College football schedule today: Conference championship games start with Big 12 title (12/7/2024)
The biggest day of the 2024 college football season has arrived.
In the first season of the 12-team College Football Playoff, all four of Saturday's major conference championship games have significant ramifications. The winners of the Big 12, SEC, ACC and Big Ten championships will receive automatic bids to the CFP — and millions of dollars.
A berth in the College Football Playoff comes with a $4 million payout. Another $4 million will be paid out to each team who makes the CFP quarterfinals, then $6 million for making the semifinals and another $6 million for advancing to the national championship game.
That doesn't include the $3 million each team gets to cover expenses for each round.
Arizona State (10-2) and Iowa State (10-2) start the day by facing off in the Big 12 championship at 9 a.m. PT/Noon ET. Let's pretend Arizona State beats the Cyclones, then wins their first-round CFP game. The total payout for Arizona State, including expenses, would be $14 million. A semifinal appearance would result in a $23 million payout, while a championship game berth would result in a $32 million payout ($20 million in revenue distribution plus $12 million to cover expenses).
That money does not get paid out directly to the school — it goes to the conference. That is why it is such a big deal for a conference like the Big Ten to have four teams in the CFP field. Assuming No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Indiana all get in, that's a guaranteed payout of $12 million for the Big Ten — and an opportunity to make much, much more.
Conference Championship Schedule, TV Channels
Here's the full schedule for Saturday's Power 4 conference championship games. Boise State beat UNLV 21-7 in the Mountain West Championship game on Friday night, all but guaranteeing the Broncos a first-round bye in the CFP.
- Big 12 Championship: No. 15 Arizona State (10-2) vs. No. 16 Iowa State (10-2), 9 a.m. PT on ABC
- SEC Championship: No. 2 Texas (11-1) vs. No. 5 Georgia (10-2), 1 p.m. PT on ABC
- ACC Championship: No. 17 Clemson (9-3) vs. No. 8 SMU (11-1), 5 p.m. PT on ABC
- Big Ten Championship: No. 1 Oregon (12-0) vs. No. 3 Penn State (11-1), 5 p.m. PT on CBS
College Football Playoff Rankings
Here's what the College Football Playoff Rankings look like heading into Saturday. The final rankings will be released on Sunday.
- Oregon
- Texas
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- SMU
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Alabama
- Miami
- Ole Miss
- South Carolina
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Clemson
- BYU
- Missouri
- UNLV
- Illinois
- Syracuse
- Colorado
- Army
- Memphis
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.