The Dawgbone

12.18.25

Conference Championship Week: Texas Tech Is A Legit Contender, Dawgs Dismantle The Tide, Indiana Shocks The World

Big 12 Championship: #11 BYU 7 - #4 Texas Tech 34

BYU, on the playoff bubble, needed a win on Saturday to make the College Football Playoff, but the Red Raiders were too much. The Cougars took a seven point lead with an early touchdown and then proceeded to be dominated. BYU freshman QB Bear Bachmeier, who has been elite in his first year, threw for only 115 yards and tossed two interceptions. BYU RB LJ Martin, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, was also shut down. On the other hand, Texas Tech QB Behren Morton was efficient as he went 20 for 33 with 215 yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Red Raiders ran the ball well as both J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey were difficult for BYU to stop. It was another incredible game for star LB Jacob Rodriguez as he led the Red Raiders in tackles and added a tackle for loss. We just might see Rodriguez in New York next week for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The Red Raiders head into the Playoffs as the four seed and will most likely play Oregon in the quarterfinals. This team is very much legit and could make a deep run in the Playoffs.

SEC Championship: #3 Dawgs 28 - #9 Bama 7

The regular season matchup between these teams was an absolute heartbreaker for the Dawgs as they should have won in Athens, but them Dawgs were hell in Atlanta. Ty Simpson and the Crimson Tide cooked the Georgia defense earlier in the season, but they were horrible on Saturday. Ty Simpson was 19 for 39 with 212 yards and he threw a pick to Daylen Everette. The rushing game for the Tide was horrendous. Alabama finished with negative three rushing yards and it was the first time since 1968 that Alabama ended a game with negative rushing yards. The best thing the Dawgs defense did was pressure Ty Simpson all night and get off the field on third down, two things they did not do in the previous meeting. The Dawgs offense was efficient and took advantage of big plays created by the defense and special teams. Georgia was also 4 for 4 in the redzone with all drives ending in touchdowns. Gunner played efficiently and did a great job avoiding turnovers. Nate Frazier had some strong runs including a nine yard rushing touchdown and Zachariah Branch continues to be the Bulldogs most dangerous weapon as he made big catches and scored a touchdown as well. Alabama needs to get its offense together for the Playoffs or Oklahoma will have a field day defensively. For the Dawgs, their defense is peaking at the right time and they enter the Playoffs as the hottest team in the country.

ACC Championship: Duke 27 - #17 Virginia 20 (OT)

Like BYU, Virginia needed a win to make the College Football Playoff, but they blew it. The Blue Devils were in control for most of the game. Duke QB Darian Mensah made some big throws and they were able to lean on the run game. RB Nate Sheppard was a problem for Virginia’s defense as he ran for 97 yards and a touchdown. The Duke defense was after UVA QB Chandler Morris all game. They only sacked him once but constant pressure led to a couple of turnovers. Duke had a 20 to 10 lead with just five minutes left and looked ready to lift the ACC Championship trophy, but Virginia’s late surge gave them a chance. The Cavaliers kicked a field goal with 3:42 left to cut the lead to seven and then got a stop to set up a drive to force overtime. UVA went 96 yards on ten plays to tie the game. Duke got the ball first in overtime and ran it easily to the one yard line but ended up in a 4th and goal. Darian Mensah then made an incredible scramble throw to take the lead and Duke picked off Morris on the very next play to win the game. It was a historic night for the Blue Devils as they won their first ACC Championship since 1989.

Big Ten Championship: #2 Indiana 13 - #1 Ohio State 10

Coming into the week, this was one of the most anticipated Big Ten Championship Games ever and it delivered. Throughout the regular season, Ohio State has been the team to beat. They have been ranked number one since week two after they beat Texas. Indiana started fast by picking off Julian Sayin on Ohio State’s first offensive drive and turning it into a field goal. Later in the first quarter, Ohio State picked off Mendoza and scored a touchdown. This game came down to which team could capitalize when they got deep into their opponent’s territory. The score was 10 to 6 at halftime and Ohio State was getting the ball. The Hoosiers defense sacked Sayin a couple of times, got the ball, and scored a touchdown on a 17 yard pass to Elijah Sarratt. The rest of the game, Ohio State had two drives that reached the redzone while Indiana did not have one. On paper that seems like the Buckeyes easily won, but they were 0 for 2 on those drives. On the first one, Julian Sayin sneaked it on 4th down but his knee was down short of the line to gain, resulting in a turnover on downs. On the second, the Buckeyes slowly drove down the field but faced a 4th and 1 deep in Hoosier territory. Ryan Day chose to kick the field goal to tie the game, but kicker Jayden Fielding hooked it wide left. Once again, Ohio State’s kicking problems cost them a big game. Even though this game did not mean much for the Playoff, it meant a lot to Indiana as they earned the biggest win in program history.

College Football Playoff Predictions

First Round

9 Bama 17 - #8 Oklahoma 16
10 Miami 27 - #7 Texas A&M 23
11 Tulane 7 - #6 Ole Miss 48
12 James Madison 3 - #5 Oregon 55

Quarterfinals

Cotton Bowl: #10 Miami 17 - #2 Ohio State 31
Orange Bowl: #5 Oregon 24 - #4 Texas Tech 22
Rose Bowl: #9 Alabama 14 - #1 Indiana 23
Sugar Bowl: #6 Ole Miss 24 - #3 Dawgs 35

Semifinals

Fiesta Bowl: #5 Oregon 31 - #1 Indiana 24
Peach Bowl: #3 Dawgs 20 - #2 Ohio State 17

National Championship

5 Oregon 24 - #3 Dawgs 27