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Welcome to college football's conference clarity week

As the second half of the 2018 college football season gets going the conference title races are beginning to take shape. And this weekend’s slate will go a long way to figuring out which teams will appear in conference championship games on the first weekend of December.

Nearly every top college football conference’s division has a pivotal game between teams at the top of the standings in Week 8. We go through all of those games below to give you an idea of how the conference races look now. And how they will be affected this weekend.

*Conference records listed

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell’s team is undefeated. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell’s team is undefeated. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)

American

EAST
Central Florida, 3-0
Temple, 3-0
Cincinnati, 2-0
South Florida, 2-0

Saturday’s big game: Cincinnati at Temple

Why it’s important: The Bearcats are undefeated overall while Temple has a win over Maryland this year. The winner emerges as the team best positioned (along with South Florida) to challenge UCF. Memphis, which has three conference losses already, showed UCF could be vulnerable in Week 7 with a 31-30 loss to the Knights.

WEST
Houston, 2-0
SMU, 1-1
Tulane, 1-1

Saturday’s big game: SMU at Tulane

Why it’s important: Houston may be far and away the best team in the West at this point and both SMU and Tulane are 2-4 overall. But there’s at least a divisional chance for the winner.

North Carolina State is undefeated. Can it keep the run going against Clemson? (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
North Carolina State is undefeated. Can it keep the run going against Clemson? (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

ACC

ATLANTIC
Clemson, 3-0
NC State, 2-0
Boston College, 2-1

Saturday’s big game: NC State at Clemson

Why it’s important: The winner takes control of the Atlantic. The Wolfpack are undefeated and would make a massive statement with a road win at the ACC behemoth.

COASTAL
Virginia Tech, 3-0
Virginia, 2-1
Miami, 2-1
Pitt, 2-1
Duke, 1-1

Saturday’s big game: Virginia at Duke

Why it’s important: There are just four games in the ACC this weekend, but this is easily the second-biggest. The loser may be eliminated from Coastal contention.

Oklahoma had a week off after losing to Texas. (AP Photo/Cooper Neill)
Oklahoma had a week off after losing to Texas. (AP Photo/Cooper Neill)

Big 12

Texas, 4-0
West Virginia, 3-1
Oklahoma, 2-1
Texas Tech, 2-1

Saturday’s big game: Oklahoma at TCU

Why it’s important: It’s a light week in the Big 12 with just two games. The Horned Frogs are 2-2 in the conference after a loss to Texas Tech in Week 7. This is a rematch of the 2017 Big 12 title game.

Michigan ran away from Wisconsin in Week 7. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Michigan ran away from Wisconsin in Week 7. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Big Ten

EAST
Ohio State, 4-0
Michigan, 4-0
Maryland, 2-1
Michigan State, 2-1

Saturday’s big game: Michigan at Michigan State

Why it’s important: After Michigan State lost to Arizona State and Northwestern, who’d have thought the Spartans would be in position to challenge for the East? A win over Michigan makes MSU the top challenger to Ohio State.

WEST
Northwestern, 3-1
Wisconsin, 2-1
Iowa, 2-1
Purdue, 2-1

Saturday’s big game: Maryland at Iowa

Why it’s important: This game narrowly edges out Purdue’s game at home vs. Ohio State. A Boilermaker win there would be a massive upset. An Iowa win is more likely and therefore has more potential impact on the divisional race.

Washington State is 5-1 and hosting “College GameDay” this week. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Washington State is 5-1 and hosting “College GameDay” this week. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Pac-12

NORTH
Washington, 3-1
Stanford, 2-1
Oregon, 2-1
Washington State, 2-1

Saturday’s big game: Oregon at Washington State

Why it’s important: The winner of this game assumes favorite status in the North. Well, at least for Oregon. With games against Stanford and Washington still remaining, Washington State will still have some work to do. But the Cougars will jump into the top 15.

SOUTH
USC, 3-1
Colorado, 2-1
Utah, 2-2
Arizona, 2-2

Saturday’s big game: USC at Utah

Why it’s important: Utah has won each of its last two home games against USC. A win on Saturday puts the Utes back into the South race and is a gift to Colorado after the Buffs’ loss to USC in Week 7.

LSU has to win against Mississippi State to keep its College Football Playoff hopes going. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
LSU has to win against Mississippi State to keep its College Football Playoff hopes going. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)

SEC

EAST
Florida, 4-1
Georgia, 4-1
Kentucky, 3-1

Saturday’s big game: Vanderbilt at Kentucky

Why it’s important: The SEC East is the one division at the top of college football without a significant game this weekend. Kentucky needs to win to stay atop the East.

WEST
Alabama, 4-0
Texas A&M, 3-1
LSU, 3-1
Ole Miss, 1-2
Mississippi State, 1-2

Saturday’s big game: Mississippi State at LSU

Why it’s important: LSU got its swagger back after beating Georgia in Week 7. A win over Mississippi State strengthen’s LSU’s position as Alabama’s top challenger. A loss all but eliminates LSU from the College Football Playoff.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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