Conference championship weekend is final piece of College Football Playoff Puzzle

The GIST: It’s NCAA football conference championship weekend, aka teams’ last chance to show the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee that they belong in the 12-team hunt for the national championship before Sunday’s 12 p.m. ET selection show.

• We’re launching our bracket challenge soon after the CFP field is announced, so prepare with today’s full scouting report on this weekend’s crucial slate. Oh, it is so on.

👀 The matchups to watch: You’re in for a top-notch Saturday, starting with No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 BYU in the 12 p.m. ET Big 12 Championship, followed by yet another SEC Championship between No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Alabama — their fifth title-game showdown in 10 years — at 4 p.m. ET.

• Then, the headliner: The reigning national champ No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, who run the sport’s best defense, face the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, the sport’s second-best offense, for the Big Ten Championship at 8 p.m. ET. Told you this was going to be good.

🏆 The stakes: For some, they couldn’t be higher. The five highest-ranked conference champs earn an automatic CFP bid, and the selection committee will be watching to determine which bubble teams snag an at-large berth.

• Even for squads that will likely make it despite a loss this weekend, there’s a lot on the line because all-important seeding will decide their paths to the championship. The top four seeds earn a first-round bye, a massive advantage.

💨 The Heisman Trophy candidates: The race for college football’s MVP award is essentially a three-man race between Indiana quarterback (QB) Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in a distant fourth).

• Pavia and Love don’t play this weekend, giving Mendoza and Sayin the chance to shine…and adding even more consequence to their already-massive matchup. No pressure, fellas.