The college football postseason is here. After 14 wild weeks, the conference championships kick off on Friday night, and will play a huge role in determining which 12 programs will take part in the College Football Playoff.
We can be pretty certain about two-thirds of the field. Ohio State and Indiana are in, no matter who wins the Big Ten championship, and Oregon will join them as an at-large. In the SEC, Georgia is safe regardless of Saturday’s championship game, and Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M should already have their flights booked. Alabama is probably safe, though we’ll dive in on what lies ahead for the Crimson Tide, who face the Bulldogs in Atlanta, below. Texas Tech clinched the CFP with its Big 12 championship Saturday but was safe regardless.
That leaves one or two at-large bids, depending on Alabama’s fate, the American champion and a fifth conference champion—likely from the ACC, though chaos could reign if Duke wins that game, opening the door for a second Group of 5 program to earn an automatic bid to the field. Meanwhile, Miami is waiting in the wings, hoping that its head-to-head win over Notre Dame will finally come into play.
Let’s dive into the full conference championship schedule and how each matchup factors into the CFP race.
This story will be updated live as games are decided. Check back here for an up-to-date look at results of the conference championship slate and how they may impact the College Football Playoff race.
Date/Time/Channel (ET)
Conference
Home
Away
Location
Result
Dec. 5, 7 p.m.; ESPN
Sun Belt
No. 25 James Madison (11–1)
Troy (8–4)
Bridgeforth Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.)
31–14 JMU
Dec. 5, 7 p.m.; CBSSN
Conference USA
Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State (9–3)
AmFirst Stadium (Jacksonville, Ala.)
19–15 KSU
Dec. 5, 8 p.m.; ABC
American
No. 20 Tulane (10–2)
No. 24 North Texas (10–2)
Yulman Stadium (New Orleans)
34–21 Tulane
Dec. 5, 8 p.m.; Fox
Mountain West
Boise State (8–4)
UNLV (10–2)
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
38–21 Boise St.
Dec. 6, 12 p.m.; ABC
Big 12
No. 4 Texas Tech (11–1)
No. 11 BYU (11–1)
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
34–7 TTU
Dec. 6, 12 p.m.; ESPN
MAC
Western Michigan (8–4)
Miami (Ohio) (7–5)
Ford Field (Detroit)
TBD
Dec. 6, 4 p.m.; ABC
SEC
No. 9 Alabama (10–2)
No. 3 Georgia (11–1)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
TBD
Dec. 6, 8 p.m.; Fox
Big Ten
No. 1 Ohio State (12–0)
No. 2 Indiana (12–0)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
TBD
Dec. 6, 8 p.m.; ABC
ACC
No. 17 Virginia (10–2)
Duke (7–5)
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
TBD
Tulane’s solid defense will be tasked with stopping an explosive North Texas offense in order to reach the College Football Playoff. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Tulane def. North Texas 34–21
Two programs entered the game hoping to extend their last ride with their respective coaches, as North Texas (11–2, 7–2 American) is set to lose Eric Morris to Oklahoma State once the Mean Green season ends, while Tulane (11–2, 8–1 American) will lose Jon Sumrall to Florida. It was the Green Wave scoring an impressive home victory, forcing three interceptions by UNT star quarterback Drew Mestemaker and turning five Mean Green turnovers into 21 points.
The American title game was a straightforward win-and-in situation for both teams, and secures a CFP bid for Tulane. The American champion will likely be the fifth-highest ranked conference champion, and in line for the 12-seed, though it could wind up in the No. 11 spot if Duke beats Virginia to win the ACC, potentially pushing the Blue Devils or an additional Group of 5 champion into the No. 12 spot. More on those scenarios later.
Darian Mensah and Duke will try and create serious chaos in college football by knocking off Virginia on Saturday. / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Matchup: Virginia vs. Duke — Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; Saturday, December 6, 8 p.m. ET; ABC
Duke (7–5, 6–2 ACC) has a chance to be the ultimate college football chaos agent on Saturday evening, as it attempts to win the ACC despite having five losses to its name already.
The Blue Devils, who reached the title game thanks to a Kafkaesque set of tiebreakers set up by the ACC that ultimately came into play with the league’s expansion to 17 teams and dissolution of divisions, are no guarantee to go to the CFP even with a win—No. 25 James Madison currently ranks ahead of them and won the Sun Belt title, so it is hard to see a scenario in which Duke jumps the Dukes in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, Virginia (10–2, 7–1 ACC) will be in the College Football Playoff and projected as the No. 11 seed with a win.
These two teams faced off back on November 15, a 34–17 road win for the Cavaliers. The Hoos defense held the Blue Devils to just 42 rushing yards and star quarterback Darian Mensah to 217 yards, one passing touchdown and a pretty inefficient 6.1 yards per attempt. Virginia QB Chandler Morris was up-and-down, with 316 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but UVA ran for 224 yards, with J’Mari Taylor rolling for 133 yards and a pair of scores. Even with that recent result, Virginia is just a four-point favorite on Saturday.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has garnered Heisman buzz for his role on the elite Red Raiders defense. / Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Texas Tech def. BYU 34–7
Texas Tech (12–1, 9–1 Big 12) made things official on Saturday at Jerry World, but the Red Raiders were considered a lock thanks to a No. 4 ranking and overall impressive résumé. That includes two wins over BYU (11–2, 8–2 Big 12), one in Lubbock back on Nov. 8 and one in Arlington. The Cougars, would have been in with a win, but are almost certainly out with a loss. At No. 11, BYU is currently one place behind Notre Dame for the final at-large spot in the CFP.
Defense dominated the day in the first matchup between the Red Raiders and Cougars, with the Texas Tech defense holding BYU to just 255 yards. The Cougars were just 3-of-14 on third downs, and freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier was held to an unimpressive 4.9 yards per attempt, with one touchdown pass and an interception. The Red Raiders also dominated on special teams, with Stone Harrington accounting for 17 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 2-of-2 extra points. His Cougars counterpart Will Ferrin missed his only field goal attempt, punter Sam Vander Haar shanked his first punt of the day and return man Parker Kingston muffed a Texas Tech punt, leading to a field goal for the Red Raiders.
The Big 12 championship played out in much the same way, as BYU was held to just 200 yards of total offense. After an impressive opening drive touchdown, in which the Cougars marched 90 yards in 14 plays, they had nothing for a talented Texas Tech defense that forced four turnovers and held BYU to 63 rushing yards.
Tech should have a first-round bye locked up with the victory.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin is playing for Heisman positioning and the Buckeyes’ first Big Ten title since 2020. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Matchup: Indiana vs. Ohio State — Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis; Saturday, December 6, 8 p.m. ET; Fox
There is plenty on the line for Ohio State (12–0, 9–0 Big Ten) and Indiana (12–0, 9–0 Big Ten) in Saturday’s Big Ten championship—just not much to do with the playoff.
The Buckeyes and Hoosiers are both locks to make the field, and barring a huge blowout, it is hard to see either team falling out of the top four seeds, which will land a first-round bye. If the margin is tight, the loser may even stay in the No. 2 seed—or potentially fall to No. 3 behind Georgia, should the Bulldogs win the SEC. It would take a true blowout for one of these teams to fall to No. 5.
The game pits two Heisman favorites, OSU quarterback Julian Sayin and Indiana QB Francisco Mendoza, in a head-to-head matchup a week before college football’s most prestigious award is announced. Ohio State hasn’t won the Big Ten since 2020, a long slump for the dominant Buckeyes program. Indiana hasn’t won the league since 1967, and is making its first appearance in the conference championship game.
There is still plenty to tune in for—it is No. 1 vs. No. 2, of course—but in terms of the CFP, this is one of this weekend’s games with the lowest stakes. Ohio State is a four-point favorite to win the conference title.
Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State have been two of the better stories in the Group of 5 this season. / Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Kennesaw State def. Jacksonville State, 19–15
You have to really squint to find a playoff angle for the CUSA final, but let’s try. Because the selection committee did not rank teams beyond No. 25 James Madison, we don’t know where most of the Group of 5 championship participants stand in the pecking order, should chaos happen on Friday and Saturday. If Virginia loses and the committee chooses to significantly reshuffle the rankings at the expense of JMU, it could be the aforementioned ACC spoiler Duke in the final playoff spot, but the Blue Devils aren’t ranked either. If Boise State also had beaten UNLV in an uglier game, with the Kennesaw State (10–3, 8–1 CUSA) win over Jacksonville State (8–5, 7–2 CUSA) to get to 10 wins on the season, could the Owls find their way to the fifth conference championship spot? The odds are probably infintesimal, but that was only scenario in which we could find a way for a Conference USA team to make the dance. Heading into the game, ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Owls a 0.4% chance of reaching the playoff, which felt generous. That scenario is likely out the window after a four-point win for KSU (plus a dominant win for Boise State).
Beyond pie-in-the-sky CFP discussions, KSU and Jax State should be celebrated for pretty remarkable seasons. The Owls went just 2–10 last year and fired longtime coach Brian Bohannon, making their 2024 move up to FBS look questionable. New coach Jerry Mack, the former running backs coach at Tennessee and with the NFL’s Jaguars, has engineered one of the best turnarounds in the sport in 2025. Last season, the Gamecocks won Conference USA under Rich Rodriguez, who proceeded to jump to his old program—West Virginia—taking a number of players with him, while numerous others left for opportunities elsewhere. The portal cuts both ways, though, and new coach Charles Kelly did a remarkable job in restocking the roster with talent. Now he and Mack lead a pair of teams that have joined FBS over the last three years in a conference title matchup.
Jax State won the No. 15 matchup between the two teams, 35–26, with the Gamecocks dynamic rushing duo of running back Cam Cook and quarterback Caden Creel combining for 259 yards and three scores. KSU had 217 yards and two touchdowns on the ground of their own, but quarterback Amari Odom was picked off three times in the loss. He threw for 246 yards and a score in the revenge spot on Friday night to get the Owls to double-digit wins on the year.
Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin could win his third MAC title on Saturday against Western Michigan. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Matchup: Western Michigan vs. Miami (Ohio) — Location: Ford Field, Detroit; Saturday, December 6, 12 p.m. ET; ESPN
No squinting required here—the MAC title game is all about the MAC title. Western Michigan (8–4, 7–1 MAC) finished as the only one-loss team in the conference. That one loss came to Miami (Ohio) (7–5, 6–2), which reached Detroit on tiebreakers.
Miami’s Chuck Martin has been one of the G5’s most unsung coaches, but could win his third MAC title (2019, 2023) with a win on Saturday. WMU’s Lance Taylor is coaching for his first, and has elevated the Broncos in each year with the program.
RedHawks quarterback Dequan Finn led the way in the first matchup between these two sides, throwing for 260 yards and a score, but he abruptly left the program in November. Thomas Gotkowski stepped in for Miami’s most recent win over Ball State, completing only 50% of his throws but racking up 226 yards and three touchdowns. His WMU counterpart Broc Lowry is a true dual-threat, with 1,572 passing yards and 875 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns. He had 253 total yards and a score in the loss to Miami on Oct. 25.
Western Michigan is a 1.5-point favorite.
Anthony Colandrea has over 3,500 total yards and 30 touchdowns for UNLV this year. / Tom R. Smedes/Special to the RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Boise State def. UNLV 38–21
The Mountain West ended with a four-way tie at 6–2, leading to a tiebreaker determined by a composite average of various metrics. As a result, New Mexico and San Diego State are out, and Boise State (9–4, 7–2 MWC) advanced, defeating UNLV (10–3, 6–3 MWC). The Mountain West champion is probably a non-factor when it comes to the CFP. The Rebels may have had a pathway that was definitely less unlikely than the Conference USA situation outlined above had they won, but JMU’s win shut the door before the MWC game went final. FPI actually had the Broncos with a 2.5% chance of reaching the playoff before the game, ahead of the Rebels’ 1.4% chance, but an eight-win Duke team with a victory over Virginia would, in all likelihood, rank ahead of a 9–4 Boise State team whose best wins would re against UNLV and who lost three games by double-digits against fellow Group of 5 programs.
The Broncos’ most impressive showing of the year was a 56–31 Oct. 18 home win over the Rebels on the blue turf, and they impressed again on Friday. Quarterback Maddux Madsen had been out for a month with a leg injury, but returned to throw for 289 yrds and three touchdowns, while the Broncos combined for 171 yrds and two scores on the ground.
Ty Simpson led Alabama to a 24–21 win over Georgia earlier in the season. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Matchup: Georgia vs. Alabama — Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; Saturday, December 6, 4 p.m. ET; ABC
A rematch of one of the season’s great games will take place in Atlanta on Saturday, as Georgia (11–1, 7–1 SEC) looks to lock up a first-round bye and avenge its loss to Alabama (10–2, 7–1 SEC). The Crimson Tide, which flipped spots with Notre Dame to jump to No. 9 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings, despite a tight win over Auburn last week, still find themselves in a precarious position. Last year, SMU was not penalized for its loss in the ACC championship to Clemson, and made the field as an at-large. Analysts have offered the possibility that the jump over Notre Dame indicates that Alabama are in the same situation ahead of Saturday’s game. If Georgia dominates, however, there is certainly an argument for the Tide—who haven’t put together a complete game against a quality opponent since a mid-October win over Tennessee—to drop below the Fighting Irish and/or Miami. Add in Kirby Smart’s struggles against Kalen DeBoer over the last two seasons, you shouldn’t expect either team to take its foot off the gas.
Alabama won an impressive road game at Georgia on Sept. 27, taking down the Dawgs 24–21. The Crimson Tide defense held UGA to 357 total yards of offense, while Ty Simpson impressed with 276 yards and a pair of scores. The onus will be on him once again; Alabama managed just 3.1 yards per carry last time around and have struggled to run the ball consistently all year. Now, they will be without top running back Jam Miller in the SEC title game.
Georgia is a 2.5-point favorite in the rematch.
James Madison coach Bob Chesney is set to take over the UCLA program, but will first lead the Dukes in the postseason. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
James Madison def. Troy 31–14
Bob Chesney will take over the UCLA program in 2026, hoping to resurrect the Bruins and contend in the Big Ten, the way his predecessor Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana. But first, led James Madison (12–1, 9–0 SBC) to the Sun Belt title and, potentially, the College Football Playoff. First up: a game against Troy (8–5, 6–3 SBC).
By ranking the Dukes at No. 25, the CFP committee signaled that they have a real chance of jumping into the fifth automatic bid spot, should Virginia fall to Duke in the ACC. FPI has that result as a true coin flip, giving JMU a 50% chance of making the playoff. Even if that is a bit high, considering Virginia’s solid win at Duke a few weeks ago, James Madison’s CFP chances are very real.
The Dukes won Friday’s game on the ground. Wayne Knight exploded for 212 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Alonza Barnett III had 85 yards in a score, making an impact despite a poor day through the air (10-for-25, 93 yards, one touchdown, one interception). On the other side, JMU held Troy to -26 rushing yards, the result of eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss on the night.
Rank
Team
Change From Last Week
1
Ohio State
None
2
Indiana
None
3
Georgia
+1
4
Texas Tech
+1
5
Oregon
+1
6
Mississippi
+1
7
Texas A&M
-4
8
Oklahoma
None
9
Alabama
+1
10
Notre Dame
-1
11
BYU
None
12
Miami
None
13
Texas
+3
14
Vanderbilt
None
15
Utah
-2
16
USC
+1
17
Virginia
+1
18
Arizona
+7
19
Michigan
-4
20
Tulane
+4
21
Houston
NR
22
Georgia Tech
+1
23
Iowa
NR
24
North Texas
None
25
James Madison
NR
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