The inaugural season of significant conference expansion has resulted in a captivating lineup of championship games this week. These matchups are not just pivotal for determining which teams secure automatic bids and first-round byes in the College Football Playoff, but they also showcase a fresh dynamic across the college football landscape.

This weekend’s slate features four of the nine games on Friday and Saturday that will see teams facing off again after competing in the regular season. A notable rematch is the Texas-Georgia game in the Southeastern Conference championship in Atlanta, which stands as one of two contests involving teams ranked in the top five in the current college football poll.

All games from the Power Four conferences will have at least one participant that was not part of that specific conference last season. Three of the new entrants were participants in their former league’s championship games last year: Oregon (from the Pac-12), Texas (from the Big 12), and SMU (from the American Athletic Conference). There are also several first-time matchups this week, including Arizona State vs. Iowa State within the Big 12 and SMU facing Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Most championship games are scheduled for Saturday, except for those in the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and Mountain West, which will take place on Friday.

In the Big Ten Championship game held in Indianapolis, the top-ranked Oregon Ducks (12-0) aim to secure the number one seed for the College Football Playoff by defeating the third-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1). Oregon, which went undefeated in the regular season for the second time ever, will face Penn State for the first time since their encounter in the 1995 Rose Bowl.

The second-ranked Texas Longhorns (11-1) will have another opportunity to go head-to-head with fifth-ranked Georgia, which defeated Texas 30-15 during their earlier meeting on October 19 in Austin. The victor will claim the SEC’s automatic playoff spot, while the losing team could still qualify as an at-large selection, potentially setting the stage for a third encounter between the teams.

Also in action, number 12 Arizona State (10-2) will compete against number 16 Iowa State (10-2) in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas. Arizona State, fresh to the Big 12 and initially predicted to finish last in the league, has remarkably improved its record under the guidance of second-year coach Kenny Dillingham, winning seven more games than the previous season. Iowa State will look to make history as it achieves 10 wins for the first time in its 133-year existence.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, number 8 SMU (11-1) goes up against number 18 Clemson in the ACC Championship game. SMU, having clinched the American Athletic Conference title last year, has enjoyed an undefeated record in their inaugural season in the ACC. Clemson (9-3), meanwhile, earned its spot in the championship game thanks to a surprising upset of Miami by Syracuse.

Among the Group of Five championship games, there are three rematches. Number 19 UNLV (10-2) will battle number 10 Boise State (11-1) once again on the blue turf in Boise, where the Broncos previously emerged victorious by a score of 29-24 on October 25. Ohio (9-3) will face defending champions Miami (Ohio) (8-4) in the Mid-American Conference game in Detroit, with Miami having defeated Ohio 30-20 in an earlier matchup.

Additionally, Jacksonville State (8-4) will compete against Western Kentucky (8-4) in the Conference USA game, marking their second encounter in a week after Western Kentucky won 19-17 with a dramatic 50-yard field goal last Saturday. Meanwhile, Army (10-1) will welcome Tulane (9-3) for their AAC matchup in West Point, New York, their first meeting since 2020. Tulane, last year’s conference runner-up, has been on a winning streak and enjoys a historic advantage over Army, holding a 13-9-1 record in head-to-head matchups.

Lastly, Marshall (9-3) will travel to face Louisiana-Lafayette (10-2) for the Sun Belt Championship, where the Ragin’ Cajuns previously won both of their prior meetings in 2021 and 2022.