As we enter the last week of the season, let’s take a look at all the conference championship games that will affect the BCS national championship:
- SEC – #2 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia – winner goes to the national championship.
And let’s also look at the conference championship’s that have no effect whatsoever on the BCS national championship:
- Every other conference championship game.
This is a problem to me. With an eight-team playoff, here’s how each conference championship matters, using my ratings:
- SEC – #5 Alabama vs. #7 Georgia – Winner goes to playoff and is guaranteed to host a game. Also, Florida will likely get in as a low seed, but will not host a game. Is it fair that Georgia has to play their way in, and Florida is already in? In my mind, yes. Florida has played a much tougher schedule, and is likely squeaking into the playoff; there’s some luck to their draw, in other words. Georgia and Alabama have control over their outcomes and the winner will get to host a game as a conference champion. It’s not an ideal setup, what with Florida so high up and not playing for their conference championship, but that’s the system the conference has chosen.
- PAC12 – #6 Stanford wins, and they are guaranteed to host a game in the playoffs. If UCLA wins, they would sneak into the playoff as a low seed. Oregon might sneak in as the second wildcard but it’s unlikely. If you think this is unfair, see the Florida example above.
- BIG10 – First of all, #2 Ohio State should be playing in the conference championship. So, if they win, they are essentially the top seed. If #11 Nebraska wins, they have earned their way into the playoff, maybe hosting a game.
- BIG12 – #9 Kansas State is the conference champion if they beat #26 Texas this week (although it’s a regular season game), and will host a playoff game if they win. #13 Oklahoma needs a Kansas State loss to sneak into the playoffs.
- ACC – #18 Florida State will get into the playoffs if they beat #72 Georgia Tech. How GT is in a conference championship game is beyond me. For the record, there’s no way they could make the playoffs.
- Big East – #24 Rutgers is the only team with a real chance, and even if they beat #30 Louisville, they are very unlikely to be one of the top 6 conference champions after this week.
- MAC – #15 Kent State and #21 Northern Illinois are still in it, and why not? They are both 11-1, 8-0 in conference. The winner of this game would get into the playoff by virtue of being one of the top 6 conference champions in the country.
- WAC – #22 Utah State could still make it in, if Georgia Tech beats Florida State. They would then be a top 6 conference champion.
Also, Texas is very out. Just in case you were wondering.
If everything goes as expected this weekend, here’s how the playoff would look:
Florida State at Ohio State
Kent State at Alabama
Florida at Stanford
Notre Dame at Kansas State
Would watch.