Recapping a chaotic rivalry week and looking ahead to championship week.

As if we needed more reasons to love college football, folks. Rivalry week did not disappoint, far from it. From "The Game" to Bedlam, chaos reigned supreme in the final week of the 2021 regular season. The College Football Playoff picture is far from set in stone, and with a season like this one, anything is possible heading into conference championship week. Let's recap a weekend for the record books and look ahead to an ever-so-important championship weekend. 

ACC Championship

We'll start in the ACC, where there will be a championship game that doesn't feature Clemson or Florida State for the first time since 2008. Pitt clinched the Coastal Division en route to a 10-2 regular season, Pat Narduzzi's best season with the Panthers. It'll be Pitt's second-ever ACC championship game and their first since 2018 when they got blown out by Clemson. 

The Coastal Division had their champion, but the Atlantic Division still had to name theirs. Mack Brown and his UNC Tarheels looked to play spoiler against in-state rival NC State. My brother and I turned this game on because, quite frankly, it was the best game on Friday night. What I wasn't expecting was one of the wildest games of the season. NC State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before UNC rattled off 24 consecutive points to take a second-half lead. The Wolfpack found themselves trailing by 9 with 2:10 to play. A 65-yard touchdown pass would narrow the deficit to 2, and they would recover the onside kick and have one last chance to keep their ACC title hopes alive. They would strike with a quick touchdown that arguably should've been an interception, and the defense would hold off Sam Howell and the Tarheels to win and keep their hopes alive for another day. 

A win over UNC was not enough for the Wolfpack, as Wake Forrest would clinch the Atlantic Division with a comfortable win over Boston College on Saturday. Dave Clawson has done a remarkable job with the Demon Deacons and has recently signed a long-term extension to remain with the program. Wake Forrest will play in their first ACC championship since 2006 when they head to Charlotte this Saturday. The game won't impact the College Football Playoff picture, but the winner will likely secure a bid to the Peach Bowl on December 30th. 

Pac 12 Championship

We'll head West next, where the Pac-12 is likely to miss out on yet another playoff. The committee was high on Oregon because of their win against Ohio State in Columbus. But losses to Stanford and Utah have diminished any hope the Ducks had of rejoining the college football elite (for now). The defeat to a 3-9 Stanford team was embarrassing, but the Ducks were still in the playoff picture until being dismantled by Utah two weeks ago. Funny enough, the two will square off again this weekend at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a spot in the Rose Bowl. For Oregon, it's a chance to exorcise some demons and exact revenge for ruining their playoff hopes. 

For Utah, it's a chance to win their first conference championship since joining the Pac 12 in 2011. It'll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments Mario Cristobal makes, as they had no answer for the Utes ground game when they squared off in Salt Lake City. Kyle Wittingham is a fantastic coach and has his program consistently in the late-season top 25. 

Oregon still has a chance to make the playoffs, but they need to beat Utah and get help from their friends in Iowa and Houston. 

AAC Championship

Now, onto the games with College Football Playoff implications, starting with Cincinnati in the AAC championship. Cinci is looking to become the first G5 (group of five) team to make the playoff. The committee hinted that they're in if they win out when they ranked them fourth in last week's CFP rankings. It's tough to imagine a scenario in which Cinci misses out on the playoff being one of the only remaining undefeated's in the nation. You can only beat the teams in front of you, which is what Luke Fickell's team has done. Sure, it hasn't been pretty at times, but the Bearcats marched into South Bend and beat a Notre Dame team that's still in the playoff conversation today. 

Houston is far from an easy-out for the Bearcats. They can score like crazy and will be eager to play spoiler on Cincinnati's playoff hopes. Cinci has not looked all that convincing lately. You have to imagine a straight-up win should be enough for them to get in, but they may have to score some style points while doing so. Teams on the outside looking in will have their eyes on this matchup at Nippert Stadium on Saturday. 

Big Ten Championship

From there, we head two hours north to Indianapolis, where Michigan and Iowa will battle for the Big Ten championship. The Wolverines are fresh off a thrilling victory over Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh's first victory over the Buckeyes as head coach. Michigan is playing in their first Big Ten championship game and will be looking for their first Big Ten championship since 2004. 

Iowa was rather fortunate to beat a wildly inconsistent Nebraska team, and they needed help from the Minnesota Golden Gophers to secure their place in Indy. The Hawkeyes were, at one point, the second-ranked team in the country before losing to Purdue and Wisconsin in consecutive weeks. They have one of the best defenses in the country, but their offense has struggled to gain any momentum this year. Nonetheless, they're 10-2 with a chance to play spoiler against a hungry Wolverine team. There is no doubt that Kirk Ferentz will have his team ready to win an ugly one. 

The question in this game is if Iowa's defense can stop a Michigan offense that just ran down Ohio State's throat for a full 60 minutes on Saturday. Even if Iowa does that, they have to find a way to score on Heisman candidate Aidan Hutchinson and company. While anything can happen in this sport (as we all know), Michigan is two-score favorites to take down the Hawkeyes and head to their first-ever College Football Playoff. 

Aidan Hutchinson had 15 QB pressures vs Ohio State

Most in a game since we started tracking college in 2014 pic.twitter.com/Psmn0Fp6xh

— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) November 28, 2021

Big 12 championship 

We continue our tour of the United States and head to Dallas, where for the first time since 1998, neither Texas nor Oklahoma will play in the Big 12 championship game. Oklahoma State pulled off the upset (if you want to call it one) and defeated Oklahoma in the Bedlam rivalry. 

The Cowboys impressed, and Mike Gundy got a much-needed victory over his rival. They'll look to carry that momentum into the Big 12 championship game this Saturday. Oklahoma State will face a Baylor team that has been red-hot following a heartbreaking loss to TCU in early November. Like OK State, 

Baylor beat Oklahoma and ascended above them in the national rankings. The defeat to TCU ended their playoff hopes, regardless if they pull off the upset this Saturday. But it was an encouraging year for Bears fans, and they'll hope that Dave Aranda sticks around for another few seasons (or ten). The Cowboys must win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they may need help from another team while doing so. 

Baylor is no slouch, and I'd imagine this game is tightly-contested. But if the Cowboys can win, they should be in a prime position to make their first College Football Playoff. 

SEC Championship

Finally, we head down south to the SEC championship game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the marquee game this weekend. Undefeated Georgia plays pseudo-host to one-loss Alabama coming off an unconvincing win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. A win over Georgia is Alabama's ticket to the playoff, but that's easier said than done. 

The Tide had a ton of roster turnover from last year's national championship-winning team, including nearly every skill position starter on offense. They lost a heartbreaker to Texas A&M, had some sloppy wins, and narrowly escaped disaster against Auburn. That said, I've learned many times not to doubt Nick Saban and his ability to have the Tide prepared for whatever is comes at them. 

Georgia is a lock for the playoff and could likely afford to lose to Bama. I doubt Kirby Smart (and almost every fanbase in America) wants to risk letting Alabama sneak into the playoffs, so expect the Dawgs to put their best foot forward against the Tide. Should they lose, they may face Alabama, Michigan, or Cincinnati in the semifinals. Georgia has one of the most impressive defenses of all time and is loaded with NFL talent from head to tail. They're the odds-on favorite to win not only the SEC but also the CFP, and with good reason. 

Georgia’s defense finished the 2021 regular season with only 8 TDs allowed in 12 games.

— Anthony Treash (@PFF_Anthony) November 27, 2021

Outside Playoff Contenders

Notre Dame and Ohio State are still in the playoff picture, but they both need a lot to go right to sneak in. Without a conference to actually win, Notre Dame could sneak in as a fourth seed if two of Bama, Michigan, or Cincinnati fall. This makes the announcement of long-time head coach Brian Kelly even more puzzling. This has gotta be the first time in the CFP's existence that a head coach has left the program while they're still in the playoff race. What if Notre Dame makes it? How can those players suit up and play for a coach they know bailed on them before the season even began? I'm sure Brian Kelly didn't want his big-money move to LSU leaked, but how hard is it to wait until after the season to finalize everything? 

Just now Brian Kelly messaged Notre Dame’s roster in Team Works that “I will be leaving Notre Dame.”

The plan is for Kelly to meet with the team tomorrow at 7 a.m.

Here is the full message pic.twitter.com/sqAl2txZIy

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) November 30, 2021

Ohio State is a very long shot at making the playoff and would need so much chaos to sneak back in the picture. The Buckeyes likely need all the favorites to be upset this weekend (except Georgia), even that may not be enough. Who's to say the committee doesn't but a Big 12 champion Baylor, a one-loss Notre Dame, or two-loss Pac 12 champ Oregon (who beat the Buckeyes in Columbus) over them? This is purely hypothetical, and I wouldn't bet against Michigan or Cincinnati, but anything is possible, right?