College football Week 15 watchability rankings: Conference championship weekend has arrived

After this weekend’s games, we’ll finally know.

No more predictions and projections. No more TV show specials squeezed between college basketball games. No more productions that could have simply been emails.

On Sunday, after all these conference championship games are wrapped up, we’ll finally know what the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket will look like. And we’ll finally get answers to some questions.

Will Boise State be rewarded with a top four seed – and a bye – over the winner of the Big 12? Will multiple ACC teams crack the field? Which three-loss SEC team is going to get pushed through over Miami? What will the best first-round matchup be?

The wait is nearly over. As the coaching carousel keeps spinning, grab yourself some popcorn and settle in for a weekend full of consequential contests across college football.

Best Game of the Week: No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon (in Indianapolis, Indiana)

Saturday, 8 p.m. – CBS

Here’s another opportunity for James Franklin to win the big game. Can he pull it off this time? Or will Oregon complete a 13-0 regular season in its first Big Ten campaign?

Game that might have an impact on the College Football Playoff: No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State (in Arlington, Texas)

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ABC

The winner goes to the College Football Playoff. The loser plays in a decent non-CFP bowl game. It’s a game featuring the Big 12’s best running back and the best wide receiver duo in the country.

Weird Weekday Game of the Week: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State

Friday, 7 p.m. ET – CBS Sports Network

This game is weird for a few reasons. First, it’s an immediate rematch – Western Kentucky just beat Jacksonville State 19-17 in the regular season finale last weekend, but Sam Houston and Liberty didn’t finish strong enough to earn their way into the Conference USA title game. This is also one of the few games this weekend that won’t have an impact on the College Football Playoff picture, but it should still be a competitive game. This is a matchup also featuring two head coaches – Tyson Helton and Rich Rodriguez – who could find themselves coaching different teams next season, depending on how the coaching carousel goes.

Awesome Group of Five matchup worth watching: No. 20 UNLV at No. 10 Boise State

Friday, 8 p.m. ET – FOX

This game was close the last time the Runnin’ Rebels and Broncos met, with Boise State pulling out a 29-24 win. That was in Las Vegas. This time, Boise will have homefield advantage and is aiming to seal up the Group of Five bid to the College Football Playoff. But if Hajj-Malik Williams and UNLV can pull off an upset, it’ll throw a wrench into the playoff picture.

Sickos Guilty Pleasure Game of the Week: Lehigh at Idaho

Saturday, 9 p.m. ET – ESPN+

If you’re not interested in any of the FBS conference title games at any given time on Saturday, ESPN+ provides some alternatives with playoff games in the FCS and the Division II and III ranks. The final kickoff of Saturday is this game at the Kibble Dome in Moscow, Idaho – inarguably one of the best venues in this sport – between a pair of 9-3 teams in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Also watch…

AAC title game | Tulane at No. 24 Army: Friday, 8 p.m. ET – ABC

Division III Playoffs | Randolph-Macon at Salisbury: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ESPN+

SWAC title game | Southern at Jackson State: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET – ESPNU

SEC title game | No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas in Atlanta: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET – ABC

ACC title game | No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU in Charlotte: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET – ABC