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College Football Conference Championships: Who's In Ahead Of Week 12?

Who's already punched their ticket to their conference championship?
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There's still two full weeks of college football action, leaving plenty of landscape-defining games ahead. But after 11 weeks, a few teams can relax knowing they've punched their ticket to their conference championship game.

Which teams secured their bid to vie for a conference title? Which games upcoming will determine the remaining spots?

ACC Championship: Clemson Vs. North Carolina

Saturday, Dec. 3 3, 7:00 p.m. CT, Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)

Clemson was among the first batch of teams to win their division. North Carolina joined them this week after beating Wake Forest 36-34 in Winston-Salem. Since UNC played earlier in the day, the ACC was the first conference to lock in their conference title matchup.

It's the TarHeels' second ever division title (2015), where they also faced Clemson. UNC looks for their first ACC title since 1980.

Big 12 Championship: TCU Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 11:00 a.m. CT, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)

Not only did a gutty win on the road against top-20 keep TCU undefeated and in the College Football Playoff race, but it secured their second-ever spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.

They'll face one of: Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, or Texas. K-State has the inside track, holding a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over Baylor and Oklahoma State. A lot of dominoes have to fall for certain teams, but the most likely scenario is for Kansas State– a win combined with a Texas loss to Kansas and an Oklahoma State loss to Oklahoma would do the trick.

However, this race is likely to come down to the final week.

Watch: 

  • Kansas State at West Virginia (11/19, 1:00 p.m. CT) – ESPN+
  • Texas at Kansas (11/19, 2:30 p.m. CT) – FS1
  • Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (11/19, 6:30 p.m. CT) – ABC

Big Ten Championship TBD Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2:00 p.m. CT, Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)

It's no surprise that the East Division race comes down to Michigan at Ohio State in Week 13. Most seasons play out in that fashion and it was predicted well before the season began. They're the only two mathematically left even if they happen to lose unforeseen games this weekend.

The West Division race isn't that cut-and-dry. Currently, nearly every team is still alive, with each one needing another team to lose. No one controls their own destiny, but the most likely representatives in Indianapolis are Purdue and Iowa. We probably won't know who wins the Big Ten West until the end of Week 13.

Watch:

  • Northwestern at Purdue (11/19, 11:00 a.m.) – FS1
  • Iowa at Minnesota (11/19, 3:00 p.m.) – FOX

Pac-12 Championship: TBD Vs. TBD

Friday, Dec. 2, 7:00 p.m. CT, Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, NV)

The Pac-12 kept divisions this season, but the championship is between the two top-ranked teams regardless of division. After Oregon and UCLA were both upset, USC and Utah are in the driver's seats for the title game. Fortunately, everything will either be completely sorted out or totally mucked-up after this week.

Utah and Oregon compete in what should be a knockout game on Saturday while USC and UCLA square off in their annual rivalry game. A nightmare situation? UCLA and Oregon avenge losses and send three teams into Week 13 with two losses and a messy web of tiebreakers to sort out.

Watch:

  • Utah at Oregon (11/19, 9:30 p.m. CT) – ESPN
  • USC at UCLA (11/19, 7:00 p.m. CT) – FOX

SEC Championship: Georgia Vs. LSU

Saturday, Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m. CT, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Georgia secured their spot in the SEC Championship Game with their blockbuster win over Tennessee in Week 10. LSU secured theirs with their Week 11 win and Ole Miss' Week 11 loss. It's a rematch of the 2019 SEC title game where LSU rolled on the shoulders of one of college football's best teams of all time.

LSU is 4-1 all-time against Georgia in SEC Championships, but the Dawgs are a 16-point favorite in this one.

American Athletic Conference Championship: TBD Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m. CT, Site TBD

UCF, Cincinnati, and Tulane all stand at 5-1 atop the conference and UCF holds the tiebreaker over both others. If they beat Navy this week, the Knights are in. The other spot will likely be claimed by the sudden-blockbuster Week 13 matchup between Tulane and Cincinnati.

Houston and SMU are technically still in play, but would need collapses from all three teams ahead of them since they don't hold tiebreakers over any of the teams.

Watch:

  • SMU at Tulane (11/17, 6:30 p.m. CT) – ESPN
  • Navy at UCF (11/19, 10:00 a.m. CT) – ESPN2

Conference-USA Championship: North Texas Vs. TBD

Friday, Dec. 2, 7:00 p.m. CT, Site TBD

North Texas locked up their spot in the championship game two weeks ago with their win over FIU and with Rice's loss to WKU. Their loss to UAB last week didn't affect that and the Mean Green will play in their second ever C-USA title game.

The other spot is UTSA's to lose. If the Roadrunners defeat Rice and Florida Atlantic loses to Middle Tennessee, UTSA is in. However, the Owls are six-point favorites on the road at MTSU and more likely than not, this spot will drag out to the final week. If UTSA wins out, they're in.

Watch:

  • UTSA at Rice (11/19, 12:00 p.m. CT) – ESPN+
  • FAU at MTSU (11/19, 2:30 p.m. CT) – ESPN+

MAC Championship: Toledo Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 11:00 a.m., Ford Field (Detroit, MI)

Toledo secured their spot in the MAC Championship last Wednesday in a bizarre mathematical technicality. Despite being in last in the MAC West, the Rockets needed Northern Illinois to lose to officially get their spot, which they did. It's Toledo's first MAC Championship appearance since 2017 and second since 2004.

Ohio will secure the MAC East title with a win and if Bowling Green loses at Toledo; the Falcons are 16-point underdogs while Ohio is a four-point favorite over Ball Satte, so things are looking good for the Bobcats. They currently have a one-game lead in the division and hold a tiebreaker over Buffalo.

Should both Ohio and BGSU win or lose, the division will come down to Week 13 where BGSU visits Ohio.

Watch:

  • Bowling Green at Toledo (11/15, 6:00 p.m. CT) – ESPNU
  • Ohio at Ball State (11/15, 6:00 p.m. CT) – ESPN2

Mountain West Championship: TBD Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m. CT, Site TBD

It's win this week and in for Fresno State. They hold tiebreakers over challengers San Jose State and San Diego State and hold a one-game cushion in the West Division. Fresno State is a strong favorite over Nevada in their game Saturday, so their bid to the MWC title game is a pretty sure thing.

Boise State and Wyoming square off in Laramie this weekend for the Mountain Division. Should Wyoming win, they're in as they hold the tiebreaker over Utah State. If Boise State wins, they have a two-game lead in the division with just one week left to play despite that final game being against Utah State.

Watch:

  • Boise State at Wyoming (11/19, 6:00 p.m.) – CBSSN

Sun Belt Championship: Coastal Carolina Vs. TBD

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2:30 p.m., ESPN, Site TBD

Coastal Carolina's had their spot locked up for two weeks now after they beat Appalachian State. James Madison is the only team mathematically capable of beating Coastal out in Group A, but since this is the Dukes' first season as an FBS team, they're not eligible for a conference title. Coastal and JMU play in the final week.

Note: The Chants' game Saturday against Virginia is in question as to whether or not it'll be played after a recent tragedy within the UVA football program.

If Troy beats ULM this week and South Alabama loses to Southern Miss, Troy will lock up Group B since they have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jags. However, if both teams win– which they're both heavily projected to do– then this battle drags out to the final week. Troy controls their destiny: win out and they're in.

Watch:

  • ULM at Troy (11/19, 2:30 p.m. CT) – ESPN+
  • South Alabama at Southern Miss (11/19 2:30 p.m. CT) – NFL Network

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