BRB College Game Day Open Thread: Championship Weekend Edition

There is a chance, I suppose, that someone reading this might be most interested in Oklahoma-Oklahoma State's off-Broadway version of the Bedlam rivalry.  Or maybe you are just all kind of hyped up for SMU's tilt against UConn.

In either case, you can just go ahead and jump to the comments now, because that is the sum total of what this post will say about those games.

For the rest of you, I'm going to assume you're looking forward to some conference title games that should either be very good on their own or present some compelling story lines, depending on the outcome.  So let's peek at the matchups that really matter when it comes to the final four bracket that will be released tomorrow.

#1 Alabama (-14.5) v. #16 Missouri. Hey, remember when Mizzou joined the SEC and people joked about how they would be bottom-feeders in that conference for years because "DURRR YEE HAW ESSS EEEE SEEE SPEED DERP MAH SISTER SHORE IS HAWT!"? Yeah, not so much. (Am I saying that stories of the SEC's dominance relative to other conferences are overblown, media-driven b.s.?  Yes.  Yes, I am.)

ANYWAY...as someone who (briefly) attended the University of Missouri, I generally pull for them in any game that doesn't also involve Michigan. I also dislike Nick Saban, because I'm human, and that's something that normal humans do. I fear that none of this matters, however. Prediction: Mizzou covers, Bama wins by 10.

#3 TCU (-34.5) v. Iowa State. As Baylor kids are quick to remind you, should you find yourself in Waco and asking questions, they beat TCU head-to-head. They are pretty bitter about the current state of things.  (More on Baylor in a minute, though.)

Here, there's zero chance that Iowa State wins.  None.  That's what happens when a landlocked cornfield names its team after a meteorological condition that can only occur at sea. (Side note: driving through Iowa should be considered as an alternative to capital punishment.) Prediction: Iowa State covers, TCU wins by 20.

#6 Baylor (-8.5) v. #9Kansas State. True fact: Bill Snyder is actually older than both college football and the state of Kansas.^{[citation needed]} Baylor doesn't care about that. They don't care about much more than screaming SIXTY-ONE TO FIFTY-EIGHT at anyone who passes by.

Not that you can blame them for being hung up on that. TCU benefits from only losing to Baylor, while Baylor suffers from losing to a WVU team that TCU, K-State, and even that mid-major in Austin managed to beat. Prediction: Baylor covers and wins by 10; Tim and BFD make Michigan jokes in the comments.

#4 Florida State (-4) v. #11 Georgia Tech. It has become fashionable to pick Georgia Tech in this game, pointing to Florida State's struggles and reasoning that GT's prehistoric offense will "keep Jameis off the field" and let the Ramblin' Wreck win. Which sounds good, at least on sports radio.

Thing is, the struggles have been Jameis Winston playing poorly over recent weeks. The FSU defense has straight-up kept them in (or even basically won) games for the 'Noles. Not to mention this is a GT team that allows points. North Carolina hung 48 on them.  Duke put up 31. Georgia Southern got 38. Prediction: FSU covers and wins by 13.

#13 Wisconsin (-4) v. #5 Ohio State. Riddle me this: how does Florida State "win ugly" against Florida and fall to #4, while Ohio State struggles against a dumpster fire of a Michigan team, loses their Heisman-candidate QB, and moves up? If these are rankings, based on "who are the four best teams right now?," the Ohio State team that is on its third-string QB and just squeaked past Michigan should not be the first team out.

Also, I hate Ohio State.  So I'm probably biased.  Whatevs. Prediction: Wisconsin covers and wins by 9, J.J. Watt talks smack toward Ohio State on Twitter.

This is your open thread for today's games. Share your predictions, insights, and wit in the comments. Enjoy the games.