The 2024 college football regular season is over, and we're just a couple of days from the 12-team College Football Playoff being revealed.
Before that can happen, though, we've got some conference championship games about to be played. The winners of these games will earn automatic-qualfying berths to the College Football Playoff, and at least a couple of the losers will be in the CFP regardless of the result on Saturday.
That being said, there are still massive implications in terms of first-round byes and positioning for the playoff.
Here's a look at our predictions for each of the four Power-4 conference championship games.
Big 12 Championship
15) Arizona State Sun Devils vs. 16) Iowa State Cyclones
Arizona State and Iowa State will kickoff a massive day of conference championship games with a 12:00 p.m. E.T. kickoff on ABC/ESPN+. The game, which features two teams with two-losses, will be for not just the Big 12 crown, but for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It's unclear at this point if the winner of the game will earn a first-round bye or if they'll finish as the No. 12 seed, but the winner will absolutely be in the playoff field and the loser will be sent home packing.
After starting off the year 6-2, Arizona State reeled off five-straight wins to earn its berth in Arlington. However, the Sun Devils will be without star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who has been the biggest weapon for their offense this season. Sam Leavitt has played much better the last five games of the season, throwing for more than half of his total passing yards in the month of November alone. He battled injury earlier this season, but is back at full health.
There's no doubt, though, that Arizona State will miss Tyson in this matchup. Of course, the real matchup of the day will be Cameron Skattebo versus Iowa State's defense, which has struggled to stop the run at times this season. The Cyclones are 96th in the country in rushing defense.
Can Arizona State ride Skattebo to a Big 12 championship? That's the big question, and we think the answer will be yes. However, this will be low-scoring.
Prediction: Arizona State 24, Iowa State 17
SEC Championship
2) Texas Longhorns vs. 5) Georgia Bulldogs
After the Big 12 Championship game, we'll be keeping it tuned to ABC/ESPN+ for the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, which is slated to kickoff at 4:00 p.m. E.T.
The SEC Championship faces a rematch from earlier this season between Texas and Georgia, only this time, the game will be in Georgia's backyard in a pseudo-home-game for the Bulldogs, instead of a matchup in Austin like last time.
Earlier this season, Georgia waltzed into Austin and beat Texas handily, 30-15. The Longhorns struggled to get anything going offensively and the Bulldogs just methodically put the game away. Carson Beck didn't even play all that well, throwing three interceptions, and it still didn't matter.
We expect that Texas will have some different packages — including plans to get Arch Manning involved — this time around. The Longhorns saw how Haynes King ran all over that Georgia defense last weekend in Athens, and we think they'll try to replicate that with a few designed packages for Manning.
However, that still won't be enough.
Kirby Smart has built Georgia to win games just like this and they're going to be motivated to not allow a new team just joining to the SEC come into Atlanta and win the conference title. It will be closer this time, but the Bulldogs will come away the victors.
Prediction: Georgia 27, Texas 17
Big Ten Championship
1) Oregon Ducks vs. 3) Penn State Nittany Lions
There's plenty of motivation for these two teams heading into this one.
The Big Ten Championship game will kickoff at 8:00 p.m. E.T. on CBS. Oregon is coming into the Big Ten Championship for its first season, while Penn State has not won a conference title since 2016.
Penn State has looked solid this season, but the Nittany Lions have not played much competition. Oregon, on the other hand, has been consistently dominant for pretty much the entire season. James Franklin doesn't win big games like this — at least he hasn't — and Oregon's offense, led by Dillon Gabriel, is on another level than anything Penn State has seen this season.
Something tells us Penn State will have a few sustained drives, but have to settle for field goals. That will be the difference in the game.
Prediction: Oregon 28, Penn State 16
ACC Championship
8) SMU Mustangs vs. 17) Clemson Tigers
Yet another newcomer is playing in a conference championship game, this time in SMU, which finished 8-0 in its first regular season of ACC play.
The ACC Championship will also kickoff at 8:00 p.m. E.T., but will be televised on ABC/ESPN+. Clemson is facing elimination with a loss, while SMU still holds out hope that it would get the final College Football Playoff at-large bid, even with a loss in Charlotte.
Dabo Swinney is 8-1 in ACC Championship games, and he has not lost an ACC Championship game in Bank of America Stadium. This is a game that Clemson fans have become accustomed to winning, but it's going to be daunting this time around.
SMU has a high-powered offense, led by scrambler Kevin Jennings. The Tigers struggled to bring down LaNorris Sellers last week in their rivalry game against South Carolina, and that will be the key this time around. If they allow Jennings to extend plays with his legs and throw the ball down the field, SMU could have a big day. If they can't, though, the Mustangs could be in trouble.
SMU's defense has gotten solid pressure on the quarterback this year, but Clemson's offensive line is likely better than any unit that front-seven has faced this season. Clemson's wide receivers are also better any unit SMU's defensive backfield has faced this season. Really, the question for Clemson offensively is simple: Will Cade Klubnik make enough winning plays?
One thing that the casual observer who hasn't watched Clemson may not have noticed: Phil Mafah isn't healthy. Though he's not listed on any injury reports, he doesn't look like the same running back that we saw earlier in the year. In my opinion, Clemson needs to limit his carries and rely on backup running back Jay Haynes — who provides a much more explosive burst than the injured Mafah — if they want to have any success at running the ball.
Clemson's back is against the wall. The Tigers are at a crossroads and the narrative around the program is that things have slipped away from Dabo Swinney. Either they win on Saturday night, or things could get much, much worse in the scope of the program moving forward.
Prediction: Clemson 31, SMU 27
Saturday Blitz will have all the action from conference championship week. Make sure you stay tuned right here.