The final regular season week of college football has set the stage for conference championships.
All eyes were on the ACC on Saturday, as a crowded race to the conference title game began to take shape. Virginia and SMU had simple paths and could have clinched a championship game appearance with a win. Virginia got the job done with a win over Virginia Tech, but SMU fell short against Cal, which opened the door for Duke. The Blue Devils will face Virginia in Charlotte as a result.
With five losses this season, Duke winning the ACC championship might not be enough to earn a CFP bid and could allow another spot for a Group of Five conference winner.
Alabama clinched a spot in the SEC championship with a win against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide will meet No. 4 Georgia in Atlanta.
Ohio State solidified a perfect 12-0 season and will play in the Big Ten championship after a win over Michigan. The Buckeyes now prepare to meet an unbeaten Indiana team in the title game.
And in the Big 12, Texas Tech and BYU prepare to meet again, this time in Arlington, Texas.
ACC
No. 17 Virginia clinched a spot in the ACC championship game on Saturday with a 27-7 win over Virginia Tech. SMU also had a straightforward route and could have clinched with a win against California, but the Mustangs fell just short and failed to send the teams to overtime with a missed buzzer-beater field goal.
SMU’s loss cleared a path for Duke, who earned a spot in the ACC title game as a result.
CFP: The ACC playoff picture is complicated with five teams in the College Football Playoff Top 25 ahead of Tuesday’s rankings from the selection committee. But Miami is the only one inside the top 12, and it is on the bubble when it comes to an at-large bid. A win against Pitt helps, but the Hurricanes still need more.
Big 12
No. 7 Texas Tech will play No. 11 BYU next Saturday in Arlington, Texas, for the conference championship. It’s a rematch after the Red Raiders beat the Cougars 29-7 on Nov. 8.
CFP: The Big 12 is hoping to be a two-bid league with its title game participants and No. 14 Utah (No. 13 CFP) on the doorstep if there is any turmoil.
Big Ten
No. 1 Ohio State checked a major box for its season when it knocked off No. 15 Michigan with a 27-9 victory. The Buckeyes punched their ticket to the Big Ten title game and an anticipated matchup with No. 2 Indiana next Saturday in Indianapolis.
Indiana is going for its first conference crown since 1967. It heads to the title game with the nation’s second-best scoring offense and scoring defense and a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
CFP: Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon appear to be locks for the playoff, with the Buckeyes looking to win back-to-back national championships. Oregon finished the regular season with an 11-1 record after defeating Washington on Saturday.
SEC
Alabama did its job Saturday night, surpassing Auburn in the Iron Bowl to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. Alabama will face Georgia, which solidified its spot with a win over Georgia Tech on Friday. It will be Kirby Smart’s fourth time facing the Crimson Tide in the conference title game.
Georgia has won eight in a row since its only loss of the season, to Alabama, on Sept. 27.
CFP: Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Alabama were all ranked in the CFP top 10 going into Saturday’s games. The Sooners narrowly avoided an upset loss to LSU on Saturday, keeping their playoff hopes alive. A big question is what to do with Texas, which is 9-3 and has wins over Texas A&M and Oklahoma but losses to Florida, Ohio State and, by 25 points, Georgia.
American Athletic
No. 21 North Texas and No. 22 Tulane will square off in the AAC title game on Friday. Tulane joined the Mean Green in the title game after a dominant win against Charlotte on Saturday night.
Conference USA
Jacksonville State beat Western Kentucky on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Conference USA title game as well as hosting rights. Jacksonville State will take on Kennesaw State, which beat Liberty to make its first Conference USA championship game.
Mid-American
Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio) will meet in the MAC title game next Saturday in Detroit. The RedHawks clinched their third straight conference championship appearance with a 45-24 win against Ball State on Saturday.
Mountain West
There will be either a three-way or four-way tie for first — depending on how UNLV does Saturday at Nevada — and the deadlock will be broken by computer metrics. San Diego State, Boise State and New Mexico all have 6-2 conference records. The title game is Friday at the home of the higher seed.
Sun Belt
No. 20 James Madison will host Troy on Friday in the Sun Belt Conference championship game. Troy clinched its spot in the championship game after a 28-18 win against Southern Miss on Saturday.
AP Sports Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report