SEC
Southeastern ConferenceIf you possess a slew of frequent-flyer miles, the final weekend of the college football season offers quite the bargain.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were plenty of $4 tickets for the ACC championship game between Florida State and Georgia Tech. There were $14 tickets for the Mid-American Conference title game (Northern Illinois vs. Kent State), $20 tickets for the Big Ten's (Nebraska vs. Wisconsin), $35 tickets for Conference USA's (Tulsa vs. Central Florida) and $50 tickets for the Pac-12's (UCLA vs. Stanford).
That's $123 to attend five of the six conference championships this weekend, or $246 if you bring a friend.
Two tickets for five conference championships are cheaper than the $324 it was costing Wednesday for a nosebleed seat to the SEC championship game between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia. That was the cheapest ticket, so there is no guarantee it's still around this morning.
An SEC title-game ticket has been averaging $480 on StubHub, but the all-time high was $573 in 2009, when Alabama defeated Florida. That was essentially a play-in game to the BCS championship, which is the case with this year's game as well.
Pasquali's Pix:
UCLA at Stanford: The Bruins have played in as many Pac-12 title games -- two -- as the rest of the league combined. Cardinal 27, Bruins 24.
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin: Just to recap this year's Big Ten race, Wisconsin edged Purdue in the Leaders Division, Nebraska edged Michigan in the Legends Division, and Ohio State edged Penn State in the Sanctions Division. Cornhuskers 24, Badgers 23.
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: I could drive around Atlanta tonight and find 11 guys who tackle better than this year's Yellow Jackets. Seminoles 33, Yellow Jackets 24.
Alabama vs. Georgia: Can Georgia's best team in a decade and maybe three decades topple what might wind up being Alabama's fourth-best team in the past five years? Bulldogs 20, Crimson Tide 17.
Oklahoma at TCU: Nothing like a week of preparation filled with "I am not interested in any other coaching position" quotes. Sooners 35, Horned Frogs 31.
Kansas at West Virginia: Notre Dame and Florida fans really don't seem to be longing for the days of Charlie Weis. Mountaineers 48, Jayhawks 22.
Kent State vs. Northern Illinois: Kent State has a chance to become the first team to earn a BCS bowl bid with a 33-point loss to Kentucky. Huskies 31, Golden Flashes 23.
Texas at Kansas State: The only certainty, regardless of outcome, is that Bill Snyder will receive more coach-of-the-year votes than Mack Brown. Wildcats 28, Longhorns 24.
MTSU at Arkansas State: The Blue Raiders can win the Sun Belt Conference before leaving for Conference USA. Red Wolves 30, Blue Raiders 27.
Last week:
Winners......................17
ACC fans left..............8
Pasquali is 246-79 overall (75.7 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.