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- Jacob Rhee

I was only planning to make predictions for the college football regular season, but I feel like giving out more prizes. Same rules apply; every time I pick a winner incorrectly, it costs me $15 in rewards. I will be predicting the outcomes of the Power Four conference championship games, as well as all 11 playoff contests. That’s 15 extra chances to inflate the Prize Pot. Let’s go.

Game 1: No. 10 seed Indiana vs No. 7 seed Notre Dame

The pick: Notre Dame wins, 35-17.

If the Irish had taken care of business against Northern Illinois, they’d be considered one of the most dominant regular season squads ever. I’m serious. 12-0, with four ranked wins and a better average scoring margin than 2019 LSU? That’s historic stuff.

Things don’t work that way. We can’t just conveniently forget about a team’s catastrophic day because it feels a little bit fluky in hindsight. But the folks who believe that Georgia has a free ride to the semifinals should definitely pump the brakes.

The Hoosiers need something special from Kurtis Rourke to have a real chance tonight. We’ve seen him on a big stage once, and he finished 8-18 for 68 yards in Columbus. Notre Dame wins comfortably.

Game 2: No. 11 seed SMU vs No. 6 seed Penn State

The pick: Penn State wins, 38-23.

I’ve expended plenty of energy defending James Franklin through the years. If he can’t get past the Mustangs, I might finally be out of ammunition.

SMU is no pushover; those folks in Dallas have every right to feel confident. After all, Kevin Jennings owns more top-18 victories since the beginning of November than Drew Allar has in his entire career as a starter.

The sizable talent disparity - as well as that crowd in Happy Valley - will ultimately be enough for the Nittany Lions. Abdul Carter is going to line up across from Savion Byrd for 60 minutes; it’s foolish to think that the future first-round edge rusher won’t make his presence felt. Penn State pulls away in the second half, and books a date with Ashton Jeanty University.

Game 3: No. 12 seed Clemson vs No. 5 seed Texas

The pick: Texas wins, 27-21.

Here is 2024 Cade Klubnik, next to the pre-playoff stats of a mystery former college quarterback. Both were in their second season as the guy. Who is Player B?

Well, prepare yourself for this. Player B is 2019 Trevor Lawrence. Same program, same head coach, and Cade played a tougher schedule. Golden Boy is currently on an NFL deal worth $275 million, while Klubnik will likely need to return for a fifth year of school in order to boost his draft stock.

The point is that - contrary to popular belief - Cade is not the weak link. I had my own lingering doubts about the dude, before he shut me up with that flawless performance in the ACC championship game two weeks ago. He’s better than Quinn Ewers, plain and simple.

This Longhorns defense has demanded my respect, and I’ll trust that unit to stand tall tomorrow evening. There is absolutely no part of me that would be shocked if Clemson springs an upset, though.

Game 4: No. 9 seed Tennessee vs No. 8 seed Ohio State

The pick: Tennessee wins, 24-20.

Let’s get one thing clear. Home-field advantage does not matter here. It just doesn’t. Scarlet the Shoe! Scarlet the Shoe! Give me a break. You can hear a pin drop in Ohio Stadium these days. For all intents and purposes, this is a neutral-site contest. Based on the reports, the crowd might actually lean towards the Vols.

The formula to beat the Buckeyes might as well be plastered on a Times Square billboard. Drain the clock, stack the box, and wait for Will Howard to disintegrate. If Michigan can go on the road and execute that gameplan, so can Tennessee. OSU is favored by 7.5 points, and that is flat-out absurd to me. Who on this patchwork offensive line is silencing James Pearce? Which member of Larry Johnson’s ever-overrated front four is going to create even an ounce of pressure? Will Chip Kelly call the game like he’s interested in the concept of winning? I don’t have a confident answer to any of those questions.

I sincerely hope that I’m wrong about all of this, by the way; if the Bucks emerge victorious, I’ll flick that $15 into the Prize Pot with an ear-to-ear grin on my face. But I’m done giving these guys the benefit of the doubt. You need to go show me.

• Conference Championship Weekend Results: 3-1

• Overall Season Picks Record: 61-27

• Current CFB Prize Pot: $405

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