Rivalry Week is one of the most important parts of college football. This year, the last game of the regular season is even more important because many teams are trying to use it as a springboard to Championship Saturday and, for the lucky few, the College Football Playoff.
As we head into this weekend’s last games of the regular season, where do things stand in the race for the conference championship? It’s still possible to win one of the six title fights, and some fights still have both spots open.
- ACC: Florida State vs. Louisville
- SEC: Georgia vs. Alabama
- CUSA: Liberty vs. New Mexico State
- MAC: Miami (Ohio) vs. Toledo
This is a look at what might happen on Friday and Saturday during Championship Weekend at the beginning of December.
Big 12
Are you in? Still no one
Texas and Oklahoma State are likely to play each other in Arlington in two weeks. These two teams will play in the Big 12 Championship Game if they both beat Texas Tech and BYU.
OK State and Kansas State are still in the running as well. How to do it:
First, for the Wildcats…
- Beat Iowa State
- Texas beats Texas Tech
- Oklahoma State loses to BYU
- Oklahoma loses to TCU
And for the Sooners…
- Beat TCU
- Texas beats Texas Tech
- Oklahoma State loses to BYU
Big Ten
Who’s in? Iowa
Who plays for the Hawkeyes? There are only two teams left: Ohio State and Michigan, two of the biggest foes in college football. The winner of their game on Saturday will play for the Big Ten title as the East Division champion. The winner in Indianapolis will also go to the College Football Playoff at this point.
Pac-12
Are you in? Washington S.
Oregon can get a second chance to play the Huskies, who beat them in their only loss of the season. In other words, the Ducks need to beat Oregon State on Friday.
Still, Arizona is a great state. The Wildcats are involved, but they don’t have power over their own fate. Arizona has to beat Arizona State in the Territorial Cup and Oregon has to lose to the Beavers.
That would mean that Arizona and Oregon would have to play a two-way playoff. The next way to break the tie would be to figure out the winning percentage against “common opponents,” since both teams have the same record against these teams. In that case, Washington is technically the best team, but both of them lost to them. As things stand, Oregon State is the next best team. They would beat Oregon and lose to Arizona.
AAC
Who’s in? Still no one
There are three teams tied for first place in the American going into Rivalry Week. UTSA, SMU, and Tulane are all 7-0 in league play. On the last day, Tulane and UTSA will play each other on the same field. The winner of that game will play for the conference title.
If SMU beats Navy, they can get the other piece in that game.
What if SMU drops? If that were to happen, either Tulane or UTSA would be 7-1 in AAC play, which is not likely. The league would then use an average of computer rankings to decide which team gets the other spot.
Mountain West?
Are you in? No one, but if UNLV beats San Jose State in the last game of the regular season, it will host the conference championship game. The Rebels will play the winner of the game between Boise State and Air Force for the title.
If San Jose State beats UNLV, though, it will tie UNLV and the winner of Boise-Air Force for first place. If that happened, the MWC would use computer scores to pick a second team.
Sun Belt
Who’s in? Troy
Even though James Madison can’t play in the playoffs, it still has some power because of this week’s finish against Coastal Carolina. If the Pirates win, they’ll have a date with Troy, or if Appalachian State loses to Georgia Southern, they’ll have a date with Georgia Southern.
If the Dukes beat Coastal, App State can win the championship by beating GSU.
