College Football Watching Guide: Championship Week 2024
The cream of the crop.
Well, folks, we made it. The regular season’s done and dusted.
If your team didn’t make it to six wins, it’s time for recriminations, firings, player transfers, and overall rebuilding. Best of luck to you.
But if you won more games than you lost, you get a one-way ticket to the most fun postseason format in the wide world of sports: BOWL SEASON.
That starts a bit later, though. For now, there are some final scores to settle among the teams that have really distinguished themselves (and who aren’t named Army or Navy).
All of the games below have stakes involved. I’ll do my best to break them down. Let’s go!
But before we get started, I’ve got some questions for you.
See, many of these teams are in contention for the College Football Playoff. These conference championship matchups will help finally determine who’s in, and who’s out.
If you’re like me, the endless speculation over the Playoff field is exhausting.
Wouldn’t you like to know which teams are Playoff-bound before Sunday? Are you tired of the talking heads on ESPN pumping up their favorite teams at the expense of common sense?
Worry not! I’ve developed the PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR, a rule-based formula that determines which teams will make the Playoff before the field’s even announced.
And if YOU click the green SUBSCRIBE NOW button below and sign up for The Solid Slate, I’ll send it to you on Saturday night.
Here’s the Rules:
RULE NUMBER ONE: Every Playoff team from a Power-4 conference (including Notre Dame) must have fewer than three regular-season losses, or be a conference champion. Every Playoff team from a non-Power-4 conference must be undefeated, or be a conference champion.
RULE NUMBER TWO: Every Playoff team that is not a conference champion must have EITHER (1) at least one AP Top 25 win, OR (2) no losses to unranked teams.
RULE NUMBER THREE: If your team meets Rule Number One and both of Rule Number Two’s criteria, they WILL make the Playoff.
Because I’m such a nice guy, the most recent version of the ELIMINATOR’s included below!
If your team’s marked SAFE, they will make the Playoff no matter what. If your team’s on the BUBBLE, they can still make the Playoff, but something’s blocking their way. If they’re in the NEEDS TO WIN category, their path’s simple: win their conference championship, and they’re in. But if you’re team’s in our NEEDS HELP category, they need something outside their control to bounce their way.
Safe
Oregon
Texas
Penn State
Georgia
Bubble
Notre Dame (loss to unranked team)
Tennessee (loss to unranked team)
Ohio State (loss to unranked team)
SMU (no Top 25 win)
Indiana (no Top 25 win)
Boise State (no Top 25 win)
Arizona State (losses to two unranked teams)
BYU (loss to unranked team)
Army (no Top 25 win)
Needs To Win
Clemson (needs to win conference championship)
UNLV (needs to win conference championship)
Louisiana (needs to win conference championship)
Needs Help
Iowa State (needs EITHER to win conference championship OR a Top 25 win OR Texas Tech and Kansas to be ranked)
Miami (needs EITHER a Top 25 win OR Georgia Tech and Syracuse to be ranked)
There you go! If you want the PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR in your inbox this Saturday night, click the SUBSCRIBE NOW button below!
FRIDAY
UNLV at Boise State
Mountain West Championship
8:00pm/7:00pm (FOX)
If the winner of this one’s ranked higher than Army (and they probably will be), then they make the Playoff. UNLV’s kinda flown under the radar all year. The Rebels have two losses, both by 5 points or less, and both to Top 25 teams in Syracuse and their opponent here, Boise State. They’re highly efficient at running and stopping the run, with dangerous Hajj-Malik Williams at QB and Jai’Den Thomas at tailback. Problem is, if you can pass the ball and find a way to halt their rushing attack, the Rebs become decidedly mortal.
The Broncos have a rushing attack of their own: a Heisman-caliber one. Ashton Jeanty has come out of nowhere, likely fueling Boise State to a first-round bye in this first edition of the expanded Playoff. Maddux Madsen’s no slouch as a signal caller either, and Boise State marries this relentless offense with a devastating defensive front. Just don’t ask them to stop the pass. They can’t do that.
Tulane at Army
American Championship
8:00pm/7:00pm (ABC)
Army must win to have a shot at the Playoff. Tulane’s just here to spoil the party. Thing is, they might do it. They score more points than the Black Knights, are more efficient than them on 3rd down—heck, they even boast the 12th-best run game in the nation. Their defense is smothering, and they buried another triple-option team in Navy earlier this year. Yep, the Green Wave have a shot.
But never count out the Troops. The Black Knights can bring a stout defense and the ancient anarchy of flexbone football to bear on America’s best college football programs if they can jump this hurdle. All year, they’ve benefitted from a soft schedule, then ran into a buzzsaw in South Bend. Defeating Tulane would put a bow on a good year, and perhaps let the country see what Army fans already know: Bryson Daily is a crazy good dual-threat QB.
SATURDAY
Iowa State at Arizona State
Big 12 Championship
12:00pm/11:00am (ABC)
Two decently evenly matched teams here. The winner gets a Playoff berth. The loser likely does not. The Clones were doing fine until they hit a speed bump midyear, losing to Texas Tech and Kansas two weeks in a row. They proceeded to struggle through close wins and now made it here. Rocco Becht is a perfectly serviceable QB, and their passing game is worth paying attention to. But Iowa State’s true strength is in their secondary. They are third-best in the country at limiting passing yards, meaning you will have to run to beat them (and believe me, you can).
That’s exactly what the Sun Devils want to do. Cam Skattebo is a brutalizing force at tailback, and has largely gone unnoticed in the wider college football landscape. With a defense that’s overall good, but not great, clock-chewing Skattebo-centric drives will be Arizona State’s bread and butter as the newcomers try to wrest the Big 12 crown from one of the conference’s veteran teams.
Georgia at Texas
SEC Championship
4:00pm/3:00pm (ABC)
Spoiler alert: both of these teams are Playoff bound. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a score to settle here. When they met during the regular season, Carson Beck handed the Horns their lone loss. Since then, Georgia dropped one to Ole Miss and barely survived an eight-overtime classic in last week’s rivarly tilt against Georgia Tech. A win for Georgia here means the right Carson Beck, the one that doesn’t make mistakes and commands the offense, showed up. The Dawgs don’t have a running game and their defense is more lackluster than usual.
The Horns are hoping Georgia’s still a little hungover from last week’s brawl. Statistically, they embrace a balanced offensive attack that can score in a thousand ways, but their defense boasts the best secondary in America, and an overall brick-wall quality. Texas would love to swoop in and grab the SEC title in their first year in the conference, proving the snobbery and doubt wrong.
Penn State at Oregon
Big Ten Championship
8:00pm/7:00pm (CBS)
Again, both of these teams will be in the Playoff. The question is which team gets a bye. The Nittany Lions fell backwards into this berth, thanks to Ohio State’s inexplicable loss to Michigan in The Game. Though you shouldn’t be surprised. Penn State’s maybe the most complete title contender no one’s talking about. There’s nary a statistical weakness on this team. The most you can say is that Drew Allar could pass for a few more yards. They’ve got one total loss, and it was to Ohio State by a single TD. Look out for Happy Valley’s finest.
Oregon is yet another interloper seeking to snatch the conference title away from its traditional teams in its first year. It’s done no wrong all year, and makes it to this matchup undefeated and with similarly few statistical issues. Maybe the OL could run block a touch better to give Jordan James a few more yards per carry? I guess? Same deal on defense. Zero flaws. This matchup is strength on strength, and might be run back in the Playoff.
Clemson at SMU
ACC Championship
8:00pm/7:00pm (ABC)
The Tigers have to win to make the big dance, after dropping a heartbreaker to South Carolina last week. If they don’t, Dabo may be gone, and Clemson’s time of top-tier relevance may be on pause. Their huge struggle all year has been stopping the run, and, well, general defensive competency. Cade Klubnik is not the problem. Best strategy here will be to overwhelm the Mustangs with offense.
SMU’s perhaps the most hilarious interloper story here. They paid their way into the ACC, and now may just take their title for the trouble. With Kevin Jennings helming a punishing passing attack that’s among the swiftest in college football, the Mustangs’ ability to score cannot be doubted. On defense, you’d better be able to pass quickly, because SMU gives up precisely nothing on the ground and likes to blitz.
Clarifying question, re: Playoff Eliminator. Is Georgia only "safe" in terms of this past week? Seems like they're out if they lose the SECCG.