After this weekend’s games, we’ll finally know.
No more predictions and projections. No more TV show specials squeezed between college basketball games. No more productions that could have simply been emails.
On Sunday, after all these conference championship games are wrapped up, we’ll finally know what the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket will look like. And we’ll finally get answers to some questions.
Will Boise State be rewarded with a top four seed – and a bye – over the winner of the Big 12? Will multiple ACC teams crack the field? Which three-loss SEC team is going to get pushed through over Miami? What will the best first-round matchup be?
The wait is nearly over. As the coaching carousel keeps spinning, grab yourself some popcorn and settle in for a weekend full of consequential contests across college football.
Saturday, 8 p.m. – CBS
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Here’s another opportunity for James Franklin to win the big game. Can he pull it off this time? Or will Oregon complete a 13-0 regular season in its first Big Ten campaign?
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ABC
The winner goes to the College Football Playoff. The loser plays in a decent non-CFP bowl game. It’s a game featuring the Big 12’s best running back and the best wide receiver duo in the country.
Friday, 7 p.m. ET – CBS Sports Network
Jacksonville State Head Coach Rich Rodriguez directs activities during the Jax State Spring game in Jacksonville, Alabama. April 19, 2024.
This game is weird for a few reasons. First, it’s an immediate rematch – Western Kentucky just beat Jacksonville State 19-17 in the regular season finale last weekend, but Sam Houston and Liberty didn’t finish strong enough to earn their way into the Conference USA title game. This is also one of the few games this weekend that won’t have an impact on the College Football Playoff picture, but it should still be a competitive game. This is a matchup also featuring two head coaches – Tyson Helton and Rich Rodriguez – who could find themselves coaching different teams next season, depending on how the coaching carousel goes.
Friday, 8 p.m. ET – FOX
(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
This game was close the last time the Runnin’ Rebels and Broncos met, with Boise State pulling out a 29-24 win. That was in Las Vegas. This time, Boise will have homefield advantage and is aiming to seal up the Group of Five bid to the College Football Playoff. But if Hajj-Malik Williams and UNLV can pull off an upset, it’ll throw a wrench into the playoff picture.
Saturday, 9 p.m. ET – ESPN+
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If you’re not interested in any of the FBS conference title games at any given time on Saturday, ESPN+ provides some alternatives with playoff games in the FCS and the Division II and III ranks. The final kickoff of Saturday is this game at the Kibble Dome in Moscow, Idaho – inarguably one of the best venues in this sport – between a pair of 9-3 teams in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
AAC title game | Tulane at No. 24 Army: Friday, 8 p.m. ET – ABC
Division III Playoffs | Randolph-Macon at Salisbury: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ESPN+
SWAC title game | Southern at Jackson State: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET – ESPNU
SEC title game | No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas in Atlanta: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET – ABC
ACC title game | No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU in Charlotte: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET – ABC
