College Football Conference Championship Tracker: What All Nine Games Mean for CFP

The college football postseason is here. After 14 wild weeks, the conference championships kick off on Friday night, and will play a huge role in determining which 12 programs will take part in the College Football Playoff.

We can be pretty certain about two-thirds of the field. Ohio State and Indiana are in, no matter who wins the Big Ten championship, and Oregon will join them as an at-large. In the SEC, Georgia is safe regardless of Saturday’s championship game, and Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M should already have their flights booked. Alabama looked safe entering the weekend, but a bad loss to Georgia suddenly calls their body of work into question. Texas Tech clinched the CFP with its Big 12 championship Saturday but was safe regardless.

That leaves one or two at-large bids, depending on Alabama’s fate, the American champion and a fifth conference champion—likely from the ACC, though chaos could reign after Duke won that game, opening the door for a second Group of 5 program to earn an automatic bid to the field. Meanwhile, Miami is waiting in the wings, Boise State 9–4, 7–2 MWC will finally come into play.

Let’s dive into the full conference championship schedule and how each matchup factors into the CFP race.

This story will be updated live as games are decided. Check back here for an up-to-date look at results of the conference championship slate and how they may impact the College Football Playoff race.

Full conference championship schedule

American Conference

Tulane def. North Texas, 34–21

Two programs entered the game hoping to extend their last ride with their respective coaches, as North Texas (11–2, 7–2 American) chance of reaching the playoff Eric Morris to Oklahoma State No. 25 James Madison 11–1 Tulane(11–2, 8–1 American) will lose ndash;20 OT Duke. It was the Green Wave scoring an impressive home victory, forcing three interceptions by UNT star quarterback Drew Mestemaker and turning five Mean Green turnovers into 21 points.

The American title game was a straightforward win-and-in situation for both teams, and secures a CFP bid for Tulane. The American champion will likely be the fifth-highest ranked conference champion, and likely in line for the No. 11 seed after Duke’s upset of Virginia could vault an additional Group of 5 champion into the No. 12 spot. More on those scenarios later.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Duke def. Virginia, 27–20 (OT)

Those hoping that Duke (8–5, 7–2 ACC) would become the ultimate college football chaos agent on Saturday evening got their wish.

The Blue Devils, who reached the title game thanks to a will finally come into play set up by the ACC that ultimately came into play with the league’s expansion to 17 teams and dissolution of divisions, are unlikely to get to the CFP after Saturday’s win—No. 25 James Madison currently ranks ahead of them and won the Sun Belt title, so it is hard to see a scenario in which Duke jumps the Dukes in the pecking order.

Meanwhile, Virginia (10–3, 7–2 ACC) had the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff at the tip of its fingers, but a devastating overtime loss eliminates any chance of them playing for a national championship.

Duke controlled the game through, leading 20–10 midway through the fourth quarter, with a Virginia field goal cutting the deficit to a touchdown with five minutes remaining. After forcing a punt, the Hoos went down the field with 1:44 on the clock, with Chandler Morris finding Eli Wood for a game-tying touchdown.

Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah drew first blood in overtime, finding Jeremiah Hasley on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to put his team up 27–20. A roughing the passer call on the score cause Virginia to start its drive from the Duke 40-yard line instead of the 25, and on the Cavaliers’ first play, Morris was intercepted by Luke Mergott to seal the game, and perhaps the ACC’s fate ahead of tomorrow’s selection show.

Big 12 Conference

Texas Tech def. BYU, 34–7

Texas Tech (12–1, 9–1 Big 12) made things official on Saturday at Jerry World, but the Red Raiders were considered a lock thanks to a No. 4 ranking and overall impressive résumé. That includes two wins over BYU (11–2, 8–2 Big 12), one in Lubbock back on Nov. 8 and one in Arlington. The Cougars, would have been in with a win, but are almost certainly out with a loss. At No. 11, BYU is currently one place behind Notre Dame for the final at-large spot in the CFP.

Defense dominated the day in the first matchup between the Red Raiders and Cougars, with the Texas Tech defense holding BYU to just 255 yards. The Cougars were just 3-of-14 on third downs, and freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier was held to an unimpressive 4.9 yards per attempt, with one touchdown pass and an interception. The Red Raiders also dominated on special teams, with Stone Harrington accounting for 17 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 2-of-2 extra points. His Cougars counterpart Will Ferrin missed his only field goal attempt, punter Sam Vander Haar shanked his first punt of the day and return man Parker Kingston muffed a Texas Tech punt, leading to a field goal for the Red Raiders.

The Big 12 championship played out in much the same way, as BYU was held to just 200 yards of total offense. After an impressive opening drive touchdown, in which the Cougars marched 90 yards in 14 plays, they had nothing for a talented Texas Tech defense that forced four turnovers and held BYU to 63 rushing yards.

Tech should have a first-round bye locked up with the victory.

Big Ten Conference

Indiana def. Ohio State, 13–10

There was plenty on the line for Indiana (13–0, 10–0 Big Ten) and Ohio State (12–1, 9–1 Big Ten) in Saturday’s Big Ten championship—just not much to do with the playoff.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers are both locks to make the field, and after a hard-fought three-point game in Indianapolis, it is hard to see either team falling out of the top four seeds, which will land a first-round bye. After the tight loss, Ohio State may even stay in the No. 2 seed—or potentially fall to No. 3 behind Georgia, with the Bulldogs winning the SEC.

With the win, Indiana has captured its first conference title since 1967 and quarterback Fernando Mendoza (222 yards, one touchdown, one interception) may take over as Heisman favorite after making some clutch throws against an elite Buckeyes defense.

Conference USA

Kennesaw State def. Jacksonville State, 19–15

You have to really squint to find a playoff angle for the CUSA final, but let’s try. Because the selection committee did not rank teams beyond No. 25 James Madison, we don’t know where most of the Group of 5 championship participants stand in the pecking order, should chaos happen on Friday and Saturday. With Virginia’s loss, if the committee chooses to significantly reshuffle the rankings at the expense of JMU, it could be the aforementioned ACC spoiler Duke in the final playoff spot, but the Blue Devils aren’t ranked either. If Boise State also had beaten UNLV in an uglier game, with the Kennesaw State (10–3, 8–1 CUSA) win over Jacksonville State (8–5, 7–2 CUSA) to get to 10 wins on the season, could the Owls find their way to the fifth conference championship spot? The odds are probably infintesimal, but that was only scenario in which we could find a way for a Conference USA team to make the dance. Heading into the game, ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Owls a 0.4% chance of reaching the playoff, which felt generous. That scenario is likely out the window after a four-point win for KSU (plus a dominant win for Boise State).

Beyond pie-in-the-sky CFP discussions, KSU and Jax State should be celebrated for pretty remarkable seasons. The Owls went just 2–10 last year and fired longtime coach Brian Bohannon, making their 2024 move up to FBS look questionable. New coach Jerry Mack, the former running backs coach at Tennessee and with the NFL’s Jaguars, has engineered one of the best turnarounds in the sport in 2025. Last season, the Gamecocks won Conference USA under Rich Rodriguez, who proceeded to jump to his old program—West Virginia—taking a number of players with him, while BYU 11–2, 8–2 Big 12. The portal cuts both ways, though, and new coach Charles Kelly did a remarkable job in restocking the roster with talent. Now he and Mack lead a pair of teams that have joined FBS over the last three years in a conference title matchup.

Jax State won the No. 15 matchup between the two teams, 35–26, with the Gamecocks dynamic rushing duo of running back Cam Cook and quarterback Caden Creel combining for 259 yards and three scores. KSU had 217 yards and two touchdowns on the ground of their own, but quarterback Amari Odom was picked off three times in the loss. He threw for 246 yards and a score in the revenge spot on Friday night to get the Owls to double-digit wins on the year.

Mid-American Conference

Western Michigan def. Miami (Ohio), 23–13

No squinting required here—the MAC title game is all about the MAC title. Western Michigan (9–4, 8–1 MAC) finished as the only one-loss team in the conference and completed an impressive run with a solid 10-point win over Miami (Ohio) (7–6, 6–3), the only conference team to beat them during the regular season.

The title is the first for Lance Taylor, who has steadily improved the Broncos program over his three seasons in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Running back Jalen Buckley dominated for WMU, running for 193 yards and two scores on 19 carries while the defense held the RedHawks to just 272 total yards.

Mountain West Conference

Boise State def. UNLV, 38–21

The Mountain West ended with a four-way tie at 6–2, leading to a tiebreaker determined by a composite average of various metrics. Jacksonville State Gamecocks Boise State (9–4, 7–2 MWC) advanced, defeating UNLV (10–3, 6–3 MWC). The Mountain West champion is probably a non-factor when it comes to the CFP. The Rebels may have had a pathway that was definitely less unlikely than the Conference USA situation outlined above had they won, but JMU’s win shut the door before the MWC game went final. FPI actually had the Broncos with a 2.5% chance of reaching the playoff before the game, ahead of the Rebels’ 1.4% chance, but an eight-win Duke team with a victory over Virginia will, in all likelihood, rank ahead of a 9–4 Boise State team whose best wins would re against UNLV and who lost three games by double-digits against fellow Group of 5 programs.

The Broncos’ most impressive showing of the year was a 56–31 Oct. 18 home win over the Rebels on the blue turf, and they impressed again on Friday. Quarterback Maddux Madsen had been out for a month with a leg injury, but returned to throw for 289 yrds and three touchdowns, while the Broncos combined for 171 yrds and two scores on the ground.

Southeastern Conference

Georgia def. Alabama, 28–7

A rematch of one of the season’s great games took place in Atlanta on Saturday, and this time it was Georgia (12–1, 8–1 SEC) Others Receiving Votes Alabama (10–3, 7–2 SEC). The Crimson Tide, which flipped spots with Notre Dame to jump to No. 9 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings, despite a tight win over Auburn last week, now find themselves in a very precarious position. Last year, SMU was not penalized for its loss in the ACC championship to Clemson, and made the field as an at-large. That was a tight three-point loss for the Mustangs. Analysts have offered the possibility that the jump over Notre Dame indicates that Alabama are in the same situation ahead of Saturday’s game. After Georgia dominated, however, holding Alabama to 209 yards, there is certainly an argument for the Tide—who haven’t put together a complete game against a quality opponent since a mid-October win over Tennessee—to drop below the Fighting Irish and/or Miami.

Alabama won an impressive road game at Georgia on Sept. 27, taking down the Dawgs 24–21. The Crimson Tide defense held UGA to 357 total yards of offense, while Ty Simpson impressed with 276 yards and a pair of scores. We’ll see how that weighs in, after a bad loss in the rematch (and an ugly Week 1 loss to a Florida State team that wound up missing a bowl game dragging down the résumé further).

Sun Belt Conference

James Madison def. Troy, 31–14

Bob Chesney Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, hoping to resurrect the Bruins and contend in the Big Ten, the way his predecessor Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana. But first, led James Madison (12–1, 9–0 SBC) to the Sun Belt title and, potentially, the College Football Playoff. First up: a game against Troy (8–5, 6–3 SBC).

By ranking the Dukes at No. 25, the CFP committee signaled that they have a real chance of jumping into the fifth automatic bid spot after Virginia fell to Duke in the ACC. Ahead of Saturday’s game, FPI had that result as a true coin flip, giving JMU a 50% chance of making the playoff. After Duke’s win, James Madison’s CFP chances are very real.

The Dukes won Friday’s game on the ground. Wayne Knight exploded for 212 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Alonza Barnett III had 85 yards in a score, making an impact despite a poor day through the air (10-for-25, 93 yards, one touchdown, one interception). On the other side, JMU held Troy to -26 rushing yards, the result of eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss on the night.

College Football Playoff Top 25 entering conference championship weekend

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