It’s crazy to think that the regular season is already behind us. We anticipate the season all year, and then it flies by so fast. We have a slate of interesting conference Championships this Saturday, including a couple playoff or bust games. Let’s dive right in!

SEC Championship – #11 LSU Vs. #1 Georgia

We all thought this was going to be the most exciting and important game out of the Power Five Conference Championship games, until LSU got slaughtered by Texas A&M. Now this game really doesn’t have any implications for the Playoff, other than seeding. Georgia is already basically guaranteed a Playoff spot unless they lose this game by 60, which isn’t going to happen. In simpler terms, even if LSU wins, they still aren’t in the Playoff because they have three losses, and Georgia will still get in just with a lower seed. Nonetheless, this is the game that crowns the Champion of the most brutal, talented, conference in the country, and both teams want that title. And Georgia may be playing with a chip on their shoulder after getting crushed by Alabama in last year’s SEC Championship game, their only loss since the beginning of the 2021 season. 

Prediction – Georgia 31 Vs. LSU 16

BIG10 Championship – Purdue Vs. #2 Michigan

This is another game that doesn’t really have any playoff implications outside of seeding unless Michigan loses by 60, which again, isn’t going to happen. Michigan is riding a wave of momentum after crushing their biggest rival on their biggest rival’s campus, and while also securing their second consecutive victory over Ohio State for the first time in more than 20 years. In all fairness, this game shouldn’t be close, and Michigan will probably lock up a top two seed in the Playoff for the second consecutive year. 

Prediction – Purdue 10 Vs. Michigan 35

BIG12 Championship – #13 Kansas State Vs. #3 TCU

This is arguably the most intriguing game of the Power Five slate, and it has major playoff implications for TCU. TCU under first year head coach Sonny Dykes went 12-0 through the regular season and peaked at number three in the CFP Poll, which is where they currently stand. They have had their fair share of scares and close games, but in the end, they made it out unscathed. A win here would lock up a playoff spot for the Horned Frogs, and that would be an incredible accomplishment for a first year Head Coach. The thing about this game is that if TCU loses, they may not get one of the top four spots. On the other hand, they could lose and still get the four seed, but that’s up to the committee. These teams played each other earlier in the year, and it resulted in a 28-38 TCU victory. But, they went into halftime down 28-17, so we know that if Kansas State doesn’t fall apart in the second half, they are perfectly capable of beating TCU. The main point here is that this is a game that TCU would greatly benefit from winning.

Prediction – Kansas State 34 Vs. TCU 38

PAC12 Championship – #4 USC Vs. #12 Utah

This is the other game with major playoff implications, because USC is a one loss team that as of now holds the fourth and final spot of the Playoff. A win here would lock up that fourth spot, and they could possibly move up to three with a TCU loss. One thing to keep in mind is that USC’s one loss, was to Utah by one point. So we already know that USC is capable of losing to the Utes and vice versa. USC is favored again, and rightfully so because they are the better team. If Utah wins this game, the PAC12 will not have a team in the Playoff for the sixth consecutive year. The last team to do it was Washington in 2016. Another thing to point out is first year Head Coach Lincoln Riley has an 0-4 record in the playoffs, as he made the playoffs four times when he was the coach at Oklahoma. A big factor in this game is going to be probable Heisman Winner QB Caleb William for USC, and if USC wins, he will probably be the reason why.

Prediction – USC 30 Vs. Utah 24

ACC Championship – #10 Clemson Vs. #24 North Carolina

This is the only Power Five Conference Championship game that has absolutely no Playoff implications whatsoever, as South Carolina ended that sliver of a chance that the Tigers had last week. However, this should be an entertaining game, and the winner will probably get a New Year’s Six Invite. 

Prediction – Clemson 38 Vs. North Carolina 44