College Football preview: Can Oregon take down Washington?
We’ve hit conference championship weekend, and Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. have you covered with a preview of the action!
They kick things off with the Pac-12 Championship, with No. 5 Oregon taking on No. 3 Washington. Senior says he is really looking forward to this one. Senior picked Washington to be in the final four at the beginning of the year and of course, he would like to be right, but he says it’s difficult to go against Oregon and how they’re playing right now. He says the Ducks are on fire right now, winning every game since they lost to Washington earlier in the season. One of the biggest differences here, according to Senior, is defense — Oregon’s defense is balling out right now. He says they get after the QB and can stop the run pretty well. Washington, meanwhile, has been in closer games since the last time these two teams met and has survived some scares. So in all honesty, Senior thinks Oregon might be playing like the best team in the country right now. Now, he won’t give the points — Oregon is currently favored by nine points on DraftKings Sportsbook after being favored by 10 this morning — but he does think Oregon will win this game.
GoJo says he’s with Senior. He notes that much of the conversation around the earlier matchup had to do with what Oregon did on fourth down, going 0-for-3 against Washington. GoJo points out that on the year, Oregon is converting at 70 percent on fourth down, thus if it gets down to that he trusts them to make plays in those spots, especially since the Washington defense has struggled in the back half of the season. But, he does advise that everyone enjoy the show when Washington is on offense. So, he thinks this should be another awesome matchup with both liking Oregon to win, and potentially make it into the CFP, but not necessarily cover the points.
Meanwhile, in the SEC Championship No. 1 Georgia is currently favored by five points on DraftKings Sportsbook over No. 8 Alabama, who is coming in off a nail-biter in the Iron Bowl. So, GoJo wants to know if Senior is buying all the Alabama momentum talk heading into this game?
Of these two teams, Senior says it is Alabama that has changed the most for the better. Senior notes that since “winning” the starting job back, Jalen Milroe has begun passing well, which has allowed Tommy Rees to change the gameplan a little bit and pass the ball more. However, Senior just doesn’t know if Alabama can stop the Bulldogs’ two-headed monster of Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton in the backfield. He says they’ve been running the ball great while Alabama is struggling to stop the run and really can’t stack the box due to the presence of Brock Bowers for Georgia. So, while Senior thinks Alabama has gotten better this year, he’s going to go with Georgia even if he thinks it’s closer than the five points the Bulldogs are favored by.
GoJo notes that he got to cover Georgia twice this year — against Kentucky and Missouri — and says Ladd McConkey’s health is one of the biggest factors in this offense continuing to develop post-Todd Monken. GoJo says McConkey came back in earnest against Auburn after missing the first four games with a back injury and as he’s gotten healthier this Georgia offense has changed for the better. He thinks Georgia has what it takes and has stepped up to its biggest challenges, so GoJo thinks Georgia wins in a close one on the road. tothe College Football Playoff.
That just leaves undefeated No. 4 Florida State. in the ACC Championship against No. 14 Louisville. GoJo notes that the line opened up at 5.5 points, but has dropped since, with FSU now favored by just 1 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Tate Rodemaker starts his second game in place of the injured Jordan Travis after an ugly win against Florida last week. Senior says you don’t want to put the game on Rodemaker’s shoulders, so this is one of those games where you want to lean on your stars to control things. Senior is going to go with FSU and give the point.
GoJo says you could have had him when the line was at 5.5 points, but he thinks FSU takes the challenge personally and will punch their ticket to the CFP.
Meanwhile, Senior’s efforts as a recess dad are merely a recessed memory for GoJo at this point.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Patrick Peterson, Steelers DB on Mike Tomlin’s formula and Pittsburgh’s new offensive attack + Feeling good about the Cowboys, Dak’s MVP odds & CFB Championship Preview
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show will also be available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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