KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em Week 15 preview

SALT LAKE CITY — Championship week is finally upon us with many teams looking to not only win a conference championship but also punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff.

No. 24 North Texas (11-1) vs. No. 20 Tulane (10-2)

Friday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. MST – Yulman Stadium (ABC)

The Mean Green and Green Wave battle it out for the AAC Championship and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

Why North Texas will win:

Head coach Eric Morris is headed to Oklahoma State to be their successor to Mike Gundy but before that he will be coaching North Texas in possibly their biggest game in school history. A chance to win the conference but also punch their ticket to the playoff is on the line and this explosive offense will be on display.

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has gone from not starting a single varsity high school game to becoming a standout with the Mean Green. Mestemaker has thrown for 3,835 yards and 29 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He has helped power an offense that leads the nation in scoring with 46.8 points per game.

Tulane may not be able to slow down North Texas' offense and with Jake Retzlaff having a history of struggling with turnovers, the Mean Green will likely take advantage in what figures to be a high scoring game.

Why Tulane will win:

Currently ranked as the highest group of five team, the Green Wave have been consistent all season despite a mid-season loss to UTSA. Tulane lost to Ole Miss early in the season but defeated Duke who will be playing in the ACC Championship this weekend. This team is battle tested and has a chance to show why they are deserving of a playoff spot.

The only ranked team that the Mean Green have played was South Florida and despite being tied at halftime, the Bulls ran away in the second half giving North Texas their only loss of the season. Unlike the Green Wave, the Mean Green have played a much weaker schedule and it is hard to see if they are truly a contender for the playoffs.

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is also on his way out of town as he is headed to coach the Florida Gators. Sumrall has won everywhere he has been and this is a chance to add an AAC Championship to his two Sun Belt Championships.

If the Green Wave can slow down Mestemaker and North Texas' offense they can give their own offense a chance to attack a defense that struggled against the best team they faced.

Line: UNT -2.5

Over/Under: 67.5

No. 11 BYU (11-1) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (11-1)

Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m. MST – AT&T Stadium (ABC)

The Cougars and Red Raiders meet again as both teams look to solidify a College Football Playoff spot.

Why BYU will win:

The last time BYU faced Texas Tech they were shut out for most of the game until a late touchdown in the fourth quarter. Unlike last season, the Cougars were able to bounce back well from their first loss of the season with a couple of quality wins. BYU will need a much better performance if they hope to clinch their spot in the playoffs.

It all needs to start on the offensive side of the ball for the Cougars as another slow start will doom them. Their defense was able to hold Texas Tech to field goals in the red zone but if they are constantly on the field they will eventually break.

Bear Bachmeier will need to help lead this offense to put points on the board and having a healthy LJ Martin could help them see improvement from the last meeting. Martin was banged up coming off the win at Iowa State but after a couple monster performances, Martin looks to be ready to make an impact.

Winning the turnover margin will be important for BYU if they want to pull off the upset. Giving a good Red Raiders team the ball with good starting field position can be a death sentence but if Jay Hill's defense can get timely turnovers of their own to help set up Bachmeier and the offense then the Cougars may be able to strike.

It's hard to beat a team twice in the same season in college football as we saw last season with Ohio State's rematch with Oregon. I don't expect the same type of dominant win but the result could be the same.

Why Texas Tech will win:

With all the talk about whether or not BYU is deserving of a playoff spot a lot of the discourse has gone towards disrespecting the Big 12 as a whole. Texas Tech has a chance to make a statement by beating a top 15 team for the second time and could do it in dominating fashion once again.

Outside of a road loss to Arizona State, the Red Raiders have been the most dominant team in the Big 12, blowing out opponents while also boasting a top three scoring offense and defense. Leading the charge on both sides are quarterback Behren Morton and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has put his name in the mix for the Heisman trophy with his dominant play as he has recorded 101 total tackles, four interceptions and seven forced fumbles. He made his presence felt in the first meeting against the Cougars as he had an interception and fumble recovery while also tying his season high in tackles.

Rodriguez and this defense has a chance to make an impact against a young quarterback once again. This game could come down to who can win in the trenches and Texas Tech proved in the last meeting that BYU can be outmatched at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Line: TTU -12.5

Over/Under: 49.5

No. 3 Georgia (11-1) vs. No. 9 Alabama (10-2)

Saturday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m. MST – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ABC)

Another regular season rematch takes place in the SEC Championship game with Georgia looking for some revenge against Alabama.

Why Georgia will win:

The Bulldogs nearly went undefeated in the regular season but a home loss to the Crimson Tide. Georgia had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter but opted to go for it on fourth down but failed to convert and Alabama held on to the lead and won the game.

It wasn't a great game for quarterback Gunner Stockton but the Bulldogs' offense found success in the run game. They will hope to attack the Crimson Tide's run defense once again but Stockton will likely need to play better this time around in order to get a different result.

Head coach Kirby Smart's kryptonite seems to be Alabama even without Nick Saban leading the Crimson Tide. However, Alabama has looked more beatable at times than Georgia and with the Crimson Tide being so reliant on Ty Simpson and the passing game, the Bulldogs can make them one-dimensional.

Georgia has the chance to knock Alabama out of the playoffs completely with a dominant victory and in order for Smart and the Bulldogs to begin their quest for their third national championship together, defeating the Crimson Tide will be the first step towards that goal.

Why Alabama will win:

Alabama defeated Georgia on the road earlier this season as part of their four straight wins against ranked opponents. The Crimson Tide have one of the best resumes in college football but a baffling loss to Florida State and a home loss to Oklahoma cast doubts on this team's ceiling.

Simpson looked like a Heisman frontrunner before that Oklahoma loss but he could be trending back in the right direction. He tossed three touchdowns against Auburn while also making key plays with his legs. Simpson was exceptional in Alabama's win over the Bulldogs earlier this season and Kalen Deboer will need another great performance from his quarterback.

The Crimson Tide have plenty of weapons for Simpson to utilize against a strong Georgia defense with Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard and Isaiah Horton. Williams has not taken the sophomore leap that many expected of him but Williams burst onto the season against the Bulldogs last season with an incredible touchdown.

Despite a quiet season, Williams still has the potential to be a game breaker and with other talented receivers for Georgia to cover, Williams can be in for another big game against the Bulldogs.

Line: UGA -2.5

Over/Under: 47.5

Duke (7-5) vs. No. 17 Virginia (10-2)

Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. MST – Michigan Stadium (ABC)

An unlikely scenario sees the Blue Devils in the ACC Championship game against the Cavaliers.

Why Duke will win:

After needing tie breakers and a California upset of SMU late last week, Duke has found its way into the ACC title game and if they win, they could keep the ACC out of the College Football Playoffs as a whole.

The Blue Devils have been the definition of inconsistent this season after some high hopes to begin the season. Quarterback Darian Mensah was a big reason for the team's expectations as the Tulane transfer was one of the top quarterbacks in the portal. Mensah has put together a solid first season with 3,450 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Mensah will have to have one of his better performances of the season if Duke wants to pull off the upset and create chaos. Virginia has the ability to score a lot of points but so do the Blue Devils.

Head coach Manny Diaz has been one of the top defensive minds in college football for a while now but Duke has struggled on defense at times this season. If Diaz is able to come up with a game plan that can shut down the Cavaliers offense and get pressure on Chandler Morris then the Blue Devils could be sitting in a good spot.

Why Virginia will win:

Virginia has managed to reach the ACC Championship game for the second time in program history and have completed the turnaround in head coach Tony Elliott's fourth year at the helm. The Cavaliers had a bit of luck to help them out as they were able to avoid the other top four teams in the ACC on their schedule.

You still have to play the games on your schedule and Virginia has been able to find ways to win, including defeating this Duke team two weeks ago. The Cavaliers won by 17 despite Morris throwing two interceptions. Virginia was able to find success with their ground game as they rushed for 224 yards in the win.

If they can replicate that success with their run game it should be able to open up Morris and the Cavaliers' passing attack. If Morris can limit his interceptions then Virginia should be set up to find the same success on offense.

Line: UVA -4

Over/Under: 57.5

No. 2 Indiana (11-0) vs. No. 1 Ohio State (11-0)

Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. MST – Lucas Oil Stadium (FOX)

A battle between the top two teams in the nation caps off championship weekend with Indiana and Ohio State clashing for the Big Ten title.

Why Indiana will win:

The Hoosiers might be the most dominant team this season but they still have one more thing to prove before a trip to their second-straight College Football Playoff. A Big Ten championship in Curt Cignetti's second season would cement Indiana among the best programs in the nation and this year's team is more capable of beating the Buckeyes than last year's.

Led by Heisman candidate (and likely favorite) Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers have the second-highest scoring offense by averaging 44.3 points per game. On top of Mendoza's talented arm, Indiana's run game accounts for 229.8 yards a game with Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby leading the way.

The most underrated aspect of this Hoosier team is their defense. They can get to the quarterback, force turnovers and hold opponents from scoring. Holding opponents to 10.9 points per game, they rank as the second best scoring defense, only behind the team they will face off against this week.

Indiana has won at some of the toughest places to play this season but Ohio State will be the best team they have faced thus far. The Buckeyes got off to a sluggish start against Michigan last week before physically wearing down the Wolverines. The Hoosiers are a much better team than Michigan and can find ways to give Ohio State problems.

Julian Sayin was not pressured in last week's win over the Wolverines so that will be the first thing that Indiana needs to do in order to win. If they can get to the young quarterback and take away easy routes for the Buckeye receivers then they can slow down their offense.

Mendoza will need to find ways to attack this Ohio State defense that has been the best unit in the country but if he can, the Hoosiers will have a chance to make history on Saturday.

Why Ohio State will win:

The Buckeyes exercised some demons last week as they snapped their four-game losing streak to Michigan while doing it the way that the Wolverines have done to them in the past. With plenty of NFL talent on their roster and many that could go in the first round, whether that is this year or next, Ohio State will be prepared for whatever is thrown at them.

A couple of cracks on their run defense allowed for some long Michigan runs but defensive coordinator Matt Patricia tightened things up as the Buckeyes didn't allow a touchdown while also shutting out the Wolverines in the second half.

That adjustment showed that Ohio State is capable of stopping the elite rushing attacks in the sport and they will need to do so against Indiana. This Buckeyes team has championship experience while the Hoosiers do not. This game can go in a similar direction as last week's with Ohio State pulling away late.

Indiana will need to strike first and strike quick and avoid failing to take advantage of any turnovers or big plays like Michigan did last week. That will be a challenge against this defense that just seems to swarm towards the football.

Sayin has been just as good as Mendoza this season as both are the only quarterbacks in the country with 30 or more touchdown passes and five or fewer interceptions. The Buckeyes have one of the best receiving cores led by Jeremiah Smith but Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss can also step up when needed.

With the best defense in college football and too many weapons on the outside, Ohio State should be able to stay undefeated and keep their back-to-back title hopes alive.

Line: OSU -4

Over/Under: 47.5

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