College football games today: Championship Week schedule, what you should watch

The most important games on the Week 15 college football schedule today that the selection committee will be watching closely, and you should, too.

What you should be watching as college football kicks off Championship Week with still plenty on the line when it comes to playoff selection. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Coming out of an eventful regular season finale, college football embarks on its first taste of postseason action as Championship Saturday kicks off today, looking to sort out the final pieces of the 12-team College Football Playoff puzzle with auto bids and at-large spots still up for grabs.

Get your remote ready: Championship Week is action-packed with impactful football with a ton on the line and decisions still to be made in the top dozen of the playoff bracket.

Here are the games the College Football Playoff selection committee will be keeping a close eye on -- and you should, too -- as the Week 15 college football games kick off today.

College football today: Championship Saturday schedule, what you should watch

All times Eastern

Arizona State vs. Iowa State

Arizona State faces Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Big 12 Championship Game

Why watch?

To see if there’s a big upset in the works that could redraw the borders around the bottom of the College Football Playoff rankings and final bracket.

We know that the winner of the Big 12 title is guaranteed a place in the playoff, but what team lands in the seeding is still an open question.

Everything is simple for the teams in this game: win, and they’re in; lose, and they’re out.

Arizona State comes into the game as the projected No. 12 seed and set to play on the road in the first round of the playoff against Penn State in the committee’s latest bracket prediction.

Quite a turnaround for the Sun Devils, who were picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason media poll, but now find themselves on the precipice of making the playoff.

Standing in their way is a 10-2 Iowa State team that wants the spot and is playing in just its second conference championship game ever.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on ABC

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Georgia vs. Texas

Georgia and Texas reunite in the SEC Championship Game. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

SEC Championship Game

Why watch?

It’s more often than not these days that the road to college football’s national title runs through the SEC Championship Game, and that could very easily be the case again in 2024.

Both the Longhorns and Bulldogs are a sure thing for the College Football Playoff, making this game important to determine who receives that coveted first-round bye in the tournament.

And there’s the question of revenge, as Texas hopes to get back at Georgia for handing it the one loss on its record, back in Austin when the Longhorns were the No. 1 team in the country.

Since then, the Longhorns have markedly improved their ability to run the ball and are playing some of the country’s best defense, so look equipped to right their season’s only wrong.

What version of Georgia will show up? The one that lost to Alabama and Ole Miss through some very generous pass defense, or the one that beat up Tennessee by two scores?

The answer to that question could determine which one of these teams will have to play only three games to win the national title, or four.

When to watch: 4 p.m. on ABC

More ... SEC Championship Game series history, scores

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Penn State vs. Oregon

Penn State looks to upset Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Big Ten Championship Game

Why watch?

To see if we have a new No. 1 team in college football by the end of the night.

Oregon is the last undefeated team in the FBS ranks this season and enters Championship Saturday as the committee’s projected top seed in the College Football Playoff.

But that can all change if the Nittany Lions have something up their sleeve and can pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season, and of head coach James Franklin’s career.

If so, they could inherit Oregon’s top position, or move into the No. 2 seed if the committee values the SEC champion more based on quality of schedule or some other metric.

Either way, the winner of this game gets a first-round bye, and the loser would host a first-round game on campus.

When to watch: 8 p.m. on CBS

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Clemson vs. SMU

Clemson faces league newcomer SMU in the ACC Championship Game / Ken Ruinard - staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

ACC Championship Game

Why watch?

Because for once, Clemson is in position to play upset agent and cause some real chaos in the College Football Playoff rankings and bracket if it can take down the Mustangs.

SMU has certainly made the most of its first season in the ACC, going undefeated in conference play and is in line to secure a first-round bye in the playoff with a win here.

But if Clemson should come out on top, that could be enough for the committee to drop the Mustangs out of the top dozen, albeit controversially, and allow some room for another Power Four team to sneak into the bracket.

What we do know is, whoever wins the ACC title is making the playoff. If Clemson loses, it’s out.

When to watch: 8 p.m. on ABC

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