It’s Championship Week in college football, which means a schedule short on quantity but loaded with quality. Here’s where to find it all.
College football schedule for Dec. 5: TV times, online streaming info and more
Here’s what to watch on championship weekend and how to see it.
Noon ET
American Athletic Conference Championship GameNo. 22 Temple at No. 19 Houston
TV: ABC
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Houston is favored by 6.5 points
On a day where Texas plays Baylor, the better game could well be 200 miles south on Highway 6. The first ever AAC Championship Game matches two of the season's best stories, the upstart Temple Owls and Houston Cougars. As the two highest ranked Group of 5 conference teams in the nation, the winner is virtually assured of a New Years' Six bowl berth, but there's more at stake: Houston hasn't won a conference title since 2006, while Temple has been waiting since 1967 for a conference championship.
Texas at No. 12 Baylor
TV: ESPN
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Baylor is favored by 20.5 points
It was envisioned as a final showcase for Baylor, but a pair of November losses and Texas’ helter-skelter 2015 season has made the Big 12 season finale anticlimactic. With much of the current top 10 involved in championship games Saturday, Baylor could have some room to move up the standings and get into a top-tier bowl game. In the unlikely event of a Texas win, the Longhorns would move to 5-7 and potentially earn a bowl trip if there aren’t enough eligible six-win teams.
Conference USA Championship GameSouthern Mississippi vs. Western Kentucky
TV: ESPN2
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Western Kentucky is favored by 7.5 points
Three seasons ago, Southern Miss suffered the worst single-season drop in college football history, going from 12-0 to 0-12 in one season. It’s been a slow build back to prominence, but the Golden Eagles improved six games over last season’s record and find themselves playing in December for the first time since that 2011 season. Southern Miss is still an underdog to Western Kentucky, which has averaged more than 50 points per game in an undefeated run through Conference USA.
4 p.m. ET
SEC Championship Game
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 18 Florida
TV: CBS
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Spread: Alabama is favored by 17.5 points
Alabama needs one more win to seal its second consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff, but the exterior distraction of its assistant coaches taking other jobs might be more of a threat than the on-field opponent. Florida's offense has imploded since losing quarterback Will Grier to a suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs. Since Grier was replaced by Treon Harris, the Gators have gone just 4-2 and scored just 18 points per game. That average could decrease further against Nick Saban's defense.
4:30 p.m. ET
West Virginia at Kansas State
TV: FS1
Online streaming: FOX Sports GO
Spread: West Virginia is favored by 6.5 points
West Virginia faced one of the toughest schedules in all of college football in September and October, playing the Big 12’s four best teams in order and losing all four games. Since then, the Mountaineers are 4-0, winning those four games by an average margin of 24 points. Kansas State has a two-game winning streak of its own over Iowa State and Kansas. Both teams have carved out a spot in the Big 12 standings and beaten the teams they should beat. That bodes well for West Virginia.
7:30 p.m. ETAir Force vs. San Diego St.
TV: ESPN2
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: San Diego St. is favored by 4.5 points
It’s been an unusually down year in the Mountain West, with just five teams posting winning records. Four of those were in the Mountain division, where Air Force reigned. The Falcons won five in a row through October and November before a season-ending loss to New Mexico. San Diego State struggled early in the season but stormed through the West division undefeated, scoring 30 or more points in each of its last six games.
7:45 p.m. ET
Pac-12 Championship Game
No. 20 USC vs. No. 7 Stanford
TV: ESPN
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Stanford is favored by 4.5 points
Just last, it looked like the Pac-12’s playoff hopes were as dead as USC’s season. The Cardinal, the league’s last hope, had lost to Oregon, while USC had rallied after the firing of Steve Sarkisian but also fallen to resurgent Oregon and needed a win over UCLA to make the Pac-12 title game. Southern Cal took care of its cross-town rival with ease, climbing back into the standings, and Stanford hit a last-second field goal to knock off Notre Dame, and suddenly the Cardinal could sneak into the Playoff if they can beat the Trojans and get some breaks.
8 p.m. ET
Big Ten Championship Game
No. 4 Iowa vs. No. 5 Michigan State
TV: Fox
Online streaming: FOX Sports GO
Spread: Michigan State is favored by 3.5 points
The game with the most obvious import comes from Indianapolis: The undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes try to extend their run one more week with a win over Michigan State, champions of the Big Ten East. The stakes are as simple as they are high. With Iowa at No. 4 and Michigan State at No. 5, the winner is going to the College Football Playoff. And with Ohio State on the heels of both teams, the loser will likely miss that other crown jewel of the Big Ten: The Rose Bowl. In a league sometimes lacking for top-notch quarterback play, the Championship features the league's top two signalcallers, Michigan State's Connor Cook and Iowa's C.J. Beathard.
ACC Championship Game
No. 10 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Clemson
TV: ABC/ESPN
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Clemson is favored by 5 points
Clemson has topped the College Football Playoff poll every week since the first rankings were released, and a win Saturday would almost certainly earn the Tigers a trip to the Orange Bowl for the semifinal round. North Carolina is just one season-opening loss to South Carolina from being a legitimate playoff contender. As it stands, even a win over the No. 1 team in the country and a conference title might not be enough to get the Tar Heels into the field.
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