College Football conference championship weekend is here. Over the course of Friday and Saturday, nine conference champions will be crowned with the top five highest ranked in the final CFP poll receiving an automatic bid into the playoff.
While a few matchups this weekend carry massive playoff implications, others are more about pride as teams look to cap off their season with a conference title that can mean a great deal to some programs. Here’s a ranking of every conference championship game taking place this weekend.
9. Sun Belt - Troy (8-4) vs James Madison (11-1)
This is one of just two conference title games with a spread more than 4.5 points, and it’s a big one with James Madison favored by 22.5. The Dukes have rolled in conference play beating their Sun Belt opponents by an average of 27.4 points, and I’d expect something similar this weekend against Troy.
8. ACC - Duke (7-5) vs Virginia (10-2)
The ACC has been a bit of a joke this season, and that is properly reflected in the conference championship game. Duke enters with five overall losses but just one in conference play. However, none of the ACC teams they’ve beaten have a winning conference record. On the other side, Virginia has barely skated by for much of this season and might not even be in this game if their loss to NC State counted toward their conference record. Jokes aside, the quarterback matchup between Chandler Morris and Darian Mensah is intriguing, but this is otherwise an ugly power-conference championship game. If Duke pulls off the win, we could see two Group of Five teams make the playoff.
7. Mountain West - UNLV (10-2) vs Boise State (8-4)
Thanks to a four-way tie atop the Mountain West standings between these two along with New Mexico and San Diego State, this matchup was decided by a tiebreaker that utilized Connelly SP+, ESPN’s Strength of Record, KPI, and SportSource rankings metrics. This is third straight season these programs will meet in the conference championship game, with Boise State winning the previous two handily.
6. Conference USA - Kennesaw State (9-3) vs Jacksonville State (8-4)
This is a matchup no one saw coming back in the preseason. Despite a mass exodus following last year’s CUSA title run, headlined by the departure of head coach Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State put together an impressive season powered by an explosive rushing attack led by Cam Cook. On the other side, Kennesaw State will be making its first-ever appearance in the CUSA Championship Game in just their second year in both the conference and the FBS.
5. MAC - Miami OH (7-5) vs Western Michigan (8-4)
MACtion comes to a close once again at Ford Field in another unexpected matchup. Miami returns to the title game despite the sudden odd departure of quarterback Dequan Finn, while Western Michigan is back in the MAC Championship for the first time since 2016, back when P.J. Fleck was at the helm, thanks to a strong defense.
4. Big 12 - BYU (11-1) vs Texas Tech (11-1)
Crazy things seem to happen in the Big 12 championship game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it this year, despite a near two touchdown spread between BYU and Texas Tech. The Cougars looked all out of sorts when they faced the Red Raiders in early November, losing by 22, but I expect a better showing this time as they fight to keep their playoff hopes alive.
3. American - North Texas (11-1) vs Tulane (10-2)
The winner of this one is likely guaranteed a spot in the playoff. Both of these head coaches have already accepted head jobs elsewhere for next season, but will coach in the playoffs if their teams make it. With two explosive offenses on the field, this one could easily turn into a shootout.
2. SEC - Georgia (11-1) vs Alabama (10-2)
As different as things felt this year in the SEC, we’re left with a very familiar matchup in the conference championship game. Kirby Smart will look to exorcise some demons as he’s 1-7 against Alabama and 0-2 against Kalen DeBoer. The Tide may need a win to secure a playoff berth, but if they fall short, we’ll find out whether this playoff committee ends up penalizing teams for making it to championship weekend.
1. Big Ten - Indiana (12-0) vs Ohio State (12-0)
The Saturday night headliner should deliver with No. 1 taking on No. 2 in Indianapolis. If we were still in the BCS era, this would essentially be the national championship. Both teams are already locked into the playoff, and likely a first-round bye, so it will be interesting to see how Ryan Day and Curt Cignetti approach this game.