It’s conference championship weekend. There is a lot on the line. Some teams can bolster their resume for a higher ranking. Others are simply looking for an upset win to punch their ticket in the first place. I must say, I think the committee is doing a terrible job this year. It feels like they are making it up as they go. Advanced numbers don’t seem to matter. And it seems we have a crooked system. I’d like to see radical change moving forward. But for now, let’s break down the 2025 conference championship games.
SEC: No. 3 Georgia vs No. 9 Alabama
This is a far more important game for the Crimson Tide. A win would cement themselves as one of the best teams in the country. But a loss? There is a world where they miss the CFP altogether. Which would be the second year in a row for the Tide. Alabama enters with two losses. A third could be their death sentence. These two have already played this season. Alabama won by three and Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 against their rival. But Georgia has gone on a tear since then. They haven’t lost a game since then and even had a convincing win over Texas in that span. Georgia has hit their stride and it’s too much for the Tide. Prediction: Georgia 27 Alabama 21
Big Ten: No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 2 Indiana
The thing about some of these conference championships is they really don’t matter all that much for the playoff. But there is still so much pride on the line. Number 1 vs 2 is amazing regardless of the circumstance. I have backed Indiana all year long. My Heisman vote would go towards Fernando Mendoza if I had one. But here is reality, their resume isn’t overly impressive. They killed a then-ranked Illinois team that now has 4 losses. They barely leaked past Penn State. The Buckeyes have one of the defenses in the nation. They stop teams in their tracks. It’ll be close, but my nod goes to Ohio State. Prediction: Ohio State 28 Indiana 26
Big 12: No. 11 BYU vs No. 4 Texas Tech
This is one of the title games that has huge consequences. What do we do about BYU? They have one loss this season. And it came against Texas Tech. So, if they can handle the now 4th best team in the country, we have to put them in the playoffs, right? What if they lose? Two losses, both coming against the 4th best team in the country. So, make it make sense, if we are putting the other two loss teams in there. Kalani Sitake stayed and turned down Penn State. The Cougs will bring some extra juice. The Red Raiders are the better team on paper -4th best offense in the country and they boast a better defense as well. But I love a good, ole Big 12 shootout here. Let’s see if the committee is paying attention. Prediction: BYU 30 Texas Tech 34
ACC: Duke vs No. 17 Virginia
This might be the most intriguing matchup. The game won’t be as good, but the result is critical. It’s simple for UVA, win-and-in. But what if the Blue Devils, an unranked team, pull off an upset? The likeliest scenario is that the ACC is left out of the playoff. The committee must lock in five conference champions. The SEC, ACC, Big 12, and American are covered, thanks to Tulane. But if Duke wins, James Madison becomes the choice if they win the Sun Belt title game. This is all conjecture of course. And what I say is that Virginia handles business and keeps the ACC alive. Prediction: Duke 20 Virginia 32