Conference championship game projections: How each league stacks up as the calendar turns to October

The 2024 college football season hasn’t reached its halfway point, but we’ve seen plenty of games have altered the college football landscape. At the very least, some conference races are already taking shape. 

Few wins were as impactful as Alabama’s 41-34 triumph against Georgia. The Crimson Tide rose to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll in the aftermath and now control their own destiny. 

In the Big 12, preseason favorites like Oklahoma State (0-2 so far in league play) and Utah are falling behind after tough closes to September, while new contenders are emerging in their wake. The ACC and Big Ten landscapes gaining clarity, as well. 

All this is set amid the backdrop of a 12-team College Football Playoff that adds more emphasis to winning a conference title than ever. Each of the Power Four conference champions — along the with highest-rated Group of Five conference champion — claim automatic bids, taking their fates largely out of the hands of the selection committee. 

Here’s an early projection for each Power Four conference championship game, and some Group of Five conference title matchups that could have a major impact on the College Football Playoff race. We don’t see the MAC making noise in the CFP race, not after Northern Illinois’ loss two weeks ago, and we omitted the Sun Belt conference championship from this article, but right now it’s James Madison-or-bust for the conference, which still uses divisions. James Madison is in fact included in the latest CFP bracket projections as the No. 12 seed. 

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Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-10-02 13:34:04

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