Every Week 13 College Football Conference Championship Scenario
Nine spots in college football conference championship games– including both in the American and Big Ten– are still up for grabs heading into Week 13. All nine will be sorted out fully come Sunday.
What are each of the scenarios for the teams still alive in the race? Who has clinched their spot already?
Kick times below are listed in CT.
ACC Championship: Clemson vs. North Carolina
Dec. 3, 7:00 p.m., ABC
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
Clemson is a heavy favorite in the first conference championship game to have shored up both spots.
American Conference Championship: TBD vs. TBD
Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m., ABC
Site TBD (Top seed home stadium)
Alright– we're going to start with the most convoluted scenario in college football. We promise it gets easier from here.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati hosts Tulane in what all of a sudden is a massive game. The winner of this game hosts the American Championship while the loser hopes UCF and Houston also lose.
Tulane Green Wave
As mentioned, the winner between Cincinnati and Tulane hosts the AAC title game. However, it's not lose and go home for Tulane. If the Green Wave lose and Houston beats Tulsa and UCF to beat USF, creating a three-way tie for second.
Though UCF beat Tulane, since Tulane didn't face Houston, head-to-head is out the window. Instead, it turns to computer points (hand waving the convoluted explainer there) and Tulane would still be in.
If you really care about the entire AAC procedure, enjoy.
UCF Knights
It was win-and-in for UCF last week against Navy, but the Midshipmen spoiled their party in a massive upset. Now, it's not just a win-and-in situation for the Knights– they need to win and have Tulsa upset Houston. That creates a two-way tie between UCF and the loser of Cincinnati-Tulane, which UCF holds the head-to-head tiebreaker on each.
However, that Houston win would create the aforementioned three-way tie and UCF would lose out. But, if Houston loses to Tulsa and Tulane loses to Cincinnati, UCF gets the head-to-head.
Houston Cougars
Houston is only technically still alive in the race. They must beat Tulsa and have Cincinnati beat Tulane to create a three-way tie. Then they have to hope the College Football Playoff Committee ranks them highest in Tuesday's rankings.
Like I said– convoluted.
Big Ten Championship: TBD vs. TBD
Dec. 3, 2:00 p.m., FOX
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)
The East
We'll just roll this into one: the winner of Ohio State-Michigan wins the East. Cut and dry.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Also cut and dry! If Iowa beats Nebraska on Friday, the Hawkeyes are in the Big Ten Championship. Should Iowa lose, they would still get in if both Purdue and Illinois lose.
Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue holds tiebreakers over Illinois and Minnesota, so the Boilermakers have to beat Indiana this week and hope Nebraska upsets Iowa.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois needs to beat Northwestern this week– almost a foregone conclusion to the 1-10 Wildcats– but the division was theirs to lose until they fell apart over the last two weeks.
But winning isn't just enough– Illinois also needs Iowa and Purdue to both lose coupled with their own win to be in.
Big 12 Championship: TCU vs. TBD
Dec. 3, 11:00 a.m., ABC
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
TCU locked up their spot in the Big 12 title game two weeks ago and now await their opponent in Arlington.
Kansas State Wildcats
All Kansas State needs to do is beat rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown and they secure a seat at the table. If they lose, Kansas State would then root for Baylor to beat Texas and the Wildcats would again be in.
Texas Longhorns
If Texas beats Baylor this weekend and Kansas beats Kansas State, then Texas would be in the Big 12 Championship Game. If the Longhorns lose at home to the Bears, they're out.
C-USA Championship: UTSA vs. TBD
Dec. 2, 7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Site TBD (Top seed home stadium)
UTSA already locked up their spot in the Conference-USA Championship game for the second straight year.
North Texas Mean Green
It's win and in for UNT, who last appeared in the C-USA championship in 2017. North Texas hosts Rice on Saturday. If UNT loses, they would have to hope Western Kentucky loses to FAU, and their ticket would be punched.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
To secure a rematch of last year's conference championship against UTSA, WKU needs to beat FAU on the road and hope UNT loses at home to Rice. If WKU loses, they're out.
MAC Championship: Toledo vs. Ohio
Dec. 3, 11:00 a.m., ESPN
Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
Toledo awaited the result of the Bowling Green at Ohio game on Tuesday. The Bobcats nailed a resounding win over the Falcons, securing their spot in Detroit.
Mountain West: Fresno State vs. Boise State
Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m., FOX
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID)
Fresno State and Boise State locked up their positions in the Mountain West championship game this past week.
Pac-12 Championship: USC vs. TBD
Dec. 2, 7:00 p.m., FOX
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV)
USC notched a spot in their first Pac-12 Championship with their thrilling win over rival UCLA this past week. They await their matchup this weekend.
Oregon Ducks
Oregon needs to beat rival Oregon State on the road this weekend to clinch a spot in Las Vegas. Should they lose, they're also in if Washington loses.
Washington Huskies
OK– these get a bit involved. First, Washington needs to win the Apple Cup over Washington State on the road. Should they win, they need Oregon to lose to Oregon State plus one of the following:
- Cal beats UCLA
- Colorado beats Utah
Both of those are unlikely scenarios, but the scenario exists.
Utah Utes
While their scenario is a bit more linear, there's more legs needed to happen. Utah needs to beat Colorado first and foremost, but the Utes also have to hope exactly for an Oregon loss, a Washington win, and a UCLA win.
Not or, and.
SEC Championship: Georgia vs. LSU
Dec. 3, 3:00 p.m., CBS
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
This matchup's been decided for a couple of weeks now. No complex tiebreakers here– it's Georgia vs. LSU.
Sun Belt Championship: Coastal Carolina vs. TBD
Dec. 3, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Site TBD (Top seed home stadium)
Coastal Carolina safely locked up their spot in the Sun Belt Championship. They would likely host the championship game through tiebreakers if their opponent is South Alabama. If Coastal plays Troy, they would hit the road.
Troy Trojans
It's a win-and-in situation for Troy this weekend as they face Arkansas State on the road. Troy is a heavy favorite to do so. Winning would also make them the host of the title game.
If Troy loses, they have to hope South Alabama also loses to get in. However, a Coastal Carolina win over JMU would mean Troy plays on the road. A Troy, South Alabama, and a Coastal loss would mean Troy hosts the SBC title game.
South Alabama Jaguars
South Alabama has to beat Old Dominion at home and hope Arkansas State beats Troy to be in the Sun Belt championship game. If they lose, they're out.
To host the Sun Belt championship, South Alabama has to win and both Troy and Coastal Carolina have to lose.
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