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The college football regular season is now over as rivalry week concluded things over the weekend. It was a bizarre final couple of days as we saw thrilling endings in eight overtimes and shocking upsets that no one saw coming. There were zero conference title matchups set before the weekend, but all of the questions were obviously answered. Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon football team already had their ticket to the Big Ten title game punched, and because of Ohio State's stunning loss to Michigan, the Ducks will be taking on Penn State.
Heading into the final weekend, it seemed like a certainty that Ohio State would meet up with the Oregon football team in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes were three-score favorites over Michigan at home, but the Wolverines shocked the Buckeyes with a 13-10 win. Now, the Penn State football team is headed to Indianapolis.
Before we talk more about Dillon Gabriel and predictions for his performance, let's take a deeper look at both of these teams.
Penn State lucked out
For the first time since 2016, the Penn State football team is headed to the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions pulled off a stunning upset against Ohio State that season, and that led to a trip to Indy that no one saw coming. Penn State ended up beating Wisconsin that season, and they have been trying to replicate that success ever since.
Penn State has had a big problem getting past Michigan and Ohio State since 2016, and this year, they only had one of them on the schedule. They played Ohio State, and the Nittany Lions lost once again. However, it was really their only difficult matchup in Big Ten play, and they were able to take care of business in their other games to finish the year 11-1.
Now, Penn State is back in the Big Ten title game, and they will be going to the College Football Playoff for the first time ever. If they can find a way to beat the Ducks, they will get a bye in the first round of the playoff.
Oregon has been the most consistent team in college football
This season has been a down year for college football as there really aren't many teams that look elite. In fact, there's really only been one team that has been consistently dominant this season. That team is Oregon.
The Ducks are 12-0 and they cruised through their schedule for the most part. They had some close calls against good teams like Boise State and Ohio State, but this Oregon team is as good as it gets this year. They should be able to win this game against Penn State and they look like the team with the best chance to win it all as well.
Still, Oregon has to show up for all of these games. One slip-up will doom their season. For this game against Penn State, they will once again need a big day from star quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Here are three predictions for his performance:
Dillon Gabriel will account for at least three touchdowns
Dillon Gabriel has been one of the best QBs in college football this season, and he's a big reason why this Oregon football team is so good. He has gotten them to this point, and he needs to continue to push them forward. Gabriel can make big plays with his arm, and he can also do it with his legs. Against Penn State, he will find a way to score at least three touchdowns.
Dillon Gabriel will throw for over 250+ yards and he won't turn the football over
Now that we're into the most crucial part of the season, Dillon Gabriel and Oregon will only be going up against the best of the best. There is not room for mistakes. One bad turnover can cost you your season. Obviously, that's not the case this weekend, but one bad turnover can cost you a conference championship. Gabriel will play a clean game and he will rack up a good amount of yards as well.
Dillon Gabriel and Oregon will win the Big Ten with a 31-17 win
Penn State is a decent team, but Dillon Gabriel and Oregon are elite. The Ducks have been incredibly impressive during their first season in the Big Ten, and they will cap it off with a 31-17 win in the Big Ten title game.
Oregon and Penn State will get the Big Ten Championship started at 8:00 ET on Saturday night from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be airing on CBS, and the Ducks are currently favored by 3.5 points.
Conference championship preview
The Big Ten title game should be an exciting one to watch, but this entire weekend is going to be a lot of fun, and every matchup will shape the College Football Playoff. Let's take a look at what will be going in every notable conference.
First off, there are a couple important non-power four conference title games that will kick off the weekend on Friday night. #22 UNLV and #11 Boise State will face off in the Mountain West title game and #17 Tulane will play Army in the American title game. Remember, the highest-ranked non-power four teams get an automatic bid.
The Big 12 will kick things off on Saturday as Arizona State and Iowa State will play at noon ET. That is a win or go home. The loser will not make the playoff.
After that, the SEC title game will get going at 4:00. Georgia is taking on Texas, and both of those teams will likely go to the playoff regardless of the outcome.
In this Big Ten title game, the same is true. Win or lose, Oregon and Penn State will both be going to the playoff.
The other night game this weekend is the ACC title game which will feature Clemson and SMU. Clemson definitely needs a win to get in the playoff, but SMU could still squeak in even if they lose.
Conference championship week is always fun. Enjoy it, college football fans.
