Tell me it's a playoff game without telling me it's a playoff game

First off, Happy Friday!

Secondly, I hope you watched that awesome Thursday Night Football game, I’ll explain why.

Thirdly/Lastly/who cares about adverbs…. We’ve got COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS TONIGHT!

Fourthly… we said we were going to do some QB talk today and we will.

LET’S FREAKING GO.

early p.s. It’s a big weekend of football, we’ll be covering some NHL and NBA next week, but this weekend is about college football and the NFL.

Thursday Night Football

Okay, okay, okay… we’re going to start with bad news, then more bad news, and then get to the fun stuff.

😂 The bad news is that the Cowboys are 9-3 and a lot of people aren’t going to like that. Who have the Cowboys beat? Everyone but 3 teams on their schedule. Did they beat good teams? Not yet, but no one said you need to crush your entire schedule to have a playoff run. Also, the Cowboys have been demolishing most of their opponents.

👎️ The other bad news? If you didn’t watch last night’s TNF football game, you probably aren’t going to get a better matchup later in the season. Here’s the rest of the TNF games.

Week 14: Patriots @ Steelers

Week 15: Chargers @ Raiders

Week 16: Saints @ Rams

Week 17: Jets @ Browns (maybe A-Rod will be on the field, and Myles Garrett will sack him 13 times)

So yeah.. not much going on there BUT just think about you in July. You’d be happy to have any ball on a Thursday

👉️ Alright let’s dig into this game a little bit. The Cowboys beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-35 and these teams blew through the Over roof in this one.

✈️ This was an air raid for both teams and the Seahawks were torching the Cowboys secondary for most of the game. Geno Smith was 23/41 for 334s yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. He was throwing some dimes all game and Seahawks receivers were creating space and making phenomenal grabs. DK Metcalf had 6 receptions for 134 yards and 3 TDs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba also had 7 receptions for 62 yards and is fitting into this offense after starting the year on the IR.

🤠 The Cowboys offense was working to keep the squad in the game and they held a lead until there was 1 minute left in the first half. Dallas would not regain the lead until the 2:27 mark in the 4th quarter when Dak connected with Jake Ferguson on a 12-yard TD pass. Dak connected with CeeDee Lamb 12 times for 116 yards and a TD. Brandin Cooks also caught a TD. DaRon Bland was targeted multiple times by Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense. It was looking like it would be a rough night of Bland getting torched on TD passes and explosive plays but he eventually would make a momentum-changing play when he intercepted a pass and it made a Seahawks offense come back down to earth for a series.

🟨 One complaint about this game, there were 19 penalties called during this game and they were responsible for 237 yards of offense. THAT IS INSANE.

I’d watch highlights if I were you.

College Football Conference Championship Weekend

We’ve got a big weekend of conference championships that can impact the College Football Playoff. The Pac-12 kicks it off tonight with a de facto playoff game. Let’s run through the Power 5 championships.

Pac-12

#3 Washington vs. #5 Oregon

📺️ Tonight at 8 pm ET on ABC

📍 Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

💰️ Oregon is favorited by -9.5 points the O/U is 65.5

👀 Washington is a two-possession underdog in this game after beating Oregon 36-33 in Seattle earlier this season. How is Oregon such a massive favorite now? Well, Oregon still has one of the best offenses in the nation, and Washington’s defense is very much middle of the pack statistically. Washington obviously possesses an elite offense with playmakers on the outside but this Oregon defense ranks in the top 20 in the nation in expected points on average and defensive success rate. Washington has outscored its opponents by 39 points since the Oregon win and Oregon has outscored its opponents by 156 points during the same time. If Washington wins this game, they’re a lock for the playoff. If Oregon wins, I think they’re also a lock.

Saturday Games

Big 12

#7 Texas vs #18 Oklahoma State

📺️ Noon ET on ABC

📍 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

💰️ Texas is favorited by -14.5 and the O/U is 54.5

👀There’s something about this Texas team. They dominate when you don’t expect them to and then they keep it way too close in games that shouldn’t be close. 14.5 is a lot of points against a talented OKST team. Here is one issue, Texas ranks 130th in the country when it comes to TDs per trip to the red zone. There are only 3 teams worse than that and one of them is Iowa. OKST's defense does allow a lot of explosive pass plays and if that opens up, Jayden Blue will be able to get explosive plays on the ground if they pose any type of a deep threat. Texas’ defense has been their strongest unit and stopping Ollie Gordon will be their main task as OKST doesn’t have a great passing game.

SEC

#1 Georgia vs #8 Alabama

📺️ 4 pm ET on CBS

📍 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

💰️ Georgia is favorited by -5.5 points and the O/U is 54.5

👀 At the beginning of the year it was anticipated that this would be the matchup in Atlanta. This game could have the biggest impact on the CFP. If Bama wins, what are we doing with Georgia? Heck, if Bama wins and Texas wins, what are we doing with, Bama, UT, and Georgia? Georgia has a top-ranked offense and that’s an impressive thing coming out of the SEC. Bama has a stout defense but in two games against Texas and LSU, they’ve allowed over 450 yards per game. Georgia QB Carson Beck is completing over 70% of his throws and has 22 TDs to 6 INTs and Alabama’s QB Jalen Milroe has taken massive strides from the beginning of the year, but can Milroe do enough for the Tide?

Big 10

#2 Michigan vs #16 Iowa

📺️ 8 pm ET on FOX

📍 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

💰️ Michigan is favorited by -21.5 points and the O/U is 34.5

👀 Michigan is one of the most dominant teams in college football, partially thanks to a favorable schedule. The Michigan offense ranks near the top of many offensive categories nationally and they’re facing a team that couldn’t be more of the opposite. Iowa has one of the worst 3 offenses in the nation, which is too bad because the Hawkeyes have a nasty defense, ranking 2nd nationally in yards per play and 4th in defensive success rate. So when it comes to making a pick, where do you go? How good is this Iowa defense coming out of the Big 10 West? Will Michigan have a defensive touchdown? If Michigan has a big lead will they shut it down early and give guys a break? I don’t think you can touch the spread here, but maybe the under is an okay play?

ACC

#4 Florida State vs #14 Louisville

📺️ 8 pm ET on ABC

📍 Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

💰️ FSU is favorited by -2.5 points and the O/U is 47.5.

👀 Defense is going to be the deciding factor in this game. Louisville’s offense has been pretty good this year as they score 33 points per game and get around 438 yards per game. Florida State’s defense might be the best D Louisville will face all year, and while FSU does allow some rushing yards, their pass rush is formidable. On the flip side, the Louisville defense has also been pretty good and holds their opponents to around 20 points per game. FSU will have their work cut out for them, especially with the fact they are playing with backup QB Tate Rodemaker

What could be the biggest QB story of the week?

Yes, yes..we all saw Aaron Rodgers make his return to the field for “practice”. Every sports, channel, Twitter, and even the NFL is blowing this up. I don’t think this is necessarily the biggest QB story of the week. I think if Florida State can come out tomorrow and get this win against Louisville, and if it comes by the hands of back Tate Rodemaker, I believe that will be the biggest story of the weekend. We all know what Jalen Milroe, Michael Penix Jr, and Bo Nix can do… but can Tate Rodemaker deliver tomorrow? YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT.

Enjoy your Friday, enjoy your happy hours, and most importantly, ENJOY YOUR FOOTBALL!

-The Daily Breakroom