The four-team field for the College Football Playoff will be announced at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN, but first, five conference championship games must be played. Here's a look at and predictions of the Power Five conference title games:
Conference championship picks: Who wins, USC or Utah? Kansas State or TCU?
Utah defeated USC once this season, but can the Utes make it twice? And TCU could punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff with one more win against Kansas State.
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Pac-12, 7 p.m. Friday, Las Vegas
No. 11 Utah (9-3) vs. No. 4 USC (11-1), Ch. 9
The skinny: These teams met on Oct. 15 in Salt Lake City, with the Utes emerging with a thrilling, 43-42 victory over the Trojans on quarterback Cam Rising's 1-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion run with 48 seconds remaining. Since then, USC has won five straight, averaging 49.2 points in the streak. This time, the Trojans win as QB Caleb Williams puts an exclamation point on his Heisman Trophy candidacy. USC 38, Utah 35
Big 12, 11 a.m. Saturday, Arlington, Texas
No. 10 Kansas State (9-3) vs. No. 3 TCU (12-0), Ch. 5
The skinny: The Horned Frogs are a win away from their first playoff appearance, and to get there, they'll have to beat the Wildcats, a team they topped 38-28 on Oct. 22. TCU QB Max Duggan has been efficient, passing for 29 TDs against three interceptions. The wild card for Kansas State is QB Adrian Martinez, who suffered a leg injury against TCU and hasn't played since. Will Howard will start, but Martinez might play, too, coach Chris Klieman said. Either way, Frogs win. TCU 31, Kansas State 20
SEC, 3 p.m. Saturday, Atlanta, Ch. 4
No. 14 LSU (9-3) vs. No. 1 Georgia (12-0)
The skinny: The Bulldogs look every bit the part of the defending national champions, especially with a defense that's giving up 11.3 points per game, fewest in the nation. QB Stetson Bennett might not fill the stat sheet, but he does fill the "W" column for Georgia. Georgia 34, LSU 10
ACC, 7 p.m. Saturday, Charlotte, N.C., Ch. 5
No. 23 North Carolina (9-3) vs. No. 9 Clemson (10-2)
The skinny: This is a matchup of teams that lost rivalry games last week, the Tigers 31-30 to South Carolina and the Tar Heels 30-27 to North Carolina State. Clemson has just enough to outlast North Carolina and QB Drake Maye. Clemson 30, North Carolina 28
Big Ten, 7 p.m. Saturday, Indianapolis, Ch. 9
Purdue (8-4) vs. No. 2 Michigan (12-0)
The skinny: On paper, this is a mismatch with the Wolverines throttling Ohio State last week for the second year in a row, while the Boilermakers needed an Iowa loss to Nebraska to claim the Big Ten West title. Michigan allows only 12.7 points per game and controls games with its running attack. While Blake Corum, the Big Ten's running back of the year, is expected to miss the game because of a knee injury, Donovan Edwards is a strong replacement after torching the Buckeyes for 216 yards. Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell will play while dealing with the recent death of his older brother, Sean. Michigan 31, Purdue 13
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.