For the 16th consecutive season, I will be publishing weekly columns late in the season which analyze all of  the FBS conference championship races. Like my bowl bubble watch, there is not really a column like this on any other mainstream college football site.  Bolded 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 5, 2025.

ACC–  Duke/Virginia (What a wild conference title race this is going to be down the stretch of the season!  Currently there is one unbeaten in 5-0 Virginia and five teams sitting right behind the Cavs with one conference loss: Georgia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, SMU, and Duke.  At the end of the day, I think there will be three one-loss teams when conference play concludes: Georgia Tech, Virginia, and Duke.  Deciding which two of these teams make it to Charlotte for the conference championship game would come down to the fourth tiebreaker which is the combined win percentage of conference opponents.  Currently, the combined record of each of those teams’ eight opponents is as follows: Georgia Tech: 18-25, Virginia: 18-22, and Duke: 20-22.  Therefore, all three are really close in that department.  I am going to predict that the Cavs and Blue Devil opponents hold their winning percentage edge over the Yellow Jackets but this could be one of the closest and most fascinating major conference title races we have seen in a long time.)   

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Big 12– Texas Tech/BYU  (This should be another close race in what could be another one bid major conference.  Right now, BYU has the lead with a perfect 5-0 record followed by one loss Texas Tech and Cincinnati.  Behind them, however, are four two loss teams (Houston, Utah, Arizona State, and TCU) that are very much still in the mix for the conference title.  I think when it all plays out Texas Tech will secure one of the Big 12 title game berths by winning out and finishing league play at 8-1.  Behind them, will be two loss BYU, Cincinnati, and Arizona State.  Determining which of those three squads earns a trip to Jerry’s World, will come down to winning percentage of common opponents.  The only two teams that would come in to play for that one would be Utah and TCU.  BYU already beat Utah, and I am predicting them to beat TCU when they play them in Provo on 11/15.  Cincinnati already lost to Utah, and I am predicting them to lose to TCU when they play them in Fort Worth to end the season.  Arizona State already lost to Utah and beat TCU. Therefore, because the Cougars of Brigham Young, knocked off both of these squads, they would be the ones heading to the Big 12 Championship Game to face off against Texas Tech in what will be a rematch of this Saturday’s game in Lubbock.) 

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Big Ten– Indiana/Ohio State (The Hoosiers and Buckeyes seem to be well on their way to to a huge 1 vs. 2 matchup of unbeaten teams in the Big Ten title game.  If either one of these teams falter down the stretch, the four teams with one conference loss: Michigan, Oregon, Iowa, and Southern Cal would be back in the picture.  And while several tiebreakers could be in play at that point, the Hoosiers already have the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Oregon and Iowa.)  

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SEC– Georgia/Alabama (Like the Big Ten, the SEC has a pair of unbeatens, Alabama and Texas A & M, followed by 3-4 one loss teams, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas.  However, unlike the Big Ten, the SEC unbeatens are much more likely to pick up losses the stretch of the season than the aforementioned Ohio State Buckeys and Indiana Hoosiers.  I believe Bama finally loses again in Jordan-Hare, after dodging upset bids in the last two Iron Bowls played there, and A & M loses on the road to either Missouri or Texas.  Therefore, at the end of the season, I think we will be left with four one-loss SEC teams: Alabama, Texas A & M, Georgia, and Ole Miss.  The applicable tiebreaker in place here would be the same as the ACC, which is the combined win percentage of conference opponents.  Currently, the combined record of each of those teams’ eight opponents is as follows: Texas A & M: 13-29, Alabama: 20-24, Georgia: 22-22, and Ole Miss:15-28 .  Obviously, these win percentages will be subject to change over the final weeks of the regular season, but it appears both Georgia and Alabama have a clear edge over A & M and Ole Miss in this tiebreaking metric.  As a result, I am predicting for these two familiar faces to collide in Atlanta for the fourth time in eight years.) 

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American– South Florida/Memphis (This conference championship will most likely determine which team earns the Group of Five bid to the College Football Playoff, and right now there are six teams tied atop the standings with one conference loss on their resume: Navy, Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, South Florida, and East Carolina.  Several of these squads play each other down the stretch of the season, so I think when all is said and done, the only teams that will win out and finish 7-1 in league play will be Memphis, South Florida and North Texas.  Per the American conference tiebreaking procedures, this three-way tie will be broken by a composite average of selected computer metrics consisting of Connolly SP+, SportSource TR 116 SOR, ESPN, SOR, and KPI).  Currently, the average of those rankings for each of those teams is as follows: Memphis: 38.5, South Florida: 32.75, and North Texas: 41.  I am thus predicting a Memphis vs. South Florida rematch in the American title game to determine which squad earns the # 12 seed in the College Football Playoff.) 

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Conference USA– Jacksonville State/Kennesaw State (Just like the SEC, C-USA currently has two conference unbeatens, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State, followed by three one-loss teams, Western Kentucky, Missouri State, and Liberty.  I think when all is said and done, Jacksonville State will finish conference play unbeaten, no one will have a singular loss, and Liberty, Western Kentucky, and Kennesaw State will all be tied for second place with a 6-2 conference record.  Interestingly enough, that three-way tie would have to be broken with the same metric used in the American with a composite average of selected computer metrics consisting of Connolly SP+, SportSource TR 116 SOR, ESPN, SOR, and KPI.  Currently, the average of those rankings for each of those teams is as follows: Liberty: 100.75, Western Kentucky: 86.5, Kennesaw State: 76.5.  I am thus predicting the Owls of Kennesaw to play in the Conference USA title game despite being picked in the preseason as one of the worst two or three teams in the entire country.) 

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MAC– Ohio/Miami-OH (After Tuesday night’s battle between the Redhawks and Bobcats, we are left with a four way tie atop the MAC standings between Ohio, Miami-OH, Buffalo, and Western Michigan, with all four teams currently possessing a 4-1 record.  Also, in contention is Central Michigan who is sitting a game back at 3-2.  The Bobcats of Ohio have two tricky road games remaining against both Buffalo and Western Michigan, but ESPN Analytics gives them over a 55% chance of winning each of those contests, so I will predict them to win out and finish the season at 7-1, just as I did in the preseason. Miami-OH also is supposed to win each of its remaining games, so I am going to call for them to finish 7-1 as well.  Meanwhile, Buffalo and Western Michigan are both predicted to lose one down the stretch, so I am ultimately calling for a rematch of Tuesday night’s epic “Battle of the Bricks” in this year’s MAC championship game. 

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Mountain West– Boise State/San Diego State (The Mountain West has one of the more interesting conference title game quagmires currently, as 8 of its 12 teams currently are within a game of a spot in the conference title game.  San Diego State is alone in first place in the league at 4-0, Boise is second at 4-1, but  six other squads, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah State, UNLV, and San Jose State, are basically all tied for third with two conference losses.  When it all shakes out, I think Boise bounces back from their loss to Fresno and wins the conference regular season title outright by beating San Diego State next weekend and finishing 7-1.  The second spot will then be settled by a tiebreaker between a pair of 6-2 teams in San Diego State and UNLV.  Because these squads don’t play one another, the tiebreaker will be an average of selected computer metrics, albeit different metrics than those used by the American Athletic Conference and Conference USA.  The four computer rankings utilized by the Mountain West are: Anderson and Hester’s Rankings, the Colley Matrix, the Massey Ratings, and the Wolfe Ratings.  Unfortunately, the Anderson and Hester Rankings for 2025 are not out yet but each team’s average in the other three rankings are 44.0 for San Diego State and 57.3 for UNLV.  As a result, I am predicting an SDSU/Boise State rematch in the Mountain West Championship Game.)  

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Sun Belt East– James Madison (The Sun Belt is the last FBS conference with divisions so there are two conference title races to analyze here.  James Madison is the clear front runner currently in the East, as they are alone atop the standings at 5-0.  Coastal Carolina is just a game back and hosts the Dukes in the season finale, but I think the Chanticleers lose to either Georgia State or Georgia Southern which will allow JMU to clinch the Sun Belt East by just beating Marshall and App State in the coming weeks.) 

Sun Belt West– Southern Miss (The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss are the surprise leaders in the Sun Belt West with a perfect 4-0.  Arkansas State and Troy are both just a half game back at 4-1 and both will have the opportunity to knock off USM over the last few weeks of the season.  However, Southern Miss is favored to win both of those contests which is why I am predicting them to win out and join James Madison in the Sun Belt Championship Game.)

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In addition to my analysis above of every conference/division title race, I always like to rank each conference or division title race based on the intrigue each provides and the importance each holds in the overall college football landscape.  Here are my current rankings of all 10 of the division/conference championship races:

1. ACC (between Virginia, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, SMU, and Duke)
2. Big 12 (between BYU, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Houston, Utah, Arizona State, and TCU)
3. SEC (between Texas A & M, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas)
4. American (between Navy, Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, South Florida, and East Carolina)
5. Mountain West (between San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah State, UNLV, and San Jose State)
6. Conference USA (between Kennesaw State, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, and Liberty)
7. Big Ten (between Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Michigan, Iowa, and Southern Cal)
8. Sun Belt West (between Southern Miss, Arkansas State, and Troy)
9. MAC (between Miami-OH, Ohio, Buffalo, Western Michigan, and Central Michigan)
10. Sun Belt East (between Georgia Southern, Marshall, James Madison, and Old Dominion)