Which college football contenders can clinch conference championship spots in Week 11?
There’s nearly a month remaining in the college football season, but several conference races in the Bowl Subdivision could be wrapped up as early as this weekend.
That will not be the case everywhere, of course. The Pac-12 finalists will not be determined until the games of Nov. 19 at the earliest, and even then the final weekend might still be relevant. That will be especially true if Washington should upend first-place Oregon on Saturday.
The Big Ten won’t be decided this week, either. Illinois can’t clinch the West thanks to last week’s stumble against Michigan State. But with a win against Purdue, the Fighting Illini would own head-to-head tiebreakers against everyone else in the division still mathematically alive. The East, of course, will in all likelihood come down to the final weekend when Ohio State and Michigan square off. The Buckeyes and Wolverines can make that 100% official with victories or a Penn State loss Saturday.
Here’s a quick look at other major conferences, and what can or cannot be determined this week.
ACC
Clemson has already clinched the Atlantic Division. The Coastal, which looked much more chaotic a month ago, might be decided Saturday as well. North Carolina will clinch the division with a win at Wake Forest or losses by both Duke and Georgia Tech.
Big 12
There are no divisions, but TCU is two games clear of the field with three to play. The Horned Frogs can lock up a spot in the championship game with a win at Texas since that would be a third league loss for the Longhorns, and the only other two-loss teams, Kansas State and Baylor, play each other.
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SEC
Georgia effectively has the East in hand but can officially wrap it up with a win at Mississippi State or a Tennessee loss to Missouri. LSU clinches the West with a win at Arkansas and an Alabama win at Mississippi. Ole Miss would still be alive with a win against the Crimson Tide but would need to win out and LSU to lose on the final weekend to Texas A&M.
American Athletic
The American finalists won’t be decided this week. Tulane is in the driver’s seat as the last team without a conference loss. But the Green Wave can’t quite guarantee a spot in the title game even with a win against Central Florida, as there are four other teams still within two games with three weeks to go. But a couple of other leagues could be clinched.
Conference USA
Though C-USA also does not have divisions, things could be finalized this week. Texas-San Antonio can clinch with a win and losses by both Rice and Florida Atlantic. North Texas, a game behind the Roadrunners, also locks up a spot in the championship game with a win against Alabama-Birmingham and a Western Kentucky win against Rice.
Sun Belt
Coastal Carolina can clinch the East with a win or a Georgia State loss. Troy, playing Army out of conference this week, owns a head-to-head win against South Alabama and can wrap up the West next week with a victory against Louisiana-Monroe.