It’s conference championship week in college football. The best teams in the country face one final test before they find out who will earn a bid to the College Football Playoff.
Will either Ohio State or Alabama sneak into the CFP?
Will the favorites hold form and reach the College Football Playoff? Or will the last week of games upend the rankings one more time? Vote in this week’s NCAA Reacts survey.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC – the four teams currently in playoff position – all play in their conference title game this weekend. While some may see it as a chance for those teams to cement their spots in the playoff, or even improve seeding, there is a downside. With Ohio State and even two-loss Alabama waiting in the wings without an opponent this week, a championship game loss could knock one of the current four out of position.
What makes things feel even more uneasy is the history this current group would make. For now this would be the first season since the start of the College Football Playoff where neither Ohio State nor Alabama would be included. But both teams have previously made the playoffs without winning their conference championship game, so it’s not unreasonable to think one of them could slip into the playoff without even playing in the final weekend.
Four of the five Power Five conference title games play a key role in deciding the playoff picture. The remaining P5 matchup, the ACC, and the American Athletic Conference title games will also decide who will play in the other New Year’s Six games.
Pac-12 Championship: No. 11 Utah vs. No. 4 USCFriday, December 2 - 8:00pm ET
Big 12 Championship: No. 10 Kansas State vs. No. 3 TCUSaturday, December 3 - 12:00pm ET
SEC Championship: No. 14 LSU vs. No. 1 GeorgiaSaturday, December 3 - 4:00pm ET
AAC Championship: No. 22 UCF vs. No. 18 TulaneSaturday, December 3 - 4:00pm ET
Big Ten Championship: Purdue vs. No. 2 MichiganSaturday, December 3 - 8:00pm ET
ACC Championship: No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 23 North CarolinaSaturday, December 3 - 8:00pm ET
With no spot guaranteed, even the teams entering the weekend undefeated may feel a little uneasy. It would be a longshot, but even Georgia and Michigan would likely feel some nerves if they were to be upset Saturday.
Since no one will officially find out who will reach the College Football Playoff until Sunday, we want to know what you think. Vote below for who will win each championship game. Also, let us know who you believe deserves to be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Finally, if one of the undefeated teams lose, should they fall out of playoff position, even if it means a two-loss team gets the bid instead?
Vote now before the survey closes and be on the lookout for results later this week. If you want to see more surveys like this, sign up for the weekly college sports Reacts surveys.
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