Nut Up or Shut Up: Conference Championship Edition

Let's give credit, where credit is due. This contribution, in which I pick 3 teams a week that are participating in 'must-win games', was suggested by AU Tiger and JJ Flash. To those of you who tried to flag those comments to prevent this little project from coming to fruition, my deepest and sincerest apologies (and why didn't you try harder? Nut up, people). Stats are obtained from the most magical database in the whole wide world, unless otherwise stated.

3. Clemson. And by Clemson, I really mean Dabo Swinney. Come on Dabo, put down the Madden football and come have a seat next to Mama. Let's get the obvious out the way first: you're not at Alabama anymore; you're at Clemson. At Clemson, you actually have to play the full 60 minutes and score more points than the other team to win. In the real world of college football, there are no moral victories and MNC's are earned, not pulled out of an orifice rewritten into history. Still with me, Baby? Y'all, Dabo is lookin' a little peaked, someone get this little Angel some smellin' salts.

Ok, last time y'all saw Virginia Tech, they struggled on offense. Their QB was a titch banged up and only threw for 125 yards. Incidentally, that was just 28 yards shy of the Clemson Tiger's total offense last week. And there it is, dare we say it, Big Al the elephant in the room. Dabo, baby, the 'young team' card works best when you've been struggling all season (see Florida and Tennessee and, hell, even Auburn). Your problem (one of them, anyway) is that you have the same team that overachieved to go 8-0 in the beginning followed by the expected 1-3 down the stretch (and that one win was by 4 points to WAKE FOREST!). Wake up, Dabs. If your seat is feeling warm, it's not because the athletic department installed nifty seat warmers to get you through the chilly days in the Carolina Highlands. It's because you have blown Clemson's shot, not only at an MNC run, but also a shot at legitimacy. Nice job. Which leads me to this little gem (source cbssportsline.com):

"This group will have to do a good job of listening to the right things because I'm sure there will be a ton of negativity out there, people telling them this and that," Swinney said, "... and you've got to listen to the right things and live in reality and not perception."

Let's make sure you're taking your own advice (assuming that you've got a metric to distinguish 'right things' from 'wrong things'). You don't have the luck of the Bear on your side anymore. Oh and, fyi, Virginia Tech is no longer struggling on offense.

2. Georgia. Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all got to the SEC Championship mainly due to meltdowns from Tennesse, Florida and USCe quarterbacks. Congrats. Is now the right time to remind you that your only losses of the season came to two top 15 teams? Psst, LSU is #1, in the nation, probably the world. I know, I know. You're a different team now. Oh. Really? On offense in your first two losses you averaged 404.5 total offensive yards and your last 8 wins you averaged 427.5 total offensive yards. Maybe your defense has learned how to more oppressive? (Hint: It's a trick question; there's really only about a 90 yard difference between the averages of the first 2 games and the last 8). Or maybe, it is what it is. It's easier to score points against unranked teams and y'alls' basket of wins is full of low hanging fruit. So here is your challenge; this is your game to prove that you can roll with the SEC West.

If you are as good as you say you are, then go hang with the big boys. But here's the kicker, and y'all will be lucky enough to have front row seats to this (goody!). Les is going to show you how he has Moves Like Jagger: LSU is #1; LSU can tackle (hard); LSU can score; LSU can take your mistakes and make it look like they were part of their master plan; LSU can wear you down and make you wish that it was the 4th quarter when there's 2:16 left in the 2nd (for example). Yes, pups, they are as good as advertised, maybe better. So, yeah, good luck with that.

1. Oklahoma St. I've heard of these rare losses to the lesser opponents being referred to as mere 'hiccups' in an otherwise brilliant season. Granted these 'hiccup games' are only allowable if you are Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio St, Bama and USC (the real ones, not the Eastern variety). And who are you guys again??? Right. The Cowboys. Oh and you are behind Bama by 0.1239 points in the popularity contest BCS Poll. I also hear that you haven't won the Bedlam game since 2002. Ouch. Well, I hope you guys get to the Humanitarian Bowl.....OR, maybe we all need a reality check.

Here's the deal. You guys are actually playing in a game that determines if you are Conference Champions. Bama does not. They will be watching yours from their couches and there's no moral victory in that. Recap: You are playing for a Conference Championship; they don't; make your game count. Style counts, boys. Score early and often and keep scoring more. Want to make Bob Stoops cry because you were just running up the score for shucks and giggles? Great! Do it and don't look back. You can't control the national love fest with Bama. But, if you can make a HUGE statement against Oklahoma this weekend (read as: 21+ points, none of this win in overtime bs, unless it's a hell of a game with minimal mistakes), it's going to be hard for voters to ignore that. Warning: this is not a classic chokelahoma game...Oklahoma doesn't have a potential MNC berth on the line. But, hey, you guys do! Get It Done.