Week 14 Preview

* Championship Weekend starts off with the MAC Championship Game held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Miami Ohio (6-6) will play defending champion Central Michigan (7-5). Central Michigan had to replace head coach Brian Kelly, who left in the offseason to take the Cincinnati job. The Chippewas didn't lose a step, at least not in conference play. The only loss was to Eastern Michigan by three points after they had already clinched the MAC West. The Chippewa offense is a veteran high-powered passing attack led by QB Dan LeFevour (3175 yards, 22 TDs). The defense has struggled at times and often needs the offense to bail it out. Miami is coming off a rough 2-10 season and did just enough to win the MAC East. The RedHawks bowl hopes live and die with this game. If they win, they will represent the MAC in the Motor City Bowl. If they lose, they will fall to 6-7 and no longer be bowl eligible. In 12 games they have been outscored by 58 points, an unusual sign for a team without a losing record. The numbers are slightly skewed by blowout losses to Cincinnati and Colorado, but they also account for five wins by a touchdown or less. They also have the distinction of being the only team to lose to Minnesota this season. This Miami team is the exact opposite of Central Michigan. They average only 20 points per game and rely heavily on their defense, who will be led by its star LB Clayton Mullins. The RedHawks will need for the defense to step up, since they don't have the firepower to win a shootout. The Pick: Central Michigan


* This year's C-USA Championship Game is a rematch of the 2005 game, which Tulsa beat UCF 44-27. Tulsa is led by first year head coach Todd Graham, after Steve Kragthorpe left to take the Louisville job. Tulsa finished the season 9-3 and is looking for its first 10-win season since 1991. Tulsa only lost two games in conference, but one of them was to UCF 44-23. Tulsa is first in the country in total offense and ninth in scoring offense. They are led by QB Paul Smith, who has put up amazing numbers (4327 yards, 39 TDs). George O'Leary has led UCF to its second championship game in his four-year stint as head coach. UCF finished with a 9-3 record with only one conference loss (East Carolina). The Knights are led by RB Kevin Smith, who leads all rushers in the country with 2164 yards and 25 TDs. Both offenses will be on display on Saturday. UCF does have the better defense and the home field advantage. The pick: UCF


* Virginia Tech and Boston College will meet in the ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville, Florida. This will be a rematch of an earlier meeting in which Boston College won 14-10 by getting two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the game. A BCS bowl bid is on the line, as the winner will represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. Boston College continues the trend of first year coaches taking their team to a conference championship game. Jeff Jagodzinski replaces Tom O'Brien, who left for the NC State vacancy. Boston College finished the season 10-2 with the two losses coming after the Virginia Tech game to Florida St and Maryland. The Eagles then beat Clemson to clinch the Atlantic division. The Eagles are led by senior QB Matt Ryan who has thrown for 3953 yards and 28 TDs. Virginia Tech sports an identical 10-2 record, but its only conference misstep was the game against Boston College. A game that had the defense pitching a shutout for the first 58 minutes. Virginia Tech has been improving all season long, and is playing its best ball now. The Pick: Virginia Tech


* The SEC Championship Game has LSU squaring off against Tennessee in Atlanta, Georgia. A BCS Bowl bid is on the line, as the winner will likely play in the Sugar Bowl. LSU is arguably the most talented team in the country, but has lost twice. Both losses came in triple overtime, including against Arkansas last week which killed any chance of a shot of playing in the National Championship game. On the other hand, Tennessee has won its last five games, including a four overtime thriller against Kentucky last week. The Pick: LSU


* The biggest game of the weekend is the Big 12 Championship Game in San Antonio, Texas. Missouri and Oklahoma square off for the second time this season. Oklahoma won the first meeting 41-31, but that was with the home field advantage and Missouri was without its RB Tony Temple. It will e interesting to see how those two changes will affect the outcome. If Missouri wins, they will play for a National Championship. If Oklahoma wins, they will play in the Fiesta Bowl and Missouri will probably get an at-large BCS bowl berth. Missouri is currently the top-ranked team in the country and are coming off a huge neutral-site win over previously unbeaten Kansas. The prolific offense is led by QB Chase Daniel (3951 yards, 33 TDs). His chances of winning the Heisman are largely dependent on how well he plays in this game. A big game and a win will almost guarantee him the trophy. The Tigers have scored at least 31 points in every game this season and has only had one win by a touchdown or less (Illinois 40-34). Oklahoma has one of the top teams in the country, but saw its national title hopes disappear with a loss at Texas Tech two weeks ago. This team has struggled much more on the road than at home, including the losses to Texas Tech and Colorado and the close wins against Texas and Iowa St. The offense has scored more than Missouri's, but has less yardage. The offense is led by redshirt freshman QB Sam Bradford (2670 yards, 32 TDs). Bradford had great numbers in his first year, but that was mostly due to being behind one the nation's best offensive lines. This should be a hard fought battle between two of the best teams. The Pick: Missouri


* A quick rundown of other important games this weekend. FAU travels to Troy in a Sun Belt championship game of sorts. The winner wins the conference and gets an invite to the New Orleans Bowl. Troy should win and improve to 9-3. UCLA travels to USC in a game that has Rose Bowl implications. If USC wins, they will be going to Pasadena as the Pac-10 champs. If UCLA wins, then there will be a cluster at the top of the conference standings. BYU travels to San Diego St in a makeup game to try to win its tenth game and go undefeated in conference play. West Virginia hosts Pittsburgh needing a win to go to the National Championship game. The Mountaineers have already locked up the Big East and a BCS bowl. Don't expect them to falter against a subpar Pitt team with so much on the line. Hawaii hosts Washington and will try to finish the season unbeaten, thus earning an at-large spot in the Sugar Bowl.