The regular season is over and the conference champions have been crowned although, as is usually the case in college football, it’s not always the teams that you expect to come out victorious (or even be competing for the title in the first place). We round up the Power Four championship games and examine the fallout, whilst also looking at the final College Football Playoff rankings, below:

Big Ten: Ohio State 10 @ 13 Indiana

Indiana capture the Big Ten title and derail the Buckeyes’ perfect season.

Heisman finalist and championship game MVP Fernando Mendoza gave what was possibly the most excitable post-game interview ever after leading the Hoosiers to their first Big 10 title since 1967. Mendoza couldn’t contain his excitement at the culmination of Indiana’s improbable journey, shouting giddily, “we were never supposed to be in this position, but now we’re the flipping champs!” before celebrating the unity of the team when faced with scepticism, “we are brothers, we know how to stick together and we’re the toughest glue ever.”

It wasn’t the most spectacular performance from Mendoza, but he came up clutch in the crucial spots. His 17-yard pass to Elijah Sarrat for a touchdown gave the Hoosiers the lead they held on to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988, ending their 30-game losing streak to Ohio State. Mendoza sealed the win with a 33-yard, third down pass to Charlie Becker that gave the Hoosiers the crucial first down with two minutes left. Becker finished the game with 126 yards and rock-solid belief his team can go all the way. “The Hoosiers are real and we are here,” Becker said after the win.

Ohio State’s own Heisman hopeful, QB Julian Sayin, had a chance to put the Buckeyes in front on a fourth and one play on the five-yard line but on review it was adjudged that his run came up short of the line to gain. Ohio State could have tied the game with 2:48 on the clock in the fourth quarter but Jayden Fielding’s 29-yard attempt surprisingly and heartbreakingly pulled to the left of the posts.

Ohio State’s inability to secure their first conference title since 2020 was a bitter pill for coach Ryan Day to swallow. “There’s going to be a lot of hard conversations over the next two weeks,” Day said. “It hurts, it stings.” Day and the Buckeyes can console themselves with a first round by in the Playoff as the loss sees Ohio State drop to the second seed but retain a spot in the top four teams.

For Indiana coach Curt Cignetti the conference crown and newly acquired top seeding felt inevitable. “A year late,” Cignetti said as he looked forward to the Playoff. “I’ve three weeks to get these guys humble and hungry.”

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SEC: Alabama 7 @ Georgia 28
Georgia dominate to claim conference title.

Georgia did not allow themselves to be overcome by the occasion as they finally came out on top over their bogey team, Alabama as they cruised to victory in their fifth straight SEC championship appearance. “We approached it the same, like it was a big game, and didn’t make it bigger than it was,” Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton said. Stockton’s three touchdowns gave Georgia an insurmountable lead and a 1 in the win column on a previously 0-4 record against Alabama in SEC title games after the defence shut down the Tide. “We never quit,” Stockton said. “We showed that every game. I think that’s one of the best parts about our team.”

Georgia was previously 1-7 against Alabama during coach Kirby Smart’s tenure. The title game win was the first time Georgia’s fourth-year players had tasted victory against the Crimson Tide. Per ESPN, in a team meeting ahead of the game, Smart asked players with a win over Alabama to stand up. “None of them stood up,” Smart said. “I thought it hit right between the eyes of doing it for the seniors,” he said after the win.

After a rocky start to the season and speculation that they might miss the Playoff this year, Alabama was a team on the rise after a string of wins over quality opponents, including Georgia. Second year coach Kalen DeBoer shared his disappointment but also pride in his team. “We fell short today, but I’m proud of our season,” DeBoer said. “Getting to the SEC championship, getting to this great game, there’s a lot to build off of.”

DeBoer was mindful of the potential impact of the loss on Alabama’s Playoff standing. “If this game applies to and takes away from our resume, I don’t think that’s right,” DeBoer said. “I really don’t.” Alabama will now face a rematch against Oklahoma who handed the Tide one of their two losses during the regular season whilst Georgia have an extra week to rest with a first round bye as the third seed.

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Big 12: BYU 7 @ 34 Texas Tech
Texas Tech punch a CFP playoff berth.

Texas Tech spent big in the offseason, splashing the cash to compile one of, if not the, strongest roster in all of college football. “If we are gonna buy a team, why not be the best,” Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said. Rodriguez has had a standout season as the best linebacker in the country and will feel hard done by to narrowly miss out on being a Heisman finalist, but may find comfort in being part of the strongest squad in the conference and maybe the country. Rodrguez’s 13 tackles along with fellow linebacker Ben Roberts’ two interceptions helped to keep BYU at bay whilst QB Behren Morton’s two touchdown passes, Cameron Dickey’s rushing score and four field goals from Stone Harrington gave the Cougars a mountain they could not climb.

The Red Raiders, who had confidently beaten BYU earlier in the season, were in control throughout, leaving no doubt about their legitimacy as national title contenders. Coach Joey McGuire could hardly contain his excitement about where his team may be placed in the Playoff after the route. “Man, I can’t wait to see where the CFP is going to put us,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the bye. You know, we’re hoping and expecting that’s where we’ll be.” And that’s exactly where they landed, earning a first round bye as the fourth seed.

BYU were held as one of the favourites to claim the conference title and featured highly in the Playoff rankings up until this point but ultimately fell short. BYU coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged his team was not good enough on the day whilst praising his opponent. “You can’t make a lot of mistakes like we did. We’ve learned it again. That’s the second time this year,” Sitake said. “I’ve said it before, I think they’re the best team in the country and I’m confirming it. They’re the best team in the country. It just so happens that we had to play the best team in the country twice.” The two losses to Tech mean that BYU miss out on the Playoff.

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ACC: Duke 27 @ 20 Virginia

Duke seal ACC championship title.

The ACC conference championship game was contested by two teams that will both not make the Playoffs. Instead, Miami have been favoured by the Playoff committee meaning that Duke will not receive a Playoff berth as one of the top four conference champions, with that fourth and fifth champion spots being awarded to Tulane and James Madison. Duke coach Manny Diaz expressed his frustration at this decision after the game. “The ACC champion should go to the College Football Playoff this year and every year,” Diaz said. “You can’t compare going through the Sun Belt this year — it has been a really good conference in years past — but most of their top teams are just having down years. So they (James Madison) probably are not challenged the way they would going through a normal Sun Belt season.”

It’s understandable that Diaz feels hard done by after leading his school to their first outright championship since 1962, having shared it’s last title with Virgina in 1989. Duke QB Darian Mensah, who’s one yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hasley in overtime sealed the win in the first ever ACC title game to ever go to overtime, shared how the team felt that this achievement should be recognised. “To bring a championship to this school, which is primarily known for basketball, is a statement that me and the seniors on this team have been trying to make,” Mensah said.

Virgina, who topped the ACC table in the regular season, likely would have made the Playoff with a win but fell just short of the line when QB Chandler Morris was picked off on the first play of overtime. Despite the disappointment, Coach Tony Elliott said his team had “the heart of a champion.” Elliott further shared how hard this is for the team to process stating that they are, “obviously disappointed, and it hurts.There is nothing I can say to them to take away the pain. But I also told the guys how proud I am of the team that was picked to finish 14th out of 17 teams and earned the right to be here. … When you’re trying to climb that mountain, the air is thin and the margin for error is very, very small.”

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Final College Football Playoff Rankings:

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Alabama
10. Miami
11. Notre Dame
12. BYU
13. Texas
14. Vanderbilt
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Arizona
18. Michigan
19. Virgina
20. Tulane
21. Houston
22. Georgia Tech
23. Iowa
24. James Madison
25. North Texas