Who Will Play in the College Football Conference Championships?
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It’s one of the byproducts of the bigger conferences with more teams and no divisions in every league but the Sun Belt – the races for the conference championships are wilder than ever.
At least, they are going into this week.
We should have most of them figured out by late Saturday night, but for now, most conference races go from murky to dark as midnight (the MAC and SEC … yikes).
We think we have this, but if you’re seeing something we’re missing, please let us know – we’re figuring it out on the fly.
College Football Conference Championship Predicted Matchups
American Conference Championship
Prediction: North Texas vs Tulane
North Texas beat Navy, and it should get by Rice and Temple. The lone loss came to two-conference loss USF. Tulane beat East Carolina and should beat Temple and Charlotte.
Most Likely Other Options
– East Carolina vs North Texas
– Navy vs Tulane
– Navy vs North Texas
ACC Championship
Prediction: Georgia Tech vs Virginia
It’s never a given in any way that Virginia will beat Virginia Tech, but the Cavaliers are far better. Georgia Tech is in if it beats Pitt.
However, if the Panthers win, then it’ll be down to their showdown against Miami. That’s when things could get wild if SMU beats both Louisville and Cal.
Most Likely Other Options
– Pitt vs Virginia
– SMU vs Virginia
– Miami vs Virginia
Big Ten Conference Championship
Prediction: Indiana vs Ohio State
Indiana has Purdue left to face – it’s basically in the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State is more of a question mark.
The Buckeyes will beat Rutgers, but if they lose to Michigan – assuming the Wolverines take down Maryland – then this gets weird. (Super weird, so quickly move along if you assume Ohio State will finally beat TTUN.)
If USC beats Oregon and UCLA, and Ohio State loses to Michigan, it will likely come down to opponents’ winning percentages. The Trojans getting wins over the Ducks and Wolverines would get it done.
If Oregon wins out, it would play a regular-season rematch with Indiana if the Wolverines win out – the common conference opponents with Ohio State wouldn’t factor in.
It would come down to cumulative conference winning percentage – that would likely go to the Ducks.
Michigan needs something funky, like Oregon beating USC and losing to Washington.
Most Likely Other Options
– USC vs Indiana
– Oregon vs Indiana
– Michigan vs Indiana
Big 12 Conference Championship
Prediction: BYU vs Texas Tech
All the Red Raiders have to do is win at West Virginia, and it’s in. BYU has to go to Cincinnati and UCF, and if it wins both of those, it’s in no matter what. If there’s any blip whatsoever in that …
Uh oh.
Four other teams – Arizona State, Cincinnati, Houston, and Utah – are all 5-2.
Utah is effectively out with losses to both BYU and Texas Tech, however, it beat Cincinnati, so …
If the Bearcats beat both BYU and TCU, this starts to get crazy, but they’re likely to lose to the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.
Utah also beat Arizona State. The Sun Devils should win at Colorado, and if they beat Arizona, they’re still barely alive in the race because they also lost to Houston.
Houston plays TCU and goes to Baylor to close – they’ll likely lose one of those two. They didn’t play BYU and lost to Texas Tech and West Virginia, but if they win out, they need BYU to lose at least once.
So for now, just assume BYU and Texas Tech will play, and we’ll readjust after this weekend.
Most Likely Other Options
– Texas Tech vs Utah
– Texas Tech vs Cincinnati
– Texas Tech vs Houston
Conference USA Championship
Prediction: Jacksonville State vs WKU
Missouri State isn’t eligible since it’s the program’s first year in the FBS – it’s a ridiculous rule, but it’s a thing.
Western Kentucky and Kennesaw State don’t play, but the Owls lost to Jacksonville State.
The Gamecocks and Hilltoppers play in their regular-season finale, and the Owls play Missouri State and go to Liberty.
Jacksonville State is in big trouble if it loses to FIU and WKU to close.
If FIU takes out Jacksonville State, and WKU wins its meeting with the Gamecocks, and Kennesaw State loses its last two games, then the Panthers slide on in.
Most Likely Other Options
– Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State
– Kennesaw State vs Western Kentucky
– FIU vs Western Kentucky
MAC Championship
Prediction: Central Michigan vs Western Michigan
The tie-breaking scenarios are too insane with six teams with two losses and Western Michigan at 6-1, so let’s keep this super-simple.
The Broncos just need to beat Eastern Michigan, and they’re in. For now (the scenarios really do go on for days), it should come down to the Toledo at Central Michigan game (but don’t hold us to that).
Most Likely Other Options
Toledo vs Western Michigan
Ohio vs Western Michigan
Miami University vs Western Michigan
Mountain West Conference Championship
Prediction: Fresno State vs San Diego State
This goes off the rails if San Diego State loses at New Mexico or coughs it up at home against San Jose State.
The Aztecs are 5-1, but five other teams are 4-2. So here we go (really, we’ll hammer this down harder after this weekend because the tie-breaker scenarios are too deep) …
Fresno State lost to Colorado State and San Diego State, and closes with Utah State and San Jose State. Its wins over Hawaii and Boise State put it in a good spot – it should win out.
Boise State plays Colorado State and goes to Utah State. It beat New Mexico, but lost to SDSU and Fresno State.
Hawaii lost to Fresno State and San Jose State, and it’ll probably lose at UNLV to get knocked out of this mix. If it wins and closes with a victory over Wyoming, good luck with all the tie-breakers.
UNLV lost to Boise State and New Mexico, and it didn’t play San Diego State or Fresno State. And then there’s …
New Mexico. It beat UNLV, goes to Air Force this week, and closes with San Diego State. If it wins its last two, it’ll most likely be in. If it loses either one of the last two, it’s out.
Most Likely Other Options
– New Mexico vs San Diego State
– Hawaii vs New Mexico
– UNLV vs San Diego State
SEC Championship
Prediction: Alabama vs Texas A&M
Okay, deep breath … let’s do this.
The “common opponent” thing doesn’t matter too much because the likely players involved – Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss – don’t have anyone they all played.
Here are the easiest and cleanest possibilities. Assuming everything goes chalk – like, Alabama beats Auburn, and Ole Miss beats Mississippi State. If that happens …
If Texas beats Texas A&M, it will almost certainly be Alabama vs Georgia
If Texas A&M beats Texas, the Aggies are in. If that happens …
(This is murky and very loose based on the overall strength of schedule, but …)
Basically, Alabama wants and needs Vanderbilt to beat Kentucky, and it would be a plus if Missouri beats Arkansas.
Georgia would love it if Florida beats Tennessee, and it’s a plus if that happens and Kentucky beats Vanderbilt.
Ole Miss … WOOOOOO PIIIIIIIG (It would help in a big way if Arkansas takes out Texas and Missouri. The most plausible scenario would be a Texas win over Texas A&M and an Auburn win over Alabama.
Most Likely Other Options
– Alabama vs Georgia
– Texas A&M vs Georgia
– Texas A&M vs Ole Miss
Sun Belt Conference Championship
Prediction: James Madison vs Southern Miss
The Dukes have won the Sun Belt East and are in. Southern Miss should win at South Alabama and have a great shot at beating Troy at home.
The Trojans get to take their cut. They should beat Georgia State, and if they win at USM, they should be in.
The Golden Eagles beat Arkansas State last week. The Red Wolves have to win out against Louisiana and App State, and USM has to lose twice.
Most Likely Other Options
– James Madison vs Troy
– James Madison vs Arkansas State
Related: College Football Playoff Rankings Week 13: Reaction to All 25 Teams
This story was originally reported by College Football News on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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