Conference championship weekend: What's on the line in each Power Five matchup
The college football regular season has ended and the conference championship matchups are set.
Here's what you need to know about each team and what's on the line in each Power Five conference title game, including major College Football Playoff and bowl implications.
(Note: All times ET, odds from BetMGM)
ACC: No. 14 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State
Time: 8 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: FSU -2.5 | Total: 47.5
Louisville (10-2): Louisville has thrived in its first season under Jeff Brohm. Brohm brought Purdue to the Big Ten title game last year and now he’s done the same in his first season at his alma mater. Brohm added to his roster via the transfer portal and the Cardinals quickly gelled, taking advantage of the breaks in their schedule amid a 6-0 start that included an upset over Notre Dame.
After that big win over Notre Dame, however, Louisville dropped an ugly one on the road to Pitt, a team that finished with a 3-9 record. From there, UL won its next four and clinched a spot in the ACC title game with a road win over Miami. At 10-1, Louisville was still in the CFP mix until a loss to rival Kentucky in the regular season finale.
Florida State (12-0): Florida State has had an incredible season. FSU finally broke through last year with a 10-3 record after a miserable stretch from 2017 to 2021. This year, FSU took another step forward and is one of five remaining undefeated FBS teams.
It started with a high-profile Week 1 win over LSU and continued through ACC play. There were a few close calls, including a two-point win over Boston College and a come-from-behind overtime win at Clemson. From there, FSU won its next five games by double-digit margins and handled business vs. rival Miami. However, things changed when star quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury in the Week 12 win over North Alabama. FSU completed its undefeated regular season by beating rival Florida with backup Tate Rodemaker at QB, but the ceiling of this team is clearly much different with Travis on the sideline.
What’s on the line?
Florida State is looking to win the ACC for the first time since 2014, but its sights are set higher. With a win, FSU would almost certainly earn a spot in the College Football Playoff — even with Travis sidelined. Florida State won the final BCS national championship in 2013 and then lost in the CFP semifinals in 2014. A loss to Louisville will knock the Seminoles out of the CFP picture.
Louisville is in the ACC title game for the first time since it joined the conference in 2014 and is looking to lock up a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game. UL last won a conference championship in 2011 as a member of the Big East and hasn’t reached 11 wins in a season since 2013.
Big 12: No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas
Time: Noon (Sat.) | TV: ABC | Line: UT -14.5 | Total: 55.5
Oklahoma State (9-3): Oklahoma State went 12-2 and nearly reached the CFP in 2021, but followed that up with an ugly 7-6 record in 2022. The Cowboys were 6-1 to start the season but ended up losing five of their final six games. There was a lot of roster turnover, including longtime starting QB Spencer Sanders transferring. The quarterback situation was unsettled early in the year with coach Mike Gundy shuffling three QBs amid an ugly 2-2 start that included a 33-7 home loss to South Alabama.
After a Week 4 bye, Oklahoma State settled on veteran transfer Alan Bowman at QB, inserted Ollie Gordon into the starting lineup at running back and rallied by winning seven of its final eight games. Along the way, the Cowboys upset rival Oklahoma in the final Big 12 edition of the Bedlam rivalry and then clinched their spot in the Big 12 title game with a double-OT win over BYU.
Texas (11-1): Texas has tried desperately to return to the elite in college football over the last decade-plus, but has come up short. This year, however, the Longhorns have been among the nation’s best teams in Year 3 under Steve Sarkisian and are looking to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009 before departing for the SEC.
The Longhorns started the season with a huge road win over Alabama in Week 2 and then overcame a loss to Oklahoma to reach the conference title game with an 11-1 record. The Oklahoma loss was a heartbreaker, but Texas has managed to win six straight since then, including last Friday night’s 57-7 demolition of Texas Tech. UT endured an injury to quarterback Quinn Ewers and is 3-0 since his return.
What’s on the line?
Oklahoma State has won just one Big 12 title (2011) during the tenure of Mike Gundy, who is now in his 19th season at his alma mater. The Cowboys also lost a heartbreaker in the Big 12 title game in 2021. Gundy and the Cowboys already sent Oklahoma packing out of the Big 12 with a loss in Bedlam and can do the same to Texas with a chance to knock UT out of the CFP picture.
Texas would love to walk out of the Big 12 with a conference championship. The Longhorns have three Big 12 titles — 1996, 2005 and 2009 — and also have their sights set on the CFP. If the Longhorns win, they very well could crack the top four with that early season win over Alabama serving as a significant boon to their resume.
Big Ten: No. 16 Iowa vs. No. 2 Michigan
Time: 8 p.m. (Sat.) | TV: Fox | Line: UM -22.5 | Total: 35.5
Iowa (10-2): Iowa ranks dead last in the country in total offense (246.3 yards per game) and yards per play (4.12), but managed to go 10-2 and win the Big Ten West in the division’s final year of existence. Iowa tried to improve the talent on offense via the transfer portal and added QB Cade McNamara and TE Erick All from Michigan. But McNamara was injured early in the season, as was top TE Luke Lachey. All later suffered his own season-ending injury, but the Hawkeyes managed to put together close win after close win thanks to a stellar defense. The Hawkeyes have won seven of eight since getting trounced by Penn State back on Sept. 23, including a wacky 13-10 win over Nebraska last Friday. Can they give Michigan a game?
Michigan (12-0): Michigan posted a perfect 12-0 regular season for the second straight year and dominated the majority of its competition. Off the field, this season was quite tumultuous with Jim Harbaugh serving multiple suspensions, first for NCAA violations and then a Big Ten-levied suspension for the sign-stealing scandal that became a huge story in the sports world.
Michigan got off to a 9-0 start and had an average margin of victory of 34 points during that stretch. The schedule increased in difficulty just as the suspension for Harbaugh was handed down by the Big Ten, but the Wolverines took care of business with a 24-15 road win over Penn State. A closer-than-expected win over Maryland followed before Michigan beat rival Ohio State for the third consecutive season to lock up the Big Ten East.
With his suspension served, Harbaugh will be back on the sideline for the Big Ten title game and beyond.
What’s on the line?
Michigan is looking to win its third consecutive Big Ten title and get back to the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines have lost in the CFP semifinals the last two seasons but have their sights set on a national championship this year.
If Iowa pulls off the huge upset, Michigan could be on the outside looking in. Iowa played in the Big Ten championship game in 2015 and 2021, but lost both times. The Hawkeyes haven’t won an outright Big Ten title since 1985.
Pac-12: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington
Time: 8 p.m. (Fri.) | TV: ABC | Line: Oregon -9.5 | Total: 66.5
Oregon (11-1): Oregon has been on fire with Heisman Trophy frontrunner Bo Nix leading the way. The Ducks, in their second season under coach Dan Lanning, are 11-1 and enter the Pac-12 title game on a six-game winning streak. Only two of Oregon’s 11 victories have come by fewer than 10 points. This team has been consistently dominant — other than the Oct. 14 loss at Washington. Now the Ducks can get revenge vs. the Huskies with the Pac-12 title and a potential CFP berth on the line. It’s also a stage where Nix, who has thrown for 3,906 yards and 37 TDs while completing 78.6% of his attempts, can propel himself to the Heisman Trophy.
Washington (12-0): Washington keeps finding ways to win. Including the 36-33 win over Oregon, UW has won its last eight games by 10 points or fewer. The last two were nail-biters. The Huskies beat Oregon State 22-20 on the road and then needed a last-second field goal to beat rival Washington State.
Earlier in the year, Washington was putting up eye-popping numbers with an offense led by QB Michael Penix Jr. Penix, who has thrown for 3,899 yards and 32 TDs, topped the 400-yard mark in UW’s first three games and was considered the Heisman favorite for much of the season. Penix hasn’t played quite to that level over the last month or so, but all of Washington’s aspirations are within reach. Will he be able to outduel Nix once again and lead the Huskies to a Pac-12 title and CFP appearance?
What’s on the line?
Unless the conference takes on a new form in the coming years, this is effectively the final Pac-12 game. Both Oregon and Washington are moving to the Big Ten next season, but they’d like to capture a league championship before making the transition. Washington last won the Pac-12 in 2018 while Oregon did so in 2019 and 2020.
More importantly, this game has massive CFP importance. The Pac-12 has not had a team in the playoff since Washington back in 2016, but that streak should come to an end with the winner likely making the field and the loser almost certainly being eliminated. On top of all that, there are significant Heisman implications for Nix and Penix.
SEC: No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Georgia
Time: 4 p.m. (Sat.) | TV: CBS | Line: UGA -5.5 | Total: 53.5
Alabama (11-1): Alabama had a very shaky start to its season as a quarterback battle from the preseason spilled over well into the month of September. Jalen Milroe struggled in the Tide’s Week 2 home loss to Texas, and multiple QBs were given an opportunity in an ugly win the following week over South Florida. From there, the Alabama coaching staff went back to Milroe and he has steadily improved.
Since that loss to Texas, Alabama has won 10 straight with Milroe and the defense leading the way. There have been a few close calls during that winning streak, none closer than last Saturday’s wild win over Auburn that featured a game-winning TD pass on fourth-and-goal from the 31 in the final minute of regulation. Alabama had already wrapped up the SEC West entering the Iron Bowl, but the Tide’s CFP hopes were in the balance.
Georgia (12-0): Georgia has won 29 consecutive games and wrapped up its third consecutive 12-0 regular season with a win over Georgia Tech last Saturday. After winning another national championship last fall, the Bulldogs had to work in an array of new pieces on both sides of the ball, including QB Carson Beck. There were a few close games early in the season — a 24-14 win over South Carolina and a 27-20 win over Auburn — but the Bulldogs got better and better as the season progressed.
Georgia closed out the SEC portion of its schedule with wins over three ranked teams — No. 12 Missouri, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 18 Tennessee. The Missouri game was decided late in the fourth quarter, but the Ole Miss and Tennessee wins were in blowout fashion.
The Bulldogs' last loss came to Alabama in the SEC title game in 2021. The next month, UGA got revenge by beating the Tide in the CFP title game and then captured another national title in 2022. UGA is trying to make it three straight.
What’s on the line?
Georgia is trying to make it 30 consecutive victories and wrap up another trip to the CFP, but don’t just assume UGA will crack the top four no matter what. There’s a chance the Bulldogs could be left out if they lose to Alabama.
On the other side, Alabama has no chance to reach the CFP without upsetting Georgia. Alabama missed out on the playoff last season and would be left out of the field for the third time in five seasons with a loss to the Bulldogs.
There’s also the element of Kirby Smart going up against his former boss, Nick Saban, yet again. Smart was Saban’s longtime defensive coordinator before he landed the Georgia job. Before Georgia beat Alabama for the 2021 national championship, the Tide had won seven straight in the series, including the first four times Smart and Saban matched up. This is a matchup where Alabama could reclaim some power in the SEC and greater college football hierarchy.
