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Conference championship week is upon us, and plenty of conference title games have some serious CFP implications.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Heather Dinich gave her rankings of conference title games based off their Playoff importance.
The first one is somewhat obvious: Georgia vs. Alabama in the SEC Championship. Dinich believes that if Georgia wins, it will lock in its spot in the CFP, but if Alabama wins, it gets a little more complicated. Dinich said it will be hard to leave an SEC champion Alabama out of the mix, but if Texas wins the Big 12 Championship, there will be a big debate to be had over which of the two teams will make it in.
An Alabama win would also likely mean Georgia’s chances of reaching the CFP are shot, but an upset in a different conference championship could see the Bulldogs still make it.
Dinich’s second-most important game is the ACC Championship between Florida State and Louisville. She said that if Florida State wins, it will be really hard for the committee to leave out the undefeated Seminoles, even if their starting quarterback is done for the year. On the other hand, if Florida State loses, it will be out of the Playoff.
Dinich’s third-most important game is the Pac-12 Championship between Oregon and Washington. She said that of Oregon can avenge its loss to Washington in the game, the Ducks could see themselves reach the Playoff, but the committee could have to decide between Oregon, Texas and Alabama. It’s less complicated if Washington wins — she says the Huskies would secure a playoff berth with a win.
The fourth-most important game is the Big 12 Championship between Texas and Oklahoma State. Dinich said if Texas wins, all it can do is hope that its resume is enough to get it into the CFP. If the Longhorns lose the game, their Playoff hopes would be over.
The final game on Dinich’s list is the Big Ten Championship between Iowa and Michigan. The Wolverines are heavy favorites, and Dinich said if they win it would be a matter of if they’re the No. 1 team or not. If Iowa pulls off the upset, Dinich said that the Big Ten would either be eliminated, or Ohio State would sneak into the top 4 with a shakeup elsewhere.
