Conference championship weekend: What's on the line in each Group of Five matchup
The college football regular season has ended and the conference championship matchups are set.
Here's what you need to know about each team and what's on the line in each Group of Five conference title game, including those with major bowl implications.
(Note: All times ET, odds from BetMGM)
AAC: SMU at No. 22 Tulane
Time: 4 p.m. (Sat.) | TV: ABC | Line: Tulane -3.5 | Total: 47.5
SMU (10-2): SMU lost to Oklahoma and TCU in non-conference play but has not dropped a game since. The Mustangs, in Year 2 under Rhett Lashlee, were a perfect 8-0 in AAC play and clinched a spot in the conference title game with a blowout win over Navy last Saturday. However, SMU saw quarterback Preston Stone leave that game with a leg injury and he will not play in the AAC title game. Redshirt freshman Kevin Jennings will start in Stone's place.
Tulane (11-1): After winning the AAC title and the Cotton Bowl last year, Tulane has followed it up with another excellent season. It's been an excellent two-year run for Willie Fritz's program after going just 2-10 in 2021. The Green Wave lost to Ole Miss in Week 2 and have since rattled off 10 consecutive victories with Michael Pratt leading the way at quarterback. There were a few close calls against some lackluster AAC teams, but Tulane wrapped up home-field advantage in the AAC title game by crushing UTSA last Friday to finish 8-0 in league play.
What’s on the line?
Tulane is looking to win back-to-back AAC championships and make a return trip to a New Year’s Six bowl game. Last year, the Green Wave beat UCF to win their first conference title since 1998 and then upset USC in the Cotton Bowl for the biggest win in program history. Tulane is looking for another high-caliber bowl victory this season.
SMU, meanwhile, hasn’t won an outright conference title since it won the Southwest Conference back in 1982. The Mustangs are moving to the ACC next season, so this will be their last shot to win the AAC. They can also get to 11 wins for the first time since 1982, when they went 11-0-1 and finished No. 2 in the final AP poll.
Conference USA: New Mexico State at No. 24 Liberty
Time: 7 p.m. (Fri.) | TV: CBSSN | Line: LU -10.5 | Total: 56.5
New Mexico State (10-3): It has been an incredible season for Jerry Kill’s Aggies, who enter the C-USA title game on an eight-game winning streak. Before Kill’s arrival in 2022, NMSU had won seven games combined in its previous four seasons. At 10-3, NMSU has double-digit wins for the first time since 1960 and is bowl bound in back-to-back for the first time since 1959 and 1960. Can the Aggies add a conference title to their list of accomplishments?
Liberty (12-0): Like NMSU, Liberty was an FBS independent last season and has thrived in its first year in the new-look C-USA. Liberty saw Hugh Freeze leave for the Auburn job but quickly pivoted and hired Jamey Chadwell from Coastal Carolina. In his first season in Lynchburg, Chadwell coached the Flames to a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season. The Flames are one of five undefeated FBS teams.
What’s on the line?
Liberty appearing at No. 24 in this week’s CFP rankings was notable for the New Year’s Six bowl picture. The Flames had yet to appear in the rankings until last week due to their poor strength of schedule but now have a legitimate chance of playing in a major bowl game.
The top-ranked Group of Five conference champion earns a spot in one of the big bowl games and only No. 22 Tulane was ranked ahead of Liberty last week. If Tulane loses to SMU, Liberty could emerge as the top-ranked Group of Five champion.
NMSU, meanwhile, is looking for its first conference title since it won the Missouri Valley Conference back in 1978.
MAC: Toledo vs. Miami (OH)
Time: Noon (Sat.) | TV: ESPN | Line: Toledo -7.5 | Total: 44
Toledo (11-1): Toledo, in its eighth season under Jason Candle, lost its season opener to Illinois on a last-second field goal and hasn’t dropped a game since. The Rockets have won 11 consecutive games, including all eight in MAC play. The Rockets have been excellent in close games, going 5-1 in games decided by a touchdown or fewer. That includes a 21-17 win over Miami back on Oct. 21.
Miami (10-2): The RedHawks have had an excellent season. They scored a big non-conference win over Cincinnati and then went 7-1 in MAC play to win the MAC East for the third time under head coach Chuck Martin. Miami won the division despite losing starting QB Brett Gabbert to a season-ending injury in the Toledo game. Aveon Smith has filled in and led the team to four straight wins to close out the regular season.
What’s on the line?
Toledo is looking to win back-to-back MAC titles for the first time since it won three straight from 1969 to 1971. The Rockets last reached the 12-win mark in 1971. Perhaps another win could earn the Rockets a spot in the CFP rankings?
Miami last won the MAC in 2019 and can get to 11 wins for the first time since 2003 when Ben Roethlisberger was playing quarterback.
Mountain West: Boise State at UNLV
Time: 3 p.m. (Sat.) | TV: Fox | Line: BSU -2.5 | Total: 58.5
Boise State (7-5): It’s been a strange season for Boise State. The Broncos had a tough non-conference schedule and then dropped to 3-4 on Oct. 14 when they blew a huge lead to Colorado State and lost on a Hail Mary. Since then, they have won four of five but the school also fired head coach Andy Avalos during that stretch. The Broncos have won both games without Avalos and are 6-2 in conference play.
UNLV (9-3): UNLV hired ex-Missouri head coach Barry Odom and immediately had one of its best seasons ever. UNLV hadn’t won more than five games in a season in a decade and has been to just three bowl games in the past 30 years. Now the Rebels are in the Mountain West title game and can get to double-digit victories for just the second time in program history with a win at home over Boise State. UNLV has lost six straight to Boise State and beat the Broncos in 1976
What’s on the line?
UNLV has never won the Mountain West and hasn’t won a conference championship in football since it won the Big West back in 1994. By getting to nine wins, the Rebels have already tied the second-best win total in program history. They went 11-2 in 1984; it’s their only season with 10 or more wins.
For Boise State, it can win its fourth outright Mountain West championship since joining the conference in 2011.
Sun Belt: Appalachian State at Troy
Time: 4 p.m. (Sat.) | TV: ESPN | Line: Troy -6.5 | Total: 52.5
App State (8-4): Because James Madison is ineligible, App State will represent the Sun Belt East in the conference title game. The Mountaineers were once 3-4 overall and 1-2 in league play, but they are currently riding a five-game winning streak that included blowout victories over Marshall, Georgia State and Georgia Southern, as well as handing JMU its first loss of the season.
Troy (10-2): Troy has put together another excellent season. The Trojans won the Sun Belt last season and quickly proved to be one of the conference’s best teams again in 2023. After a 1-2 start that included a 16-14 loss to JMU, Troy rattled off nine consecutive wins to get to 10-2 and win the Sun Belt West. Troy has the Sun Belt's best defense and running back Kimani Vidal is seventh in the nation with 1,349 rushing yards.
What’s on the line?
App State had a rare down season in 2022 when it finished 3-5 in the Sun Belt and missed a bowl game for the first time as an FBS member. Things seemed to be trending in the wrong direction for coach Shawn Clark, but this second-half surge has turned the tide and can result in his first Sun Belt title as head coach. App State won the Sun Belt in 2018 and 2019 but hasn’t since. Before last season, Troy hadn’t won the Sun Belt since 2009. Now the Trojans can do it two years in a row.
