Conference Championship Chaos

An Overview of Conference Championship Weekend in College Football

Photo by Chris Crow on Unsplash

It is that time for College Football when the regular season comes to an end and the postseason begins. This weekend holds many highly anticipated matchups as the two best teams from each conference play each other to crown a conference champion. Each of these games are very important as they each have implications for the College Football Playoff.

The first conference championship game that will be played this weekend is the Big 12 Championship at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6th in Arlington, Texas. This matchup features the number four ranked Texas Tech Raiders facing the number 12 ranked BYU Cougars. These two met earlier in the season on Nov. 8, where the Red Raiders easily took care of the Cougars 29-7 in Lubbock. All the pressure is on the Cougars in this one as a win means a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. A Cougar win also means getting revenge on the Red Raiders for what happened earlier this season. However, with a loss, the Cougars chances to be in the playoffs are slim to none. As of right now, the Red Raiders are heavy favorites as they are favored by 12.5 according to the ESPN FPI projections. 

The next conference championship that will be played is the SEC Championship at 4 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia. This game is between the third ranked Georgia Bulldogs and the ninth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. These teams also faced each other earlier in the season on Sept. 27, where the Crimson Tide pulled off a very impressive win in Athens, winning 24-21. No matter the outcome of this game, both teams will still have strong enough résumés to make the playoffs. If the Crimson Tide win, they could sneak into the top four, which means a first round bye in the playoffs. However, if the Bulldogs are victorious they will get revenge on the Crimson Tide and will lock in their first round bye. Nevertheless, this matchup is a highly anticipated one as these two teams always play great against each other. As of right now, the Bulldogs are favored by 2.5 according to the ESPN FPI projections.

The last two conference championship games of the weekend will be played at 8 p.m. The first will be the ACC Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina between the 17th ranked Virginia Cavaliers and the Duke Blue Devils. The Cavaliers and the Blue Devils have also previously played each other this year on Nov. 15, where the Cavaliers dominated the Blue Devils in Durham, winning 34-17. The 7-5 Blue Devils miraculously made it to the conference title game thanks to a set of tiebreakers. However, if the Blue Devils can get their revenge and pull off a win, there will be some chaos in the playoff selection, as it is possible that two groups of five teams can make the playoffs. Although, the Cavaliers can shut these hypotheticals down if they can just replicate what they did to the Blue Devils just a few weeks prior. They may even be able to sneak in and secure a playoff spot with a win on Saturday. This game is also going to be a good one as the Cavaliers are only favored by 2.5 according to the ESPN FPI projections.

The next 8 p.m. conference championship is the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is also the closing game of conference championship weekend. The game will be between the number one ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the number two ranked Indiana Hoosiers. This game is highly anticipated as it is one going up against two, but there are not really any big playoff implications in this game. No matter a Buckeye or a Hoosier win, both teams will still likely have a first round bye, even with a loss. Regardless of playoff implications, this game will be great as both teams have explosive offenses and shutdown defenses. These teams may even get to see each other again in the playoffs, which will no doubt be another great game. The Buckeyes are the favorites right now as they are 5.5 favorites over the Hoosiers according to the ESPN FPI projections. 

This weekend holds a stacked lineup of games that are sure to be very entertaining and playoff impactful. This is only the start of what College Football fans hope to be another great postseason.