Championship Week is here. If it's not the American Athletic Conference or the Big XII, it's playing a conference championship game this week. Everyone else is at home awaiting bowl assignments.
It's also the last set of games fans will get before the playoff committee makes its final determination about who will participate in the first College Football Playoff. Two teams will be the center of attention this week. Alabama, which represents the SEC West in Atlanta for the second time in three years, may be chalk the rest of the way. The Tide is the current no. 1 seed in the playoff rankings and are trendy picks to win the remainder of the games in which it plays.
Second, Florida State will get some scrutiny on Saturday. The Seminoles have not lost in more than two years, but this year's team seems to be impressing no one. The Seminoles went from an understandable 2-seed with the first set of rankings to a 3-seed and, now, a 4-seed. It could play Alabama in the semifinals, a team that would likely demolish the reigning national champions.
That's down the road, though. Let's talk about Championship Week and what's on TV. Since this week's opponent is Wisconsin, this week's honorary TV Guide features Happy Days. Wisconsin pennants were abundant on the set of Arnold's Diner. One is even featured on this guide from 1978.
Thursday
Central Florida at East Carolina (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). A two-game stretch at the beginning of November cost East Carolina a shot at a conference championship. It will hope to finish strong at home against UCF, which needs a win to secure at least a share of the American Athletic Conference championship.
If both UCF and Cincinnati lose this week, 9-3 (7-1) Memphis, whose season has finished, would be the outright champion of the league. Imagine the game of Russian roulette happening among bowl game committees if the BCS were still in operation and one of them had to take Memphis.
Friday
Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green [MAC Championship Game] (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). Take them to Detroit!
The MAC used to have a lot of charm for being a conference in which there was a lot of parity. All schools in the MAC have almost equivalent endowments. They all recruit basically the same players. It's why Central Michigan could go from a stretch of Brian Kelly and Butch Jones to falling off the map in the league. Ohio's success in the MAC, which ebbs and flows, illustrates this as well.
Northern Illinois has challenged that conventional wisdom about the MAC by playing in its fifth-straight conference championship game. Further, this is the third coach in that span to lead the Huskies to Detroit. The other two (Jerry Kill, Dave Doeren) are now coaching Minnesota and North Carolina State.
This is a rematch from last year's game that Bowling Green won in a stunning upset of the then-undefeated Huskies. Bowling Green has a first-year head coach who has done well to continue last year's success.
Arizona at Oregon [Pac-12 Championship Game] (FOX, 9 p.m.). This is the first Pac-12 Championship Game to be played on a neutral field. The 49ers new field in Santa Clara will be the site.
This is the third of four Pac-12 Championship Games to be a rematch from a mid-season contest. That Arizona handed Oregon its only loss to date, in Eugene, no less, adds intrigue to this game.
Oregon fans will be quick to dismiss that loss (albeit one in Eugene) as a function of Oregon's injury-addled offensive line. The playoff committee appears to agree, keeping Oregon as the no. 2 team on its collective ballot. A repeat of that game seems unlikely to unfold in Santa Clara.
Ohio State fans may want to root hard for it all the same.
Saturday
Iowa State at Texas Christian (ABC, 12 p.m.). The committee loves Texas Christian, and for good reason. It has that great non-conference win over Minnesota earlier in the season, which has paid dividends. It also just smashed Texas in Austin on Thanksgiving.
TCU's problem is that its position right now is precarious. Baylor, which defeated TCU after a furious fourth-quarter rally earlier this season, could jump it. Ohio State could as well.
While Baylor plays no. 9 Kansas State and Ohio State plays no. 13 Wisconsin in big games on primetime TV, TCU is stuck with this game at noon on Saturday. Two-win Iowa State was a lost cause months ago. TCU could hammer Iowa State and no one would talk about it.
Louisiana Tech at Marshall [C-USA Championship Game] (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). Marshall lost at home last week to Western Kentucky, its only loss on the season. That took the sails out of this matchup.
Houston at Cincinnati (ESPN, 12 p.m.). Despite that disastrous three-game stretch that started with an implosion at Ohio Stadium, Cincinnati could secure a share of the American Athletic Conference championship with a win. That makes it a quality win for Ohio State's résumé, right?
Southern Methodist at Connecticut (CBS Sports Network, 12 p.m.). Could Chad Morris start coaching the Mustangs now?
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 p.m.). Fortunately, these two teams gave you a reason early in October to not have to care about the outcome of this game. Oklahoma State would be eliminated from the postseason with a loss on Saturday.
Alabama vs. Missouri [SEC Championship Game] (CBS, 4 p.m.). I should not have to tell you to root hard for Missouri this game. Send the Tigers every good vibe you can.
Plus, a Missouri win means Indiana is the rightful SEC champion, which would be awesome.
Temple at Tulane (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.). December football is a great way for the American Athletic Conference to sneak into primetime football on ESPN or ESPN2. Temple is 5-6 and Tulane is 3-8.
Kansas State at Baylor (ESPN, 7:45 p.m.). Baylor could not have asked for a better opponent in which to make its final claim for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Baylor, more than Ohio State even, should want style points on Saturday night.
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech [ACC Championship Game] (ABC, 8 p.m.). Could Florida State get bumped from the playoffs even if it wins? If you had asked me that question two months ago, I would have thought it insane.
Alas, the playoff committee is looking for any reason to exclude the Seminoles from the playoff. At first, that was just an instant dismissal for any loss on its remaining schedule. Now, the playoff committee is sliding the Seminoles down the rankings even as its win-streak passed the two-year mark.
If Florida State farts out a win against Georgia Tech and gets bumped from the final playoff rankings altogether, Tallahassee would burn and I would enjoy watching it.
Wisconsin at Ohio State [B1G Championship Game] (FOX, 8 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
Fresno State at Boise State [Mountain West Championship Game] (CBS, 10 p.m.). Boise State has been the Boise State we expected of the past few years. Chris Petersen left for Washington and Bryan Harsin entered to restore Boise State to what it was a few years ago under Petersen's zenith.
Meanwhile, Fresno State is 6-6. It's playing in this game because it has the tie-breaker over 7-5 San Diego State. Oof.
