and make a leap into the Final Four.

To have a sexy game like this on a Friday is all you can ask for as a die hard college football fan.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6TH

IOWA STATE @ #3 TCU - 12:00 P.M. EST. - ABC

TCU continues to raise some eyebrows, and this week was no exception.  To no fault of their own, the Hornfrogs jumped to #3 and somehow, even with a win here, TCU could possibly find itself falling in the rankings next week.

TCU plays in a conference, the BIG 12, that refuses to name an outright champion.  TCU has an impressive resume, but it lost to Baylor and if Baylor wins a top ten matchup this week, TCU could see itself on the outside looking in.

We had hoped that leaving the BCS behind would have solved many of these issues, but ideally, until we get to the perfect system of an 8 team playoff, we'll continue to hear rumblings.

OKLAHOMA STATE @ #20 OKLAHOMA - 3:30 P.M. EST. - FOX SPORTS 1

When the season began, this looked like it could be a huge game between inner state rivals.  Now, both teams are full of disappointment, and if Michigan wants a shot at Bob Stoops, they'll be rooting for Oklahoma State to pull off an upset here.

As good as Oklahoma looked when the season began, they have been one of the biggest disappointments in 2014 and will be crawling into this game.

Both coaches in this game, Bob Stoops and Mike Gundy, are some of the hottest names that come up when it comes to open jobs at Florida, Nebraska and Michigan.  Let's see if this is the last game for either or both coaches at their current destinations.

#1 ALABAMA vs. #16 MISSOURI - 4:00 P.M. EST. - CBS

Nick Saban just wins.  The Crimson Tide might stumble but they rarely fall.

'Bama lost to Ole Miss earlier in the season but when all is said and done, they are where they usually tend to be, at the top of the college football landscape.

If, somehow, Missouri pulls off a major upset here, that will be the ultimate case of chaos for the College Football Playoff.  An SEC champion team will likely be represented in the final four, right or wrong, and teams like Michigan State and Mississippi State will cry foul if they get leaped by a team like Missouri.  This is all speculation but if you like the crazy uncertainty, root for the Tigers here.

Here's my favorite Alabama fan on Twitter. What a joy fanatical SEC people are.

#9 KANSAS STATE @ #6 BAYLOR - 7:45 P.M. EST. - ESPN

Baylor has it's biggest week of college football in it's history.  'College Gameday' will be on site and the Bears have the most to gain this weekend.

A top ten win here will be all that Baylor needs to jump into the top four of the standings.  TCU might have a better overall resume, they might be a better team, but Baylor beat them head-to-head and if Baylor wins this game, there's no chance Baylor doesn't jump TCU.

Let's hope Baylor jumps up and gets that high powered offense into the Final Four.

#4 FLORIDA STATE vs. #11 GEORGIA TECH - 8:00 P.M. EST. - ABC

Win and, still, maybe go home?  Not likely.

Florida State has continued to win games, albeit in ugly fashion.  All Jameis Winston does is win, and the Seminoles have seen themselves to fall from #2 to #3 and now, shockingly, to #4.  There is no chance that an undefeated, conference champion, defending national champion will be left out of the College Football Playoff.

This will not be an easy game to win, but none of the games this year are easy for Florida State.  Here's hoping Jameis Winston gets into the Final Four and somehow shuts up the SEC by knocking them out of the playoff.

#13 WISCONSIN vs. #5 OHIO STATE - 8:17 P.M. EST. - FOX

Urban Meyer is on his 3rd QB in the last 12 months.  OSU has the worst loss of the 2014 season when it comes to College Football Playoff caliber teams.  They lost to an unranked Virginia Tech team, at home.  Even though they have some nice road wins at Michigan State and at Minnesota, they're not in a situation to control their own destiny.

Unless somehow the chaos ensues and Alabama and Florida State lose, the Buckeyes might be left outside of the College Football Playoff.

Michigan fans will be rooting for Wisconsin here, no doubt.

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