College football Week 13: Every Power Five conference race tiebreakers and scenarios
Entering Week 13, there were more than 100 scenarios for determining which two teams will play in the Big 12 championship game.
Get used to it. Looking ahead, the increased size of leagues in the Power Five and the removal of divisions will increase the need for tiebreakers to determine which teams play for the conference crown, especially given the odds of more than two teams tied atop the standings at the end of the regular season and the likelihood that not all of those teams will have played each other.
While the Big 12 and Big Ten remains up in the air, we already know which teams will face off to decide the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC. At stake at the top of every league is a spot in the College Football Playoff.
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Here's how things look across the Power Five:
ACC
No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State (in Charlotte), Dec. 2 (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
Louisville clinched an appearance in the ACC championship game after last week's win against Miami, officially making coach Jeff Brohm's debut season one of the most memorable in program history. The Seminoles will try to reach the playoff without quarterback Jordan Travis, who will miss the rest of the season after being injured in last weekend's win against North Alabama. While Louisville is a long shot to reach the playoff even as the one-loss ACC champions, Florida State would be difficult to omit from the top four as the unbeaten winner of a Power Five league.
Big 12
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 13 Oklahoma OR No. 21 Oklahoma State (in Arlington, Texas), Dec. 2 (noon ET, ABC).
Yeah, the Big 12 race was an absolute mess. Such a mess, actually, that the conference issued one series of tiebreakers back in August and then needed to rewrite the guidelines earlier this month. Now, in the event of a three-way tie for second place, "head-to-head wins takes precedence." That's good news for Oklahoma State, owners of wins against Kansas State and Oklahoma.
Texas locked down a place in the conference championship as the top seed with a win Friday against Texas Tech.
With head-to-head tiebreakers in hand against Oklahoma and Kansas State, Oklahoma State just needs to beat Brigham Young to secure their place. A loss would knock out the Cowboys because Oklahoma won Friday against TCU. The Sooners would be in if Oklahoma State loses.
Kansas State was in contention entering the final weekend but wins by Oklahoma and Texas knocked them out no matter what the Wildcats do against Iowa State.
Big Ten
No. 2 Ohio State OR No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 19 Iowa (in Indianapolis), Dec. 2 (8 p.m. ET, Fox).
Iowa will play for the Big Ten championship for the second time in three years and the third time since 2015. The opponent will be either the Buckeyes or Wolverines depending on the score in Ann Arbor.
Pac-12
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 6 Oregon (in Las Vegas), Dec. 1 (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
Washington is locked in as the top seed. Oregon and Arizona both were in contentio to earn the second spot entering the weekend. However, the Ducks and Wildcats did not play this season, removing head-to-head result as the tiebreaker. That meant Oregon needed a win against rival Oregon State to clinch due to Arizona's defeat of the Beavers earlier this season. The Ducks rolled at home and secured their spot in Las Vegas.
SEC
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (in Atlanta), Dec. 2 (4 p.m. ET, CBS).
The two dynasties will meet for the third time in two seasons and for the fourth time in the SEC championship game, with Alabama taking each of the previous three meetings. The Crimson Tide would make the playoff with a win, but whether Georgia would make the cut with a loss depends on what happens elsewhere.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Week 13 conference tiebreakers and races broken down
