College football Week 14: Players to watch

The Pac-12 Championship Game may slip your mind a bit as it has no bearing on the College Football Playoff race, but it will have a unique style to it. Washington and Utah have the two best defenses in the conference and will face off in Santa Clara with a Rose Bowl berth on the line. Anae leads the league in sacks and heads up a defense that has been nicknamed "Sack Lake City." He is great at winning one-on-one matchups and enables the defense to not have to bring extra guys to pressure the passer. If the defense can impose its will, the Utes will make their first trip to the Rose Bowl.

If Northwestern is going to pull off the upset over Ohio State, Bowser needs to have a big game. He's been great over the last half of the season, rushing for 764 yards and six touchdowns in the last six games. If Bowser is getting a lot of touches and moving the chains, then the Wildcats are keeping the Buckeyes' explosive offense off the field. 

In the Sooners' first game against the Longhorns, Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Last week against West Virginia, he caught 11 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Needless to say, he performs well in Oklahoma's biggest games. He's had six games in which he gained over 130 yards. This Big 12 title game should be a shootout, and Brown is ready to get his. 

While Ehlinger may not have outdueled Kyler Murray in the first Oklahoma-Texas game, he certainly stayed with him, and most importantly, got the win. Ehlinger's arm was great (24-of-35 passing, 314 yards, two TDs), but he ran for 72 yards and three touchdowns. Can he deliver that kind of game against the Sooners again? He hasn't put up huge numbers in his last two games...both wins...but his amazingly efficient season has put Texas in a position to win its first Big 12 Championship since 2009.

Gaskin and the Huskies are going up against Utah's nationally ranked rush defense. Last week in their Apple Cup win over Washington State, he ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns and has been on fire over the last three games (453 yards, five TDs). Washington will need that to continue against an elite defense that doesn't give up anything easy. 

Haskins has been outstanding this year, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 41 touchdowns and having one of the greatest seasons of any Buckeye quarterback. Last week against rival Michigan, he tossed six touchdown passes and 396 yards. Ohio State is in the thick of a College Football Playoff race and would love to pile on an impressive win over Northwestern to sway the committee. 

In your last week of "MACtion," Buffalo takes on Northern Illinois for the Mid-American Conference Championship. Quarterback Tyree Jackson has been solid for the Bulls, throwing for over 2,600 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 picks. He's been doing it with his legs of late, scoring seven rushing touchdowns in the last seven games, including three against Miami-OH right before Halloween. 

Johnson has had two huge games heading into the Mountain West Championship against Boise State. Against San Diego State and San Jose State, he caught a combined 17 passes for 314 yards and a touchdown. In the Bulldogs' earlier matchup with the Broncos, Johnson caught eight passes for 95 yards and a score in the loss. He heads back to Boise to avenge that loss and help his Fresno State team be the first to get 11 wins since 2013.

Here you go, freshman. Clemson made a bold move by replacing Kelly Bryant with elite freshman prospect Lawrence early in the season, and the Tigers haven't looked back. He's thrown 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions, which is amazing for a freshman signal-caller. He's found a groove over the last two months and seems able to carry Clemson to another national championship.

It is rare that we see two teams play for a conference championship one week after facing off in the regular season, but the Conference USA has that exact scenario. Middle Tennessee beat UAB 27-3 last week, and the two meet again. Lee caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Blazers. He has caught a touchdown in each of the last seven games and has been making huge plays weekly.

A week ago, no one knew who Mack was. Now the redshirt freshman will be the starting quarterback for an undefeated team heading into its conference championship game. UCF is on a 24-game winning streak and will play a good Memphis squad in the AAC Championship Game. Mack completed just 5 of 14 passes, replacing a severely injured McKenzie Milton last week and has thrown just 43 passes all season; he hasn't thrown a touchdown. This is a big moment for him, as not only is a conference title on the line but also a New Year's Six bowl berth and an outside shot at the College Football Playoff. 

If Pitt is going to have any shot at beating Clemson, it will need a huge game from Ollison. He can certainly deliver that. Just three weeks ago, he ran for 235 yards and three TDs against Virginia Tech and had a 192-yard effort against Syracuse earlier this year. He's also had some low points, rushing for under 60 yards in three of the last four games. Pitt has the history of pulling off upsets, and this would be a monumental one. 

When Alabama and Georgia square up again a lot of people will focus on 'Bama's offense... and rightly so. But the Bulldogs have been averaging 40 points per game and have their own stars. Swift is one of them, taking the lead back role from Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who are both now in the NFL. He's been on fire of late, hitting over 100 yards in three of his last four games including a 186-yard explosion against Auburn. In the College Football Playoff Championship Game last year, Swift got only six touches. Expect a lot more on Saturday. 

The last time Alabama and Georgia hooked up in Atlanta, the Dawgs were cruising toward a national championship until a freshman quarterback named Tua Tagovailoa came in after halftime and mounted a legendary comeback for the title. Less than a year later, Tua is a near lock for the Heisman Trophy, with 36 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Alabama hasn't truly been tested this season, so it will be interesting to see if Georgia can keep it close and how Tua will respond. The last time, he responded in championship fashion.

Thomas is a dual-threat quarterback. He threw 18 touchdowns this season and only four interceptions while rushing for 417 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns. He arguably had his worst game of the season against Louisiana, whom they face in the Sun Belt title game this Saturday. The sophomore has a bright future in Boone.