1 month ago

College football picks: 'Let's play two' a theme for handful of conference championship games

No football coach would tell you he's excited about the prospect of having to beat the same team twice in the same season. The FBS rematches: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State in the Sun Belt, UNLV at Boise State in the Mountain West, Ohio vs. Miami in Detroit in the Mid-American and Georgia vs. Texas in Atlanta in the Southeastern Conference. “You can’t hang or your hat on the last one, win or lose.” The picks, with Associated Press Top 25 rankings and lines on FBS games from BetMGM Sportsbook: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State, Conference USA This will be the teams' second meeting in seven days. Western Kentucky won 19-17 at home on a late field goal last week, ending Jacksonville State's eight-game win streak. 12 Arizona State, Big 12 at Arlington, Texas Neither team was expected to be here — especially the Sun Devils, who were the preseason pick to finish last in the conference.

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History of this topic

What Everyone Is Missing About the College Football Playoff

Trending News

55 years ago

What Everyone Is Missing About the College Football Playoff

Slate

The first 12-team iteration of the College Football Playoff had four chances to produce a competitive first-round game. ProFootballTalk opined, “A 12-team college football playoff sounds like a great idea until it’s all lesser teams going on the road to play better teams in late December and getting their asses kicked.” These people are all making different points but missing …

3 weeks, 1 day ago

College Football Playoff odds, picks, how to watch info: Texas, Notre Dame open as big favorites in first round

New York Times

The College Football Playoff field was revealed on Sunday, and with that came the odds for the four first-round games. If you are looking for insight on how the drama might play out, Austin Mock’s College Football Playoff projections give a percentage chance for each team to make each round of the 12-team bracket. GO DEEPER College football national title …

3 weeks, 2 days ago

College Football Playoff picks: SMU, Clemson, Vols, Hoosiers beware as CFP opens on campus

Associated Press

Welcome to the new-look postseason, where the path to the national championship begins at campus sites for eight of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff. Snow showers are forecast to give way to cloudy skies and temperatures in the 20s in South Bend, Indiana, for Friday night’s Indiana-Notre Dame game. A 10- to 15-mph northwest wind will make …

4 weeks, 1 day ago

Expanded College Football Playoff field draws more bets and on more teams

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “They don’t want to be standing there and not have a ticket on some of these long-shot teams.” Expanding the playoff field from four to 12 teams this year meant more betting in general on college football and more varieties of wagering on the postseason. “We’re …

1 month ago

Ranking all 36 College Football Playoff title game possibilities from most to least likely

New York Times

For 10 years, we knew going into the College Football Playoff there were four possible national championship matchups. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State How we get here: We’ve seen Ohio State play Oregon, on the Ducks’ home field no less, and the teams could not have been more evenly matched. Boise State vs. Texas How we get here: I don’t …

1 month ago

2024 College Football Playoff guide: What to know about the new 12-team format, at-large bids

New York Times

College football entered a new era Sunday with the unveiling of the first 12-team Playoff bracket. For most of its century-plus existence, college football had a “mythical national champion.” The sport’s season champion was determined after teams played in bowl games by various polls and rankings, which, of course, led to significant debate. The four quarterfinal games and both semifinals …

College Football Playoff takeaways: Clemson kickstarts SMU-Alabama debate for final spot

Trending News

1 month ago

College Football Playoff takeaways: Clemson kickstarts SMU-Alabama debate for final spot

New York Times

By Ralph D. Russo, Matt Baker, Justin Williams, Joe Rexrode and Sam Khan Jr. The first 12-team College Football Playoff field will be revealed on Sunday, but a lot was still to be determined by Saturday’s Power 4 conference championship games after Boise State locked up the first automatic bid on Friday. pic.twitter.com/GmNL2hnoO0 — ACC Network December 8, 2024 It’s …

1 month ago

5 takeaways from the unveiling of the 12-team College Football Playoff field

CNN

CNN — The field is set, the games are scheduled, and college football fans have an absolutely scrumptious holiday buffet of playoff games set out in front of them. Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrates after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Penn State, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/AP The top four seeds are …

1 month ago

College football bowl watch guide: Schedule, odds and most interesting matchups

New York Times

With conference championships all wrapped up, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff is finally upon us and every bowl game is set for the next month. ET on ESPN2 at Caesars Superdome Friday, Dec. 20 Noon ET on ESPN at Camping World Stadium Gasparilla Bowl: Tulane vs. Florida 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN at Albertsons Stadium Tuesday, Dec. 24 Hawai’i …

1 month ago

Georgia vs. Texas: How to watch, picks, odds for SEC Championship Game

New York Times

After facing each other in mid-October, Texas and Georgia will run it back on Saturday afternoon in the SEC Championship Game from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 5 Georgia is making its fourth straight SEC Championship Game appearance and seventh overall in coach Kirby Smart’s nine-year tenure. Georgia vs. Texas odds Expert picks against the spread The Pulse Newsletter Free, daily sports …

1 month ago

College football conference championship odds, picks against the spread for all 9 title games

New York Times

The song of championship week has a running refrain: It’s tough to beat the same team twice. Sign Up Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State Friday 7 p.m. on CBSSN Jacksonville State joined the FBS last year, and coach Rich Rodriguez already has the Gamecocks in a conference title game. 10 Boise State Friday 8 p.m. on FOX It’s a banner …

1 month ago

Who will win the conference championship games? Plus College Football Playoff chaos on deck?

New York Times

Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic’s college football newsletter. Line: Jacksonville State -5.5 Jacksonville State -5.5 Prediction: Jacksonville State 21, Western Kentucky 17 AAC: Tulane at No. 24 Army Tulane’s loss to Memphis last week deflated the College Football Playoff potential of this game. Line: Boise State -4 Boise State -4 Prediction: Boise State 28, UNLV 21 …

1 month ago

College football picks: ‘Let’s play two’ a theme for handful of conference championship games

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The FBS rematches: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State in the Sun Belt, UNLV at Boise State in the Mountain West, Ohio vs. Miami in Detroit in the Mid-American and Georgia vs. Texas in Atlanta in the Southeastern Conference. “You can’t hang or your hat on the …

1 month, 1 week ago

Ohio State and Miami tumble in College Football Playoff penultimate rankings

CNN

CNN — Buckeye and Hurricane fans must have known this moment was coming as the College Football Playoff comes into focus ahead of conference championship week. After suffering shocking upsets to unranked opponents on Saturday, Ohio State and Miami dropped in the penultimate CFP rankings, which were revealed Tuesday. After winning their first five ACC games, Miami lost two of …

1 month, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff rankings: Miami out, Alabama in with last at-large bid as ACC implications linger

New York Times

Alabama moved into position to receive an at-large bid to the College Football Playoff and Miami was locked out of contention as the selection committee’s penultimate rankings Tuesday night narrowed the field of contenders. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the conference was “incredibly shocked and disappointed” by Miami’s fall after the Hurricanes lost this past weekend, 42-38, at No. 16 …

1 month, 1 week ago

AP Top 25: Ohio St, Miami, Clemson drop; Texas, Penn St, Notre Dame, Georgia in line behind Oregon

Associated Press

Ohio State, Miami and Clemson plunged in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday following their losses during a wild weekend, eight of the top 10 teams moved up one spot and Oregon was No. Ohio State, which lost for the fourth straight time to Michigan and was knocked out of the Big Ten title game, dropped five …

1 month, 1 week ago

What are the matchups in college football’s conference championship games?

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 12 Clemson at Charlotte, North Carolina What to know: The Mustangs completed a sweep of their first ACC schedule with a 38-6 win over California, making them the only team in their new league that didn’t lose a conference game; SMU has a 17-game conference winning …

1 month, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff 2024 projections: A new No. 1, Ohio State hits the road

New York Times

My pool of teams did not change from last week to this week, but Ohio State’s inexplicable home loss to Michigan and Miami’s loss at Syracuse certainly shook up the seeding. In this scenario, I have both Texas and Penn State sustaining a second loss in their conference title games but remaining above 11-1 Notre Dame in the rankings. Finally, …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

College football picks: After losses, A&M’s Elko grateful to play Texas with shot at SEC title game

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Texas A&M bounced back from its season-opening loss to Notre Dame with seven straight wins that put it in prime position for a College Football Playoff bid entering November. Purdue’s average losing margin is 27.5 points per game, and that’s after playing Northwestern and Michigan State …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

College football Week 14: Longhorns-Aggies among the high-stakes rivalry games to end regular season

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! It’s the final weekend of the college football regular season, which means rivalry games take center stage. With seven at-large bids for the first 12-team College Football Playoff up for grabs, not to mention spots in next week’s conference championship games, some of these games take …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Final regular-season games loom large in determining conference championship matchups

Associated Press

The American Athletic Conference is the only Football Bowl Subdivision league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. Big Ten at Indianapolis Oregon vs. Ohio State, Penn State or Indiana. Conference USA at Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville State vs. Liberty, Western Kentucky or Sam Houston. If UNLV and CSU both win or lose their final regular-season games, the tie …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

College football picks: Never mind Hoosiers, Ohio State has lots riding on showdown at the Horseshoe

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Much has been made about the stakes for unbeaten Indiana in Saturday’s top-five showdown with Ohio State. Ohio State hasn’t won a Big Ten championship, let alone play in the title game, since 2020. With a one-point loss at Oregon on this season’s ledger, the Buckeyes …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Chase for spots in SEC championship game still up for grabs with two games left in regular season

Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With two games left in the regular season, No. “There’s been no time ever where Texas A&M has been in the SEC, in the last two games controlled their own destiny to go to Atlanta. It’s the opportunity that you’ve trained for.” But a loss would create more chaos in an already tight race that could …

2 months ago

College football Week 11 odds, picks against the spread: Ole Miss-Georgia, Alabama-LSU and more

New York Times

The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and several games on the Week 11 slate will significantly impact the eventual 12-team field. 16 Ole Miss 3:30 p.m. on Fubo, ABC The big change with the expanded playoff in college football isn’t that it cheapened the regular season. So it’s pretty simple — win on Saturday night to keep …

2 months ago

First College Football Playoff Rankings Set for Reveal

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is released each week throughout the season, and the first set of rankings will determine the 12 teams that will participate in the first round of the playoffs. Oregon, currently ranked number one, will be the top seed in the poll, while Miami, BYU, and Indiana are also undefeated and ranked in the …

2 months, 1 week ago

SMU's Unbeatable Streak Put to Test as No. 20 Panthers Aim to Knock Off Mustangs in ACC Showdown

Associated Press

SMU remains undefeated in the ACC, currently sitting at 7-1, and will face No. 18 Pittsburgh in a crucial matchup this Saturday night. The Mustangs' impressive performance this season has them poised to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff, but they will need to overcome challenges and maintain their physical prowess throughout the remaining games.

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Kennesaw State, the College Football Playoff hope crusher, plus Week 9 viewer guide

New York Times

Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic’s college football newsletter. The previously winless Kennesaw State Owls recorded their first win last night against the PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED Liberty Flames and 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year Kaidon Salter. 17 Boise State at UNLV : Friday’s best game features two of the four teams tied atop the Mountain West …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

How 30-plus College Football Playoff contenders and their conference races collide in the weeks ahead

New York Times

As November approaches, more and more programs’ College Football Playoff hopes are dropping like autumn leaves from the trees. Key games before first CFP rankings: BYU at UCF, Oct. 26; Cincinnati at Colorado, Oct. 26; Texas Tech at Iowa State, Nov. 2. A failed drive for a last-second field goal cost them at Oregon, but games against Penn State, Indiana …

2 months, 4 weeks ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff race after Oregon-Ohio State classic

New York Times

Two losses don’t necessarily eliminate a team from College Football Playoff contention anymore. Ryan Barker, right, made a game-winning field goal in overtime to lift Penn State over USC and likely end the Trojans’ chances of getting into the College Football Playoff. GO DEEPER Morales: After another close loss and a 3-3 start, USC simply needs more from Lincoln Riley …

3 months, 1 week ago

CFP Bracket Watch: Alabama and Iowa State join Ohio State and Miami as top four seeds

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Alabama and Iowa State are now top-four seeds in The Associated Press’ College Football Playoff bracket projection, with Texas getting a first-round home game rather than a bye and Utah losing its bye and knocked off the bracket. 3 seed out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

College football picks: Georgia-Alabama showdown not as consequential with 12-team CFP but still big

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 4 Alabama on Saturday in a showdown of two Southeastern Conference superpowers who have combined to win five national titles since the College Football Playoff’s implementation in 2014. Back in the days before the Bowl Championship Series and CFP, a game like Alabama-Georgia could have essentially …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

College football picks: New conference rivalries for No. 11 USC and No. 15 Oklahoma take spotlight

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 18 Michigan The Wolverines’ stock is way down as coach Sherrone Moore makes a switch to QB Alex Orji, who still seems limited as a passer. 14 Oklahoma State Another ranked matchup between new conference foes, this one Big 12 contenders. 1 Texas QB Arch Manning’s …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

College football Week 4: As conference play ramps up, more mismatches are on the slate for top teams

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! We aren’t quite in the throes of conference play as the first month of the college football season winds down. Utah hopes to have quarterback Cam Rising back, though true freshman Isaac Wilson filled in admirably against Utah State last week in his first start. USC …

4 months, 1 week ago

College football Week 1: Race for the 12 playoff spots is on with Clemson-Georgia topping schedule

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! College football season begins in earnest this week with a full slate of games highlighted by three Top 25 matchups. The Seminoles’ 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech last week as a double-digit favorite dropped their odds of getting picked this year from 3-2 to 5-1, according …

4 months, 1 week ago

College football picks: Angsty matchups No. 19 Miami-Florida, No. 13 LSU-No. 23 USC highlight Week 1

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! After a brisk Week 0 warmup, Week 1 of the college football season arrives with dozens of games Thursday through Monday, including a few tasty matchups. Add in the two played last week and 61 FBS-FCS games to open the college football season is by far …

4 months, 2 weeks ago

A dream road trip to see every AP Top 25 team with conference realignment adding some spice

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! These clashes between big-name powers provide plenty of new options for AP’s annual attempt to map out college football’s hypothetical dream road trip. 22 Kansas at BYU Yes, that’s two straight games in the state of Utah and you can kill some time catching two home …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

The college football season is packed with mouthwatering games from coast to coast

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 9 Michigan, Sept. 7 Perhaps the nation’s most significant non-conference game matches powerhouse programs from the SEC and Big Ten. 5 Alabama, Sept. 28 An early measuring stick game for Alabama and a chance for new coach Kalen DeBoer to grab a signature win following Nick …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Coast-to-coast conferences and expanded playoff mark a season of change in college football

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! College Football Playoff The expanded playoff will be spread over a month beginning Dec. 20-21 and could require the last two teams standing to play an unprecedented 17 games. The 12 playoff teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

College Football Playoff approves 5+7 format and reduces spots for conference champions

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The field for the 12-team College Football Playoff beginning next season will comprise five conference champions and seven at-large selections after the university presidents who oversee the CFP voted unanimously Tuesday to tweak the format. The original plan for the 12-team format was to have the …

1 year ago

College football postseason changes have all but ended the chances of a split national championship

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “Much like the selection process itself, the exercise is who, in my judgment, is the best team.” In reality, though, the current state of college football’s postseason all but renders the conversation moot. In that regard, well, I’ll factor it in,” Matt Brown from the The …

1 year, 1 month ago

Who’s in the CFB playoffs? College football’s selection committee picks Alabama over Florida State.

Slate

The College Football Playoff selection committee has an easy job most years, and the committee members do it well. Best can mean many things, but in the context that playoff officials have used to explain it, the concept of “best team” is separate from “best résumé.” As College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said last week, “ ‘Most deserving’ …

1 year, 1 month ago

Michigan vs. Alabama, Washington vs. Texas in College Football Playoff; unbeaten Florida St left out

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected Sunday and Florida State became the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the field. “Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” explained Boo Corrigan, the selection committee chairman …

1 year, 1 month ago

College Football Picks: Awkward trophy ceremonies, CFP implications highlight championship weekend

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 19 Oklahoma State, Big 12 championship at Arlington, Texas, Saturday The Longhorns might need some help to reach the playoff if they win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. 23 Toledo vs. Miami, Ohio, MAC championship at Detroit, Saturday The Rockets could become …

1 year, 1 month ago

Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Florida State The Seminoles are perfect and in playoff position heading into their Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Louisville, but an injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis creates some uncertainty. If Florida State muddles past Louisville and Alabama beats Georgia in a competitive game, leaving …

1 year, 1 month ago

Georgia loses to Alabama: Predicting the College Football Playoff scenarios

New York Times

The Athletic has live coverage of the College Football Playoff rankings selection show. Heading into championship weekend, eight teams — Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Florida State, Texas, Alabama and Ohio State — can still reach the College Football Playoff. GO DEEPER Emerson: Georgia’s three-peat hopes depend on beating familiar nemesis Scenario 10: Alabama, Washington, Florida State and Oklahoma State win. …

1 year, 1 month ago

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Back door to the College Football Playoff is likely to be blocked this season

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 4 Washington and Michael Penix Jr. used a bold fourth-and-1 play call and walkoff field goal to beat Washington State in the Apple Cup and stay unbeaten heading into the Pac-12 title game. A Tide team that needed a small miracle to beat an Auburn squad …

1 year, 2 months ago

What to watch: Georgia, Alabama can clinch spots in SEC title game, No. 2 Michigan at No. 9 Penn St

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! If Tennessee wins and Georgia loses — which would end its 37-game regular-season win streak — it would set up a huge East showdown in Knoxville next week. If Michigan wins, the East would come down to the Wolverines’ home game against No. If Penn State …

1 year, 2 months ago

College football bowl projections: No change in the College Football Playoff … yet

New York Times

Barring a flurry of upsets, the pool of 6-6 teams is shallower this year than ever before. The fine print: *Replacement for a conference without enough eligible teams ** Projected 5-7 team New Year's Six BOWL DATE TEAMS LOCATION TIME Cotton Dec. 29 Alabama vs. Oklahoma State Arlington, Tex. 8 p.m. Peach Dec. 30 Missouri vs. Tulane Atlanta Noon Orange …

1 year, 2 months ago

College Football Picks: SEC divisions on line with No. 13 LSU-No. 8 Bama, No. 14 Mizzou-No. 1 UGA

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 8 Alabama The Tigers’ surprising victory against the Tide last year sent them to the SEC championship game in Brian Kelly’s first season as coach. 10 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State The Cowboys have turned their season around with three straight victories, fueled by RB Ollie Gordon, …

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