College football is now in full swing. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in conference championship week.
Oregon and Washington will meet again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks are 11-1 with their only loss being to the Huskies. Washington is undefeated. The winner of this game is almost guaranteed a spot in the CFP (although if Oregon wins, things could get unpredictable).
In the last matchup, Michael Penix and Washington’s offense was able to outscore Oregon. He had clutch and timely throws. Since that point, the offense has struggled to put together an overly impressive performance. On Oregon’s side, they have looked great since they lost to Washington. If things were solely based on the eye test, the Ducks would be a top-four team. A win in this game can help them show they belong.
The last few years it has been Alabama and Georgia deciding who is the best team in the SEC. Georgia has won most of the recent matchups and are now back-to-back reigning champions. Alabama still has played well in that time and won the championship immediately before Georgia started their streak. With Nick Saban vs. his former assistant, there are plenty of storylines.
Alabama started off the year slowly, but seemed to figure things out. Georgia was similar, but the Bulldogs have reached a higher level of success this season. The game could come down to who can create bigger plays, whether that is Carson Beck with his arm for Georgia or Jalen Milroe with his arm and legs for Alabama. The winner of the game is headed to the CFP and will have a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Florida State is undefeated and heading to the ACC Championship to face Louisville. The Seminoles had a great season, but starting quarterback Jordan Travis was injured in the second to last game of the regular season. They were able to win out, but the offense looked shaky. With a win needed to make the CFP, they could have a competitive game against Louisville.
The Cardinals are one of the best stories in college football. Louisville won 10 games in Jeff Brohm’s first year as head coach at his alma mater and they have a chance to win the ACC Championship. They suffered a tough loss to Kentucky, but still have plenty to play for with a New Year’s Six Bowl still on the table. A win by Louisville would shake things up for the CFP committee.
Texas suffered a loss to Oklahoma this season, but is otherwise unblemished. They are now in the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma State, a team they didn’t play in the regular season. With teams ahead of them in the rankings, Texas will be looking to put up style points and win the game to make their case for a CFP spot more compelling.
Oklahoma State has had their ups and downs this season. They have losses to South Alabama, Iowa State and UCF, but also have wins over Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma. With their ability to get up for big games, the Cowboys could send the Longhorns out of the Big 12 with a loss. While Texas will spread things out, Oklahoma State can focus on running the ball with Ollie Gordon and controlling the clock to possibly pull off the upset.
Liberty is undefeated this season and could make a New Year’s Six Bowl Game as a group of five conference representative. All they have to do is win this week in the C-USA Conference Championship against New Mexico State to keep them in contention. The Flames have been fueled by a high-scoring offense that leads the country in rushing in head coach Jamey Chadwell’s first season.
The current frontrunner to make the New Year’s Six Bowl Game out of the Group of Five is Tulane. They are matching up with SMU in the AAC Championship Game. They have just one loss on the season, which was to Ole Miss. If both teams lose, Toledo and Troy are still in play to get the bid.
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