College football conference championship games are the culmination of a long and grueling season for teams, coaches, players and fans. Every year, conferences from all corners of the country host championship games to determine that season’s winner. With so many different conferences, it can get confusing.
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Where do they all play? When are they playing? What channel are they on? If you’re looking for answers to any of these questions about conference championships in college football this season, you’ve come to the right place.
What is a Conference Championship?
A conference championship game is the title game for a given collegiate sports conference. There are many different conferences that host championship games each year, but the most popular conferences are the Power Five: Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC and ACC. These conferences all host a variety of different championship games each season.
You’ll find everything from football to basketball to baseball and even lacrosse! Each conference has its own set of rules for how it hosts a championship. Some conferences even have multiple divisions. This can make for especially long seasons, but it also guarantees a conference has a clear winner.
Bowl Games And The New Year’s Six
Bowl games are the culmination of many conferences’ seasons. These are one-off games hosted in a variety of unique locations across the country. The NCAA hosts 36 bowl games each year, but it’s the New Year’s Six that really get people excited. This six-bowl game slate is the culmination of three separate conferences. The New Year’s Six is a slate of six bowl games that are played on New Year’s Day each year.
These six bowl games are selected separately from the rest of the bowl slate and are usually the highest-profile games of the entire season. While the rest of the NCAA’s bowl games are determined by a variety of factors, the New Year’s Six are selected based on which teams are ranked highest in the country.
Which Conferences Have Championship Games?
More than a few conferences host championship games, but the most important ones are the Power Five. These are the biggest and most competitive conferences in the nation and their championship games decide which teams are the best in the country. The Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC, and ACC all host conference championship games.
The Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC also host championship games for their divisions as well. The American Athletic Conference (AAC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), and Mid-American Conference (MAC) also host conference championship games, but these are not as competitive and do not rank as highly.
When Are The Conferences Playing?
Many conferences host their championship games over the course of the last couple of weeks of November. This is just in time for these teams to compete in the New Year’s Six bowl games as well. The Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC Championship Games are played in the last week of November.
The Pac-12 Championship Game is played on the first weekend of December and the ACC Championship Game is played on the second weekend of December. The AAC Championship Game is played on the second weekend of December, but the MWC and MAC Championship Games are played at the end of the month.
How To Watch The Games
There are a few different ways to watch the conferences’ championship games. You can watch on TV, stream them online, go to a bar to watch the game, or even attend the game in person if it’s close enough to you. For TV, you’ll want to check your local listings for the channel that is hosting the game. For example, CBS hosts the Big Ten and SEC Championship Games, so you’ll want to check your local listings to see which channel CBS is on in your area.
For streaming, you’ll want to check if your streaming service has the games as well. For other ways to get involved with the game, you could try looking at college football betting. Besides getting to play live casino titles, there are also sportsbooks and esports that offer plenty of fun and excitement.
Conclusion
The college football season is both lengthy and challenging. After all the hard work is put in, teams get a chance to compete for a conference title and prove they’re the best in their conference. After the conference title games are played, the teams that come out on top get a chance to compete in a bowl game. The only thing left to do is decide which conference championship game you want to watch!
Which one are you most excited for? Are you rooting for your team to clinch a spot in the New Year’s Six? Wherever you choose to watch the games, be sure to enjoy the long-awaited conclusion to the college football season!