The 2024 college football postseason begins this weekend with conference championships. There will be nine conference championship games in total, with the headliners being No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 3 Penn State for the Big Ten title and No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia for the SEC title.
Keep reading for the full schedule, times, how to watch, and who’s playing.
Friday
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State (CUSA Championship)
- When: Friday, Dec. 6 @ 7 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: CBSSN
- What to expect: This should be a tight matchup after the two teams faced each other just last weekend, with Western Kentucky edging Jacksonville State, 19-17. Both teams finished the regular season 8-4, but the game will be held at Jacksonville State’s stadium due to its 7-1 conference record.
No. 20 UNLV vs. No. 10 Boise State (Mountain West Championship)
- When: Friday, Dec. 6 @ 8 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: Fox
- What to expect: The defending Mountain West champion, Boise State is favored in this matchup, but the Broncos will be challenged by UNLV. On the line is a spot in the College Football Playoff, as the winner will earn one of the five guaranteed bids for conference champions in the new 12-team playoff format. These teams faced each other back in late October, with the Broncos winning, 29-24. The Rebels could cause an early shake-up in the CFP if they can pull off the upset.
Tulane vs. No. 24 Army (AAC Championship)
- When: Friday, Dec. 6 @ 8 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ABC
- What to expect: Despite Army having only one loss and being ranked, three-loss Tulane is favored marginally in this matchup. The Black Knights have home-field advantage, and their only loss this season came to current No. 4 (then No. 6) Notre Dame two weeks ago (albeit was a significant 49-14 loss). The AAC’s CFP hopes were dashed when Tulane fell to Memphis last week.
Saturday
No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State (Big 12 Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 12 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ABC
- What to expect: This clash of 10-2 teams will see the winner receive a guaranteed bid to the playoff. Arizona State has had a remarkable season after many predicted the Sun Devils would finish last in their new conference (they were 3-9 in the Pac-12 a year ago). Iowa State has also had an impressive season after going 7-6 in 2023. Arizona State has the slight edge in this matchup, but it’s another game with massive implications that is expected to come down to the fourth quarter.
Ohio vs. Miami (OH) (MAC Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 12 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ESPN
- What to expect: The Battle of the Bricks, the football rivalry between the oldest universities in Ohio, comes to the MAC Championship. This is yet another regular season rematch; in the last game in mid-October, Miami won, 30-20. Miami leads the series 56-42-2, and the defending MAC champions are slight favorites. Since losing to the RedHawks, the Bobcats are 5-0, thanks in large part to a high-powered offense and a defense that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in the last four games.
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas (SEC Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 4 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ABC
- What to expect: Probably the most highly-anticipated regular season rematch of all the rematches this weekend, Georgia and Texas meet again, this time in “neutral” territory at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta – approximately 70 miles from Athens. In case you were living under a rock in October, the No. 5 Bulldogs handed the No. 1 Longhorns their lone loss of the season, winning 30-15 despite being on the road. Texas is once again the slight favorite. The biggest question is: what version of Georgia will show up?
Marshall vs. Louisiana (Sun Belt Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ESPN
- What to expect: The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are favored in this matchup after losing only two games this season (including by one possession to Tulane). Marshall has been resilient in its three-loss season, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to beat James Madison in double overtime last weekend. Louisiana has won its past two matchups against Marshall and will have home-field advantage.
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 8 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: CBS
- What to expect: The other top 5 matchup of the weekend sees the Nittany Lions face the Ducks in Indianapolis on Saturday. Oregon is the slight favorite and also the only FBS team still undefeated. Penn State’s lone loss came by a touchdown to now-No. 6 Ohio State in early November. As reflected by the rankings, these are two evenly-matched teams who will make the playoff, win or lose. This is a matter of earning a first-round bye and, of course, bragging rights for a year.
No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU (ACC Championship)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 8 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ABC
- What to expect: New-look ACC, same powerhouse ready to spoil the favorite. With three losses, Clemson has been far from perfect this season, but despite the mistakes, the Tigers are one upset away from another CFP berth. SMU is the “home team” as the higher seed, but make no mistake, Charlotte is likely to be more of a home-field environment for the Tigers. The Mustangs are the favorites, and if they can take advantage of a relatively weak Clemson defense, they should be able to edge the ACC’s long-time poster child.
