Overview
- Friday kicks off with four conference finals, highlighted by James Madison vs. Troy in the Sun Belt and Tulane vs. North Texas in the American, with the AAC winner widely projected to claim a CFP berth.
- James Madison can strengthen its case with a Sun Belt title, though its path hinges on Saturday’s ACC outcome, where a Duke upset of Virginia could reshuffle the committee’s rankings.
- The ACC title game carries unusual risk for the league, as a five-loss Duke champion could be ranked behind other conference winners and potentially forfeit the conference’s automatic bid.
- Saturday’s slate features BYU vs. Texas Tech in the Big 12, with BYU viewed as needing a win to likely get in while Texas Tech is considered probable to make the field either way.
- No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten and Georgia vs. Alabama in the SEC are set to shape top-four seeding, as models and oddsmakers publish picks that include calls for Ohio State to cover and a lower-scoring Big Ten final; CBS Sports also reports JMU coach Bob Chesney is set to take the UCLA job.