We’ve made it through the strange, COVID-19-riddled season and have arrived at a conference championship week that will feature many regular season games being made up and nearly had a bowl game in the middle of it. The Frisco Bowl ended up being canceled due to coronavirus issues within the SMU program, leaving us a conference championship weekend crowded only with regular season matchups, not combining three different game types into a single day. Week-to-week rankings from this year can be found here, and below we have our rankings for this week ahead of conference championship games:

#1. Cincinnati Bearcats (last week: 1)

Cincinnati had its regular season game against Tulsa due to COVID-19 issues within the Bearcats’ program, and we will have to wait and see how healthy Cincy is when it hosts Tulsa this Saturday for the American conference title. Luke Fickell has built Cincinnati into a powerhouse in no time, winning 11 games in years two and three and has the Bearcats in the American Athletic Conference championship for a second year in a row in year four, looking for its first outright conference title since winning the Big East in 2009 under Brian Kelly. Reports say that defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is a candidate for the Illinois head coaching job, but Fickell’s name has not come up in Power 5 job openings, suggesting he may stick around in southern Ohio for a while. The playoff committee has made it clear that Cincinnati will not be getting into the CFP this year, but trips to Indiana and Notre Dame provide a chance for signature wins in 2021 if the Bearcats are able to play at this level next year.

#2. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (2)

Through the mess that has been this college football season, Coastal Carolina has managed to play 11 games, picking up a win over Troy on Saturday to make up its only canceled game of the year. An untimely interception by Grayson McCall with 2:36 left allowed Troy to score a touchdown and take the lead with just 1:20 left in the game. McCall shook off the interception to lead a five-play, 75-yard drive in just 45 seconds to take the lead back and win the game. He ended the game 24-29 passing for 338 yards and three touchdowns with the one interception. CJ Marable led the rushing attack with 120 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Chanticleers now have a rematch with Louisiana, who Coastal beat back in week four in the first sign of how good this team could be, for the Sun Belt championship. Heading to the title game means Coastal has a chance to win the Sun Belt in just its fourth year in the FBS and the conference.

#3. BYU Cougars (3)

Zach Wilson continued his incredible season by completing 26 of his 35 pass attempts for 303 yards and three touchdowns in the Cougars’ win over San Diego State to close out the regular season. The defense was opportunistic, forcing two turnovers and getting three fourth down stops on five of the seven drives that the Aztecs got across midfield. That allowed BYU to win by 14 points in spite of being slightly outgained by SDSU and picking up six fewer first downs. Now the Cougars will play the waiting game to see what bowl game gives them an invite. Their #17 ranking from the playoff committee shows they will not be playing in a New Years Six bowl, which makes you wonder if the Cougars would prefer a conference champion from a Group of 5 or a ranked Power 5 opponent. If a Big Ten or Big 12 runner-up is available, that would seem like a great draw for the Cougars, though those schools likely would slot into a bowl that already has multiple Power 5 affiliations. The bowl season figures to be nearly as strange as the regular season was, and we will find out on Sunday how BYU will end its season.

#4. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (4)

Tulsa waited for Cincinnati to get healthy from COVID-19 issues to play in the AAC championship game this Saturday in Cincy. Tulsa’s defense has been trending up late in the year, and the team will need its best effort yet to slow the Cincinnati offense led by Desmond Ridder and Gerrid Doaks. Whatever happens in the AAC title game, Tulsa will likely be playing in its first bowl game since 2016 and has a chance to end the season ranked for the first time since 2010, when Todd Graham led the team to a 10-3 record and a win in the Hawai’i Bowl before leaving for Pitt. This will be Tulsa’s first conference championship game appearance since 2012, when the Golden Hurricane beat UCF to win the Conference-USA for its most recent conference title.

#5. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (5)

Louisiana took the week off to prepare for the Sun Belt title game against Coastal Carolina, the team that provided the Ragin’ Cajuns’ only loss this year. Louisiana has had similar luck to Coastal in dodging COVID-19 related cancellations, calling off just one game against FCS for Central Arkansas due to coronavirus issues. 2020 has seen Louisiana ranked by the AP poll for the first time in school history as one of four schools to achieve that this season. The Ragin’ Cajuns are joined by Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Marshall, and also of note is the fact that this week saw San Jose State ranked for just the fourth week in school history, along with two weeks in 2012 and one in 1975. Louisiana and Coastal are trying to achieve what only Appalachian State has done in the Sun Belt: finish a season ranked. App State ended 2019 at #19 for the conference’s first appearance in an AP final poll and will likely be adding to that total this year.

#6. Buffalo Bulls (8)

#7. Boise State Broncos (6)

#8. San Jose State Spartans (10)

#9. Liberty Flames (7)

#10. Marshall Thundering Herd (9)

#11. Ball State Cardinals (15)

#12. UCF Knights (11)

#13. Army Black Knights (13)

#14. Appalachian State Mountaineers (On the Bubble)

#15. Memphis Tigers (OTB)

Dropped Out:

Nevada (12), Western Michigan (14)

On the Bubble:

Nevada, UAB, SMU

Conference Championship Game Previews

American Athletic Conference

This matchup features Cincinnati for the second straight year facing off against newcomer Tulsa, as the Golden Hurricane play in its first conference championship game since the 2012 CUSA title fight. Cincinnati looks like the better team, averaging about 60 more yards per game, allowing about 20 fewer yards, and with a massive difference in point differential. Tulsa has won just two games by more than eight points, while seven of Cincinnati’s eight wins have come by at least 14. Cincinnati has been dealing with COVID-19 issues recently, however, and we don’t yet know how healthy they are or if starters will be missing the game due to the virus. Virus concerns aside, ESPN’s Football Power Index likes Cincinnati, Vegas likes Cincinnati, and I think the Bearcats should be in the #5 spot in the rankings right now with a shot at the College Football Playoff. Give me the Bearcats.

FPI says: Cincinnati 79.9%

Murphy’s Field says: Cincinnati 38, Tulsa 21

Conference-USA

After the 2014 season, UAB decided to shut down its football program because the school was losing money and not seeing success on the field. In the 2017 season, following complaints and fundraising efforts from alumni, the team came back, went 8-4, and played in its second bowl game ever. Since then, UAB has played in the CUSA championship game three years in a row. However, this will be the second straight year the Blazers are going in as heavy underdogs. Marshall comes into championship week touting an impressive defense that has allowed just 11.4 points per game, having given up 10 points or fewer in four of eight games and allowed no more than 20 points in a game this year. The Blazers’ season has been completely derailed by coronavirus issues, having played just four games in conference and having played just once since October. Marshall canceled its game last week due to COVID-19 issues on its roster, so we don’t know how healthy the Thundering Herd are heading into this matchup. Even with that caveat, Marshall is the better team and will look to get its first conference championship since 2014.

FPI says: Marshall 67.9%

Murphy’s Field says: Marshall 24, UAB 17

Mid-American Conference

The MAC championship has two teams partying like it’s 2008, as Ball State and Buffalo met that year as well, which was the Bulls’ last conference title and Ball State’s only MAC championship game appearance. The Cardinals are looking to win its first title since 1996, the year before the title game was implemented, after a thrilling 30-27 win over Western Michigan. Buffalo features the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in Jaret Patterson, who would be heading to New York for the Heisman ceremony if he put up the per-game numbers that he had this year over 10-12 games. Patterson ran for 1025 yards and 18 touchdowns in just five games for the Bulls, a rushing yards mark that only Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, and Ricky Williams had achieved in their team’s first five games of a season. If Ball State gets its leading running back in Caleb Huntley, who has missed the last three games due to injury, then this game should be a close, high-scoring contest. If not, Buffalo will likely run away with this one.

FPI says: Buffalo 78.0%

Murphy’s Field says: Buffalo 45, Ball State 35

Mountain West Conference

For the first time ever, the Mountain West championship game will be taking place at a neutral site. Unfortunately, that is only due to COVID-19-related restrictions, as San Jose State won the right to host the title game but Santa Clara County will not allow football activities to happen within county lines. Much of California has strict restrictions to try to slow the spread of coronavirus, so the game will be taking place in Las Vegas. Boise State is playing in its fourth consecutive MW championship game, and this will be the first time the title game isn’t taking place on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium since 2016. San Jose State started the season practicing out of the county, was able to play three home games in late October and early November, and has now had to move football activities back out of the county. Through that mayhem, the Spartans are 6-0 and looking to capture its first conference title since sharing the Big West championship with Fresno State in 1991 after winning the conference outright one year earlier. Between then and now, SJSU spent 17 years in the WAC without winning it and is playing in its first Mountain West championship game in its eighth year in the conference. FPI likes Boise State, Vegas likes Boise State, and San Jose State has had some turnover luck to get where they are now while the Broncos got talented but injury prone quarterback Hank Bachmeier back in its win over Wyoming. I think it’s close, but that’s one too many things in Boise State’s favor.

FPI says: Boise State 68.0%

Murphy’s Field says: Boise State 31, San Jose State 28

Sun Belt Conference

This year will be the third Sun Belt championship game and the third time Louisiana will be in it. The Ragin’ Cajuns are still looking for its first title, though, having lost to Appalachian State in each of the last two years. This time, it’s Coastal Carolina lining up on the opposite sideline, with the Chanticleers’ current #9 ranking from the AP Poll the highest in Sun Belt history. Louisiana is having a phenomenal season in its own right, having beaten Iowa State, currently ranked #8 and set to play in the Big 12 title game, having beaten Appalachian State for the first time, and with only one loss, coming to the Chanticleers back on October 14. Coastal just extended head coach Jamey Chadwell’s contract through 2027, hoping to make this year a launching point rather than a one-year wonder. No Sun Belt team has ever finished a season undefeated, and Coastal Carolina is hoping to do so with at least three wins over ranked opponents, already having beaten Louisiana and BYU when they were ranked in the AP Poll. A Coastal victory could also mark the first Sun Belt team to ever play in a New Years Six bowl game, as the Chants are currently ranked #12 in the playoff rankings. All signs are pointing towards another tight matchup between two great teams with two great quarterbacks.

FPI says: Coastal Carolina 56.9%

Murphy’s Field says: Coastal Carolina 33, Louisiana 31

Stats and info from ESPN and College Football at Sports-Reference.com.