This is a weekly feature in which the two sports editors and two writers will compete against each other, picking eight of the weekend’s top games. Guaranteed to make girls want you, guys want to be you, and animals want to talk so they can hang out with you. In this edition, Alex Settle, Ryan Smith, Tom Considine and Holden McGinnis focus on the four most intriguing NFL games of the weekend as well as the four games that will decide NCAA football conference titles.
Houston Texans (5-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (7-4)
Coming off of their defeat in Chicago, the Vick-led Eagles arelooking to secure their spot at the top of the NFC East again. Meanwhile the Texans are looking to salvage a playoff hope coming off a dominating victory over Tennessee. It should be a high-scoring affair, as the Eagles have the 2nd ranked offense and the Texans have the 28th ranked defense as well as the 7th ranked offense. Matt Schaub is coming off a great week against 24th ranked defense and the Houston defense is hyped up from a shutdown performance against pro-bowl running back Chris Johnson. Michael Vick is coming off his worst full-game performance all season, throw his first pick in 238 attempted passes, and is looking to get back into his Week 11 form.
Alex: Eagles
Ryan: Eagles
Tom: Eagles
Holden: Eagles
Atlanta Falcons (9-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4)
The Falcons are coming into this game looking to secure their dominance over the Bucs and move up to 10-2. Meanwhile the Bucs are coming off a 17-10 loss to the Ravens, looking to knock down their division rivals at home. QB Josh Freeman has surprisingly had a great year in the stat book and is hoping to lead his team into the playoff hunt. Matt Ryan and his 10th ranked offense hope to blow a hole into the 15th ranked Tampa Bay defense and take a solid first place position in the NFC.
Alex: Falcons
Ryan: Falcons
Tom: Falcons
Holden: Falcons
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) at Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
These two 8-3 rivals go head to head in a battle for the AFC North. Roethlisberger has come back from his suspension wonderfully and Hines Ward has come back from injury to be Roethlisberger’s favorite target. Joe Flacco and the Ravens are coming off a solid victory over the Buccaneers and are looking to hop the Steelers in the standings.
Alex: Steelers
Ryan: Ravens
Tom: Ravens
Holden: Ravens
New York Jets (9-2) at New England Patriots (9-2)
In the battle of the AFC East, Brady and the Patriots are coming off a three-game win streak after an embarrassing loss to the Browns, including a 45-24 beatdown in Detroit last week. Meanwhile, Sanchez and the Jets are on a four-game win streak and are looking to take down Belichick’s empire and take first place in the AFC East.
Alex: Patriots
Ryan: Patriots
Tom: Patriots
Holden: Jets
#19 South Carolina (9-3) vs. #1 Auburn (12-0)
The SEC Championship has high stakes for both teams– South Carolina would go to their first BCS Bowl in years with a win, while Auburn needs a victory to keep their #1 spot and secure a berth in the national championship. The Tigers won a close regular season matchup against the Gamecocks at home, 35-27, but the championship will be on a neutral field. Heisman frontrunner Cam Newton has been fueling the near-unstoppable Auburn offense despite the pressure of off-the-field allegations while SC boasts a stingy defense coached by the one and only Steve Spurrier, who will be involved his first SEC Championship since his heyday with the Florida Gators.
Alex: Auburn
Ryan: Auburn
Tom: Auburn
Holden: Auburn
#9 Oklahoma (10-2) vs. #13 Nebraska (10-2)
Both the Sooners and Huskers need a victory in the Big 12 Championship to ensure a BCS bowl bid in the last scheduled meeting between the historic rivals before Nebraska departs for the Big Ten next season. Both teams stumbled a bit down the stretch, seeing their title hopes disappear with losses to a red-hot Texas A&M squad, but OU defeated rival #14 Oklahoma State in a shootout that decided the South division title and Nebraska rode a powerful defense en route to dominating the Big 12 North, their two losses occurring when oft-injured freshman QB Taylor Martinez was banged up. Martinez is probable for the title game.
Alex: Oklahoma
Ryan: Oklahoma
Tom: Oklahoma
Holden: Nebraska
#21 Florida State (9-3) vs. #15 Virginia Tech (10-2)
FSU has all the momentum in the world after finally vanquishing rival Florida in dominating fashion and making it to the ACC Championship for the first time since 2005. The Hokies, who have been in the championship two of the past three years, know a bit about momentum themselves, having ripped off ten straight wins since two early-season embarrassments against Boise State and James Madison. No ACC team has defeated VaTech this year, thanks in part to the talents of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, but they did not play the Seminoles, who held their last three opponents under 17 points and have a senior QB of their own in Christian Ponder.
Alex: Florida State
Ryan: Virginia Tech
Tom: Virginia Tech
Holden: Virginia Tech
Connecticut (7-4) at South Florida (7-4)
While the Big East has (only) one ranked team in West Virginia, UConn can spoil the Mountaineers’ BCS dreams and win the conference themselves by defeating the Bulls on the road. USF, while not in the running for the bid, is the hottest team in the league, winning four of its last five and earning the Big East’s marquee nonconference win at Miami last week. The Bulls’ defense, which ranks in the top ten in the nation against the run, will be tested by excellent Huskies tailback Jordan Todman.
Alex: South Florida
Ryan: South Florida
Tom: Connecticut
Holden: South Florida
That makes sense.