Welcome to championship week, where the slate has something for just about everyone.
If you enjoyed last season's national title game, championship week delivers a rematch -- on the same field, no less. If you enjoy an extra helping of a top rivalry, Oklahoma and Texas meet again, not at the Cotton Bowl but 22 miles west at Jerry's World. You'll see familiar championship-game participants Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State, as well as newcomers like Pitt, Utah and Northwestern.
I spoke to coaches on participating teams, as well as coaches who have faced these teams earlier this season, to size up what to expect this coming weekend in the Power 5 championship games.
Pac-12
No. 16 Washington (9-3) vs. No. 17 Utah (9-3) in Santa Clara, Calif.
Friday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Scouting report
Two 9-3 teams with zero Heisman candidates isn't the matchup the Pac-12 hoped for before the season, but Washington and Utah should produce an incredibly physical game. Both defenses are excellent, ranking in the top 20 nationally in points allowed (Washington is 10th at 16.5 points per game; Utah is 17th at 19.25 PPG) and yards per play (Utah is 16th at 4.66 YPP; Washington is 17th at 4.69 YPP).
Coaches expect the championship game to resemble the first meeting in Week 3, when the teams combined for only 28 points and 588 yards. Washington's defense forced three turnovers and held Utah to just 3.5 yards per completion. The Huskies will be facing a different Utes backfield as quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss both are out for the season with injuries. Freshman Jason Shelley will start at quarterback with junior Armand Shyne at running back.
Washington has a healthy offensive backfield with seniors Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin leading the way. Gaskin was brilliant in Friday's Apple Cup win at Washington State, rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns, while Browning completed 11 passes for 207 yards in the snow. Utah doesn't give up much, leading the Pac-12 and ranking fifth nationally in rush defense (100.3 YPG allowed). The Utes enter the title game with 34 sacks and 98 tackles for loss.
"They're the only ones in our league who have defensive linemen that look like SEC defensive linemen," a Pac-12 assistant told me. "They can get pressure with four."
Washington is good enough defensively that it likely won't need a huge performance from the offense. Browning has had a solid season (2,692 pass yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions). His trademark efficiency has been there at times, but he also was benched in a 12-10 loss to Cal and had four straight games with a completion percentage of 60 or below before a strong finish.
Between 2015 and 2017, Washington finished 11th among all FBS teams in touchdowns. This year, the Huskies are tied for 73rd in touchdowns.
"Their offensive line isn't as good as in previous years and they don't have the group speed at wideout," a Pac-12 defensive coordinator told me earlier this season. "They have size and ball skills, though. I just think [Browning] doesn't have the same trust in his O-line."
Big 12
No. 6 Oklahoma (11-1) vs. No. 14 Texas (9-3) in Arlington, Texas
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
Scouting report
The longtime rivals delivered one of the season's wildest games back in Week 5. Texas took a 45-24 lead into the fourth quarter, but Kyler Murray furiously rallied Oklahoma with three touchdown drives in a span of 5 minutes, 50 seconds before the Longhorns prevailed 48-45 on a Cameron Dicker field goal with nine seconds left.
Oklahoma would be more than comfortable playing a similar game on Saturday. Offensive shootouts define the Sooners this season, especially with Murray at the helm. Whether he wins the Heisman Trophy or finishes second, the first-year starting quarterback has been absolutely sensational, passing for 3,674 yards and 37 touchdowns with only seven interceptions, and adding 853 rushing yards and seven scores. He had 304 pass yards, 92 rush yards, five total touchdowns (4 pass, 1 rush) and an interception in the first meeting with Texas.
"The quarterback, I had no idea how good he was," a Power 5 assistant with ties to Oklahoma told me. "He's a burner. He just makes s--- happen. He makes [opposing defenses] all look bad."
Murray is the main reason a Power 5 head coach thinks Oklahoma will "roll" Texas.
"Texas, they're a solid football team, they're not a great team," the coach said. "That first game, Texas got hot. Their whole team is [quarterback Sam] Ehlinger. He's just such a good player, Kyler Murray, he changes everything for them."
Texas has a clear edge on defense but will need its unit to deliver against Murray, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Kennedy Brooks and Oklahoma's other big-play threats. A veteran-laden Longhorns defense had an up-and-down season, struggling early with Maryland and allowing more than 500 yards four times during a five-game stretch in Big 12 play.
But Texas played well against Baylor (17 points, 328 yards) and really locked down against Iowa State (10 points, 210 yards allowed) and Kansas (17 points, 296 yards) to finish the regular season.
"To have our offense control our fate is not what we want over on our side of the ball," Longhorns defensive coordinator Todd Orlando told me after the Baylor game. "I know it's a team win, I get that part of it, but we really were disappointed to give up 45 [against Oklahoma] and make that thing a tie ballgame. [The offense] picked us up and there were some calls I'd love to have back, but in some type of strange, weird way, really woke us up for Baylor coming out and feeling like, 'OK, we did not finish the way we wanted to finish and we've got to get this changed.'"
Orlando will need peak performances from veterans like safety P.J. Locke III, linebacker Gary Johnson, cornerback Kris Boyd and defensive end Charles Omenihu. Johnson and Omenihu, who combined for 14 sacks, 28.5 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries, will be especially critical against Murray.
"Gary at times heats up and becomes, for our league, he starts playing at an elite level," Orlando said. "He's got to continue that. When he's played his best, we've really played well defensively. Charles is really becoming the guy we need, a dominant pass-rusher, especially on third down."
Coaches like what they've seen from Ehlinger, who has battled shoulder problems but has eclipsed 64 percent completions in nine of his past 11 games. His two interceptions Friday at Kansas marked his first picks since the opening loss to Maryland.
"He's athletic," a Big 12 defensive coordinator said, "and can get you out of some trouble."
SEC
No. 1 Alabama (12-0) vs. No. 5 Georgia (11-1) in Atlanta
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS
Scouting report
These two have been on a collision course much of the season and will meet on the same field where they played a memorable national title game. This time, Alabama is the higher-ranked team and a clear favorite, mainly because of the quarterback who broke Georgia's hearts to win the national title: Tua Tagovailoa.
The sophomore has all but locked up the Heisman Trophy, as he has thrived in an offense built around his skills, especially the run-pass option.
"You have to pick your spots when you pressure them," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "There's things you can do that can dictate protections, but none of that discounts how savvy Tua is. He's a very, very intuitive quarterback."
Mississippi State's defense had the best approach against Tagovailoa, recording four sacks and three quarterback hurries. Tagovailoa finished with a negative rushing total and 164 pass yards in a 24-0 win. The key is Mississippi State has two elite linemen in Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons. Georgia pressures well with linebacker D'Andre Walker (6.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hurries) but lacks a truly dominant lineman, although Jonathan Ledbetter is very good.
"They play a lot of guys, they're young, but they're starting to get better against the run and more disciplined," an SEC offensive coordinator said.
The Bulldogs' strength is undoubtedly in their back end with linebackers Walker, Monty Rice, Tae Crowder and others, and in the secondary with elite cornerback Deandre Baker and safety tandem J.R. Reed and Richard LeCounte. But Alabama presents challenges with its speed at receiver and power at running back and along the line.
"They have a quarterback who's playing at a very high level, and they've got guys on the edge," an SEC offensive assistant said. "In this league, the running backs are so good, but even the good running backs, without a pass game, are kind of hamstrung a little bit. They've got both right now, which is what you want."
"You know going into the game you have to score over 35 points to even have a chance," a Power 5 coordinator said. "That's the problem. You have to score."
Coaches say Georgia's best hope is its own offense, which averages 40.1 points per game and has been especially powerful on the ground, averaging 259.8 yards per game and 6.3 yards per rush. While Alabama's opponents had some success running the ball in the first half of the season, the Tide held four of their final five SEC opponents to 70 rushing yards or less. Sophomore nose tackle Quinnen Williams (7 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries) has emerged as a national awards candidate alongside defensive end Raekwon Davis.
"He wreaks havoc, him and Raekwon, those kids both," an SEC assistant said. "They've got measurables, they've got length, they're well-coached, they're tough kids. They ain't going to beat themselves. You've got to go beat them. And that being the case, Georgia's O-line matches up just about as good as anybody in the country.
"They'll be primed and ready. They won't back down."
ACC
No. 2 Clemson (12-0) vs. No. 24 Pitt (7-5) in Charlotte, N.C.
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Scouting report
Pat Narduzzi is known for predicting (and delivering) major upsets at Pitt, but this would be monumental. Clemson is surging toward its fourth consecutive ACC championship and fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence continues to look nothing like a true freshman, throwing 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in his past five games, while eclipsing 250 pass yards in five of the past six contests. Defensive linemen are scoring touchdowns. Since the 27-23 scare against Syracuse on Sept. 29, Clemson has won seven straight games by 20 points or more.
"You feel like you're playing the Green Bay Packers," an ACC coach said. "Just an unbelievable, elite team with no weaknesses."
Pitt wouldn't be described the same way. The Panthers have had three losses by 21 points or more, including Saturday's regular-season finale at Miami, and also lost to a North Carolina team that went 2-9 and fired its coach. Credit Pitt for winning the right division games, as well as a key crossover against Syracuse, but Narduzzi's team has lacked consistency.
When I texted an ACC assistant Sunday asking whether Pitt had any chance against Clemson, he wrote back, "NONE."
For Pitt to push Clemson, it will need its offensive line -- a team strength -- to contain a Tigers front four led by Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and other future pros. The Panthers start four seniors up front, led by right tackle Alex Bookser, a team captain.
"We have great leadership in the offensive line, and the chemistry between those kids with the backs and with each other, the whole unit's that way," Pitt offensive coordinator Shawn Watson recently told me. "That is significant. There's a great tradition of offensive lines here at Pitt, and that's big, to lift that tradition."
Pitt ranks 18th nationally in rush offense, averaging 232.7 yards per game and 5.8 yards per rush. Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall have combined for 2,069 rush yards and 19 touchdowns on 299 carries. Watson calls both backs "thumpers" and said the tandem is the best he's had since Chris Brown and Bobby Purify at Colorado in 2001.
The problem is Clemson leads the nation in yards per rush against (2.23) and ranks second in overall rushing defense (84.8 rush yards allowed per game).
"You've got to be able to throw the ball against them," an ACC coach told me. "It's hard to do. If you can't throw the ball against them, it's going to be hard to go the length of the field."
South Carolina showed that Saturday night, recording 510 pass yards and five passing touchdowns against Clemson, which is 35th nationally in pass defense and has only seven interceptions. Pitt sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett has been solid without spectacular numbers (1,825 pass yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions). He will need to create some chunk plays for wide receiver Taysir Mack, who averages 23.3 yards per catch, as well as Maurice Ffrench (15.3 YPR).
"I think we can realize his arm talent," Watson said of Pickett. "He's one of the more talented kids I've been blessed to coach in my career."
Pitt's defense has shown flashes, holding Notre Dame to just 19 points, but the Panthers are far from dominant (tied for 71st in points allowed, 70th in yards allowed). They face a Clemson offense that seems to be hitting its stride behind Lawrence.
"You've got to unsettle him, if that's possible to do," an ACC coach said. "You've got to disguise your stuff well. If you don't get to the quarterback at all, it's going to be a long, hard day for you. Whether you do that with a four-man rush, a five- or six-man rush, you can't let him stand back there and have his way with those quality of receivers that they have. They're just too talented."
Big Ten
No. 10 Ohio State (11-1) vs. No. 19 Northwestern (8-4) in Indianapolis
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Scouting report
If the Buckeyes have, in fact, turned the corner after their dominant win against Michigan, they shouldn't have too much trouble with Northwestern. This is a tough matchup for Pat Fitzgerald's team, which has been outgained this season (4,472-4,221) and has been playing without three starting defensive backs, some or all of whom could return in Indianapolis (Fitzgerald said Sunday that things are progressing well).
Northwestern hasn't seen a downfield passing game as diverse or dangerous as the one Ohio State operates with quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Ohio State averages 12.8 yards per play, has five players with four or more touchdown receptions and eight with a reception of 35 yards or longer.
"They can make a big play at any time," a Big Ten assistant said.
"Every skill guy can score just by catching a hitch," Fitzgerald said Sunday. "Dwayne is so efficient. Almost throwing for 70 percent [completions], 41 touchdowns, seven interceptions, that ratio is absolutely incredible. We're going to have our hands full, there's no doubt about that."
Fitzgerald added: "We've got to find a way to keep [plays] inside and in front."
Haskins is the key to it all, completing 69 percent of his passes for 4,081 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Haskins has been great all season, but until recently, the knock against him was a lack of mobility, a change from previous Urban Meyer quarterbacks. But Haskins rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns Nov. 17 at Maryland and followed with 34 rush yards on seven carries, including a designed rush on Ohio State's first play from scrimmage, in Saturday's 62-39 win over No. 4 Michigan.
"Just the threat, we've learned that over the year, makes [defenses] play a little more clean," Meyer said Sunday. "When you know you have a tree back there that's not going to move, that's not hard to defend. Dwayne has the ability to at least be a [run] threat, and he's done a brilliant job of that the last two weeks."
Northwestern has leaned on its defense all season and will do so again in Indianapolis. The Wildcats have difference-makers at all three levels in end Joe Gaziano (6 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles), cornerback Montre Hartage (13 pass breakups) and linebackers Paddy Fisher (92 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception) and Nate Hall (3 interceptions, 4.5 tackles for loss). Hartage has been battling a hamstring injury.
"Mike Hankwitz is as good a defensive coordinator as any, and they're playing great defense," a Big Ten offensive coordinator said. "They play well. They do what they're supposed to do. They're not spectacular. You can't get them out of position. They fit where they're supposed to."
The teams' weaker units match up: Ohio State's defense, a talented unit prone to breakdowns, and Northwestern's offense, which ranks 125th nationally in yards per play (4.65) and 107th in scoring (23.7 PPG). Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson, who entered the season limited by a knee injury and has endured ups and downs, must build on his recent efficiency and play his best game. Freshman running back Isaiah Bowser has been solid lately.
To stun Ohio State, Northwestern not only must play its best game but its cleanest game, an area that favors the Wildcats. Fitzgerald's team leads the nation in fewest penalties with 34, drawing three flags or fewer nine times. Ohio State is tied for 123rd in penalties with 98. Northwestern also must try to reduce time and possessions, as it lacks the firepower to keep pace with Haskins and the Buckeyes.
"They've got to play that grind-'em-out style and muck up the game," a Big Ten assistant said. "Don't give up anything deep or cheap and make it a four-quarter ballgame if they can."