For the ninth-straight year, I will be publishing weekly November columns analyzing the conference championship races.  Like my bowl bubble watch, there is not really a column like this on any other mainstream college football site.  Bold teams have already clinched their division or conference.  Italicized teams are my predicted champions of their respective conferences/divisions at this point in time.  This list is updated through all games played on November 25, 2017.

ACC Atlantic– Clemson

ACC Coastal– Miami-FL

Big Ten East– Ohio State

Big Ten West– Wisconsin

Big 12– Oklahoma/TCU

Pac-12 North– Stanford (Within a month, Stanford went from almost losing to the Pac-12’s worst team, Oregon State, to beating Notre Dame and winning the Pac-12 North.  What a turnaround!)  

Pac-12 South– Southern California    

SEC East– Georgia

SEC West– Auburn (The Tigers upset over Bama is going to create quite the playoff drama.)

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AAC East– UCF (The Knights have becomes the first team in college football history to go from a winless regular season to an undefeated regular season in just two seasons.  They absolutely belong in the College Football Playoff!)

AAC West– Memphis

C-USA East– Florida Atlantic

C-USA West– North Texas

MAC East– Akron (The Zips have become surprise MAC East champs for the first time in the Terry Bowden era!)

MAC West–  Toledo

MWC Mountain– Boise State

MWC West– Fresno State

Sun Belt– Arkansas State/Appalachian State ( There is currently a three-way tie for the conference lead between Troy, Appalachian State, and Arkansas State, all of whom all have only one conference loss.  Next weekend Troy visits Arkansas State and Appalachian State hosts UL-Lafayette.  I think Appalachian State and Arkansas State with those two games and share the conference title since the two never played each other during the season.  Sadly, this league does not have a conference championship game until next season.)