College football conference championship week predictions | Before The Snap
Before The Snap delivers straight-up picks for conference title games in the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, Mountain West and AAC
No. 1 Oregon will take on No. 3 Penn State for the Big Ten championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
This is Oregon’s first season in the conference after spending nearly six decades in the Pac-12, and the Ducks made their mark, going 12-0 and 9-0 in the Big Ten.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been viewed as a Heisman Trophy contender in his only season with the Ducks. Gabriel has completed 275 of 374 passes for 3,275 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. Running back Jordan James has rushed for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns on 206 carries in 12 games played.
Penn State (11-1, 8-1) returns to the Big Ten title game for the first time since 2016, when they beat Wisconsin 38-31.
Quarterback Drew Allar and tight end Tyler Warren are among the notable names to watch on the Nittany Lions offense. Allar has completed 204 of 285 passes for 2,668 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 225 yards and five touchdowns. Warren has 81 receptions for 978 yards and 18 touchdowns. The tight end also has four rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown.
USA TODAY Sports will have live updates and highlights from the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. Follow along for all the action.
When is Big Ten championship game between Oregon and Penn State?
The kickoff for the Big Ten championship game between No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch Oregon vs. Penn State in Big Ten championship
The Big Ten championship game between No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State will be televised nationally on CBS.
Live streaming is available on Paramount+ and Fubo.
Catch Oregon vs. Penn State on Fubo
Here are the kickoff times and TV info for Top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll. (All times are Eastern):
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks beats Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 52-12
- No. 10 Boise State Broncos beats No. 19 UNLV Rebels, 21-7
- No. 23 Army West Point Black Knights beats Tulane Green Wave, 35-14
- No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils beats No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones, 45-19
- Ohio Bobcats beats Miami (OH) RedHawks, 38-3
- Southern University Jaguars vs. Jackson State Tigers, ESPN2, 2 p.m.
- No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. Texas Longhorns, ABC, 4 p.m.
- Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
- No. 17 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 7 SMU Mustangs, ABC, 8 p.m.
- No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks, CBS, 8 p.m.
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks for all of Saturday’s ranked Week 14 games.
The Oregon Ducks are the favorites to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions in Saturday’s college football matchup, according to the BetMGM college football odds on Dec. 5.
- Spread: Oregon (-3.5)
- Moneyline: Oregon (-185); Penn State (+150)
- Over/under: 50.5
Saturday “College GameDay” was at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the SEC championship game. This was the second consecutive season the show was at the SEC title game after it was in Atlanta in 2023.
The Oregon Ducks have played the Penn State Nittany Lions four times since their first matchup in 1960. Penn State leads the all-time series with a 3-1 record.
In their most recent encounter in 1995, the Nittany Lions won 38-20.
The College Football Playoff selection committee is hoping for a paint-by-numbers Sunday that sees no changes from the penultimate rankings and, most critically, avoids any major outrage over the debut 12-team bracket.
Committee chairman Warde Manuel implied teams already in the clubhouse —such as Ohio State, Tennessee and Indiana — won’t be rearranged after conference championship weekend, though SMU could move up the rankings by beating Clemson to win the ACC.
While there are only so many possibilities that could unfold, the potential for a predictable bracket would be upended by one or more upsets on Friday and Saturday. Here are five scenarios still on the table leading into the final rankings and playoff matchups. — Paul Myerberg
Looking ahead to the weekend’s nine conference championship games, there will be top-five matchups in the Big Ten and SEC. The Big 12 will settle its entry into the playoff, while the Mountain West likely determines the Group of Five participant. Who will emerge victorious this weekend?
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports discuss these topics and more in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
The US LBM Coaches Poll for Week 15 is out after some unexpected results last week, and the top looks different from the preseason version. Here is how the top-25 shapes out ahead of Saturday’s action.
Sometimes the penultimate weekend of the college football season can make the playoff picture clearer. There are just a handful of championship games left and a finite amount of results combinations can make things easier to predict.
That’s not the case this year, even with the expanded 12-team field in place for the first time. There are at-large candidates with their regular season over and how the committee will sort them is anybody’s guess. There’s five conferences vying for first-round byes and the championship games will sort out those races. And how the seeding among all these teams are impacted by the games this weekend is unclear. — Erick Smith
Texas climbs to No. 2, Ohio State drops to No. 7 and the reputation of the ACC takes a big hit in this week’s USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after some wild results on rivalry weekend. — Paul Myerberg
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
