College football Week 15 preview
Several games have been cancelled this weekend, including Michigan-Ohio State and Tulsa-Cincinnati. Here are some other games that have not been cancelled (as of yet).
Utah @ No. 21 Colorado
Utah got its first win last week and will look to spoil Colorado's season by handing it its first loss. Colorado will be trying to finish 5-0 and keep up with USC. The Buffaloes can clinch a PAC-12 Championship berth with a win and a Trojan loss.
No. 13 Coastal Carolina @ Troy
The Chanticleers are coming off the biggest win in their short program history. They've already clinched a spot in the Sun Belt title game, but a N ew Years Six bowl is on the line. Troy has a decent team and could absolutely take advantage if Coastal is looking too far ahead. Will the Chants' perfect season continue?
Wisconsin @ No. 16 Iowa
Neither team will be in the Big Ten Championship, but this is a battle of the "next best" in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes have rebounded from a slow start, while the Badgers have had several games called off this year. Theses two tend to have many great contests and Saturday should be no different.
Washington @ Oregon
Both teams dropped out of the rankings this week, but this game is for the PAC-12 North title. Oregon has been upset in two straight games, while Washington fell to Stanford, which kept Oregon in the hunt. If the Ducks win this game, they will finish 4-2 and knock the Huskies down to 3-2, earning a championship berth. if the Huskies wins, they'll go to 5-1 and win the division by a fairly big margin.
No. 9 Georgia @ No. 25 Missouri
This is a rescheduled game from earlier in the season. Missouri has quietly built a respectable 5-3 record in its first season under Eliah Drinkwitz, but the Tigers struggle against the top tier SEC teams. As a top ten team, Georgia definitely qualifies as a top tier team. The Bulldogs can sometimes play down to their competition, and they'll have to avoid that against a hungry Missouri team.
No. 17 North Carolina @ No. 10 Miami
Another matchup of "next bests," this time in the ACC. Notre Dame and Clemson have already clinched ACC Championship berths, but these two teams have been in that conversation most of the season. Miami has an electric offense lead by QB D'Eriq King and has only lost to Clemson. The Hurricanes also have a solid defense that can shut down offenses if they play consistently. North Carolina's calling card is its offense. QB Sam Howell is considered a high-level NFL prospect, when he becomes eligible, and is surrounded by many future pros at the offensive skill positions. The Tar Heels will need to take care of the ball and hope their defense can make some plays. This one has all the makings of a shootout coming down to the last possession, but it also wouldn't shock me if Miami had too much for the UNC defense and turned it into a blowout.
No. 15 USC @ UCLA
This is a big rivalry game out West. USC is undefeated and clinches the PAC-12 South with a win. The Trojans haven't looked spectacular in any of their games so far and have had to fight for almost every win except Sunday against Washington State. I'll admit I haven't seen much of UCLA this year, but, from what I've seen, the Bruins seem to be steadily improved in another year under Chip Kelly. He was named as a coach on the hot seat this summer and a win here to get to 4-2 on the season likely ends that talk. UCLA's only losses have been to Oregon and Colorado, who are both contenders in the PAC-12 this year. They've looked much better than the other middle tier teams in the conference and can use this game as a stepping stone into next season.