- Copyright 2024 © CollegeFootballPoll.com
- About CFP / Contact
- Legal Statements
Three games Friday, plus six games Saturday, equal 9 conference champions to be decided this weekend.
The stakes are always elevated for Conference Championship Weekend, but now the stakes are even greater as many of those participants are vying for the top four seeds, and a first-round bye, in the College Football Playoff's new 12-team field.
Seeds 5 through 8 get the awesome consolation prize of hosting a playoff game in their home stadium.
The four teams that have to hit the road for the first round will not be complaining. After all, you can't win it if you're not in.
Two of this week's conference title games feature four of the top five teams in the latest playoff committee rankings, and each of the Power 4 conference championship games feature a newcomer to that league.
Oregon, a former PAC-12 heavyweight, moved to the B1G and ran the table. The top-ranked Ducks will now face No. 3 Penn State in a battle of east meets west in the middle America city of Indianapolis.
Texas left the Big XII to infiltrate the SEC and now the 2nd-ranked Longhorns will battle No. 5 Georgia for the Deep South's coveted crown in Atlanta. As difficult as it might be to believe, the Bulldogs have only won 2 of these in the last 7 years (2017 and 2022). However, Georgia has also captured 2 of the last 3 national titles.
Oregon and Texas lead the National Championship Futures odds.
SMU, which begged to get out of the American Conference and offered to join the ACC for free, could win up with a solid payday after all. The Mustangs were bumped up to No. 8 in the last ranking by the committee after going undefeated in their league games. The reward is a showdown in Charlotte with a 17th-ranked Clemson program that has won 7 of the last 9 conference titles.
Arizona State was part of the "Four Corners" cluster - along with Arizona, Utah and Colorado - that joined the exodus from the PAC-12 and found new life in the Big Twelve. Now, the 15th-ranked Sun Devils will face No. 16 Iowa State in Arlington, Texas. ASU only played for the PAC-12 title once (2013) and Iowa State only previously played for the Big 12 title in 2020.
No. 10 Boise State will try to lockdown the lone autobid that goes to a conference champ outside the Power 4 schools when the Broncos host No. 20 UNLV for the Mountain West title. A win by the Rebels would almost surely propel them into that position because No. 24 Army is host an unranked Tulane team for the American Conference Championship.
Elsewhere, Louisiana is hosting Marshall for the Sun Belt crown, while the MAC pits Ohio against Miami (O) in Detroit, and Jax State hosts Western Kentucky for the CUSA title.
The CUSA, American and Mountain West championship games are all on Friday night, with the rest taking place on Saturday.
The final playoff committee rankings and the bowl lineups will start to unfold at Noon (ET) on Sunday on ESPN.
Among the teams waiting on the sideline to see where they wind up are No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Tennessee, and No. 9 Indiana.
The bulk of the major individual college football awards will be handed out on Thursday night, December 12.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter leads the Heisman odds and that coveted trophy will be awarded on Saturday night, December 14.
You promised to be wild and wacky this season, Big 12. You did not disappoint.
The most unlikely conference championship pits Iowa State against Arizona State in a first-ever meeting between the schools. How improbable is this matchup? The Cyclones have won 10 games for the first time in school history and are looking for their first conference crown since winning the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1912. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils were picked in the preseason to finish last in the Big 12 yet have rallied behind the backfield of QB Sam Leavitt and RB Cam Skattebo. The winner moves on to the College Football Playoff and a possible opening round bye.
Texas gets a chance to avenge its only loss of the year Saturday in Atlanta.
The Longhorns defeated Texas A&M in College Station this past weekend to qualify for a spot in the SEC Championship Game in its debut in the league. While UT has been solid all year, the team was thoroughly outplayed on Oct. 19 when the Dawgs visited Austin. For Georgia, this game is a chance to make things right following an erratic regular season that witnessed two rough losses and too many close calls. The Bulldogs are built for championships under Kirby Smart. But they must win Saturday or else their postseason fate as a three-loss team will be in the hands of the playoff committee.
Ohio State gets another crack at… nope.
A funny thing happened on the way to a rematch between Ohio State and Oregon. The Buckeyes inexcusably stumbled at home to Michigan, opening the door for Penn State to make its first Big Ten title game appearance since 2016. No matter the outcome both schools are playoff bound, but this is a massive opportunity for the Nittany Lions to vault into a higher tier of national championship contention. This is an especially important point in the career of James Franklin whose struggles against elite opponents has been well-documented. With an upset, Penn State will have a chance to vault ahead of the Ducks and into the top overall seed in the playoffs.
The ACC Championship Game will be dripping with intrigue Saturday night in Charlotte.
This spot is old news for Clemson, winners of six league titles since 2015. Yet, the Tigers only qualified for a berth after Miami was upset by Syracuse in Week 14. Clemson has the players and the pedigree to win in Charlotte, even after falling to rival South Carolina on Saturday. But can anyone in the league slow down SMU? The Mustangs fell to BYU on Sept. 6 and have not lost since. Behind the coaching of Rhett Lashlee and the playmaking of QB Kevin Jennings, SMU has rolled to nine straight wins. However, Clemson is by far the most-talented team the Ponies have faced this season.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best player with the Maxwell Award. CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the voting panel.
Here’s a look at some of last week’s standout performances on offense.
Beck has had his ups and downs this season, but when the Bulldogs needed him most Friday night, he delivered heroically. In one of the games of the 2024 season, Georgia overcame a 17-0 deficit and defeated rival Georgia Tech, 44-42. Beck led the Dawgs on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives and finished 28-of-43 for 297 yards and five TD passes to help avoid a crushing home loss to the Yellow Jackets.
The Red Raiders capped an 8-4 regular season by pummeling West Virginia in Lubbock Saturday, 52-15. Brooks, as has often been the case during his brilliant career, was the catalyst. Brooks motored for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and ranks No. 3 nationally in rushing yards per game. He rushed for more than 100 yards in all 11 games he appeared in this season.
Tulane may be off to the American Athletic Conference title game, but Memphis was the first league team to reach 10 wins this season. The Tigers ended the 17th-ranked Green Wave’s playoff hopes in New Orleans Thanksgiving night. Desrosiers was the do-everything star for Memphis. The two-time transfer from Massachusetts ran for 41 yards, caught eight passes for 84 yards, and set the tone by scoring the Tigers’ first three touchdowns.
The Vols’ young quarterback will have the wind at his back entering the postseason. Tennessee handled Vanderbilt in Nashville Saturday, 36-23, all but locking up an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff. Iamaleava finished the regular season with arguably his best game of the year, accounting for 299 total yards while completing 18-of-26 passes for 257 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. It was his second straight game with four TD passes.
After Kaden Feagin’s season-ending injury, Laughery has stepped up and filled the void, culminating in Saturday’s career day versus rival Northwestern. Little-used in his first two seasons, he made the most of his dozen carries at Wrigley Field by exploding for 172 yards and three touchdowns. The win gave the Fighting Illini nine wins for the first time since 2007.
They remember what you do in November. And McCord sure had a memorable November. A week after throwing for a career-high 470 yards, the Orange senior outplayed Miami’s Cam Ward in a thrilling 42-38 upset that kept the No. 6 Hurricanes out of the ACC Championship Game. McCord hit on 26-of-36 throws for 380 yards and three touchdowns, two to WR Jackson Meeks.
While teammate Travis Hunter is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Sanders has made his own compelling case as one of this year’s top all-around performers. He padded his Big 12 lead in scoring strikes with five more Friday afternoon in a 52-0 blanking of Oklahoma State. Sanders finished the day by connecting on 34-of-41 passes for 438 yards, the third highest total of his Buffalo career.
Kansas was unbeatable in November, but then it traveled to Waco this past Saturday. Baylor ended the Jayhawks’ bowl hopes Saturday, 45-17, to end the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Washington, who didn’t earn his first carry until Week 3, eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season by rushing for two scores and 192 yards, his fifth-yard effort in the last six games.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the voting panel.
Here’s a look at some of last week’s standout defenders.
Ezeiruaku has made a lot of money this season, showing week-in and week-out why he's one of the country’s elite pass rushers. He was at it again in Saturday’s win over Pitt, harassing Panther QB Nate Yarnell for all four quarters. The senior’s 10 tackles included 4.5 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three hurries. Ezeiruaku had 12 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and now leads the FBS with 16.5 sacks.
The Hawkeyes blanked Nebraska in the second half Friday night, allowing RB Kaleb Johnson and the offense to scratch out a hard-fought 13-10 home win. Hurkett provided the pressure off the edge, while LB Jay Higgins and DB Sebastian Castro cleaned up plays that got to the second level. Hurkett’s nine tackles included three for loss, a pair of sacks of Dylan Raiola, and a forced fumble.
The Rebels rebounded from last week’s loss to Florida by beating rival Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl. Nolen spearheaded a defense that pitched a shutout over the final three quarters after allowing two first quarter touchdowns to the Bulldogs. Ole Miss’ interior wrecking ball made a team-high eight tackles in the win, which included 3.5 for minus yards and 1.5 sacks.
Virginia Tech continued its dominance over instate rival Virginia, beating the Cavaliers for the 23rd time in the last 25 meetings. Powell-Ryland led a relentless defensive charge that held the ‘Hoos to just 274 yards and three yards a carry. The senior only had three tackles, but all of them were on QB Tony Muskett. APR’s 16 sacks this season rank third all-time in school history and are tied for second this year behind Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Utah’s streaky campaign ended on a high note Friday evening in Orlando. The Utes, who started the year 4-0, snapped a nasty seven-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over UCF. Vaughn sparked a defense that matched the UCF offense by scoring two touchdowns. He had one of the team’s two pick-sixes, a 60-yarder in the opening quarter, while making six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and two pass breakups.
After suffering its first loss a week earlier, Indiana wanted to send a message to the College Football Playoff committee. Message received. The Hoosiers walloped rival Purdue, 66-0, to capture the Old Oaken Bucket and likely secure an at-large playoff berth. QB Kurtis Rourke threw six touchdown passes, while Walker created chaos on defense. Pro Football Focus’ top-graded linebacker of Week 14 had five tackles, four stops for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a pick, two pass breakups, and three hurries.
Walker came to play Saturday versus visiting Arkansas, and it helped keep a 10-win season alive for the Tigers. The senior was a factor in all phases of the defense, which did not allow a play of more than 25 yards to the Razorbacks. Walker not only tied for the team high with tackles, but he also had a sack of Taylen Green and forced a pair of fumbles.
The Tigers will be carrying some momentum into the bowl game after finishing the regular season with wins over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. LSU got three Garrett Nussmeier TD passes and a terrific second-half effort from the defense in Saturday’s 37-17 defeat of the Sooners. Weeks stood out on D with a game-high 15 tackles, two stops for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble.
The Maxwell Football Club supports former Alabama and Seattle Seahawks star RB Shaun Alexander in annually naming the top college freshman.
Hawaii got a glimpse into the future the past two weeks after starter Brayden Schager suffered a knee injury. Alejado stepped in Saturday night to lead the Warriors to a 38-30 win over New Mexico. The true freshman from Las Vegas completed 37-of-57 for 469 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed for a team-high 54 yards and was not sacked. Alejado’s 469 passing yards were the most by a freshman this season and the most ever by a Warrior rookie, breaking the record set by current Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang in 2000.
PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game. For more information about PFF, please visit: pff.com
Rich Cirminiello is the VP of College Awards at Maxwell Football Club. He can be followed on Twitter at @Rich Cirminiello
FBS schools were 115-6 in FBS-FCS games this season, and are a cumulative 1,915-158 (.924) since we began tracking this in 2003.
In 2024, there were 121 matchups scheduled between FBS and FCS schools with 119 playing one such game, while Hawaii and UMass each play two.
15 schools were not scheduled to play a FCS opponent. Of those fifteen schools, 5 are in the B1G (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, USC and UCLA). Texas is the only school in the SEC that will not play a FCS program. The same is true for Virginia Tech in the ACC. In fact, Texas and Virginia Tech, along with Michigan and Houston, were repeats from the list of schools in 2023 that played all FBS programs.
2024 FCS wins vs. FBS:
August 24: Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
September 7: St. Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
September 7: Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
September 7: Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24 (OT)
September 21: Monmouth 45, FIU 42
September 28: UT-Martin 24, Kennesaw 13
In 2023, FBS schools were 114-4. These were the FCS wins last year:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
OREGON - Won 18 straight regular season games. Won 13 straight over-all.
Last: Won 49-21 at home over Washington on Saturday, November 30.
Next: Will face Penn State for B1G Championship in Indianapolis on Saturday, December 7.
GEORGIA - Won 31 straight home games.
Last: Won 44-42 (8 OT) at home over Georgia Tech on Friday November 29.
Next: Will face Texas for the SEC Championship in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.
TULANE - Had won 19 straight conference games.
Last: Lost 34-24 at home to Memphis on Thursday, November 28.
Next: Will visit Army for the AAC Championship on Friday, December 6.
BOISE STATE - Won 11 straight conference games.
Last: Won 34-18 at home vs. Oregon State on Friday, November 29.
Next: Will host UNLV for the Mountain West Championship on Friday, December 6.
TEXAS - Won 11 straight true road games (at opposition venue) - tied with SMU.
Last: Won 17-7 at Texas A&M on Saturday November 30.
Next: Will face Georgia for the SEC Championship in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.
SMU - Won 10 straight true road games (at opposition venue) - second to Texas.
Last - Won 38-6 at home over Cal on Saturday November 30.
Next: Will face Clemson for the ACC Championship in Charlotte on Saturday, December 7.
KENT STATE - Lost 21 straight over-all. Lost 16 straight conference games. Lost 14 straight road games. Lost 9 straight home games.
Last: Lost 43-7 at Buffalo on Tuesday November 26.
Next: Season complete (0-12, 0-8 MAC).
TEMPLE - Lost 20 straight true road games.
Last: Lost 24-17 at home to North Texas on Saturday November 30.
Next: Season complete (3-9, 2-6 AAC)