College football preview: A look at Championship Week matchups and players to watch

Champ week is just around the corner, and the stakes are high as teams look to gain one of the College Football Playoff’s first-round byes.

No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia will meet again for a second time this season in a rematch at the SEC championship game. Georgia handed Texas its only loss of the season, but will the Bulldogs be able to pull off the win again in Atlanta?

No. 15 Arizona State was listed in last place in the Big 12 preseason poll and have proved the conference wrong as it holds the top spot in the league. As the Sun Devils look to gain their first Big 12 title, what do they need to do to beat Iowa State?

Our college football experts preview all of Champ Week’s biggest matchups and players to watch, and share quotes from players and coaches leading up to this week’s games.

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Quotes of the Week

What does Texas need to do to win? It starts with not getting behind early and having to play catchup similar to the last game between the teams. Georgia built a 23-0 lead and took the home crowd out of the game, and keep in mind that this game is being played in Atlanta, meaning Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be painted in red and black. In keeping with that theme, the Longhorns need to be able to run the ball and not put their quarterback(s) in tough situations. After falling behind in the first game, Texas was forced to throw 49 times. Quinn Ewers was sacked five times and Arch Manning two times. Texas’ pass protection could be even dicier in this game if star left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (ankle) can’t play or is limited. Clearly, Texas plans to use Manning situationally in the running game, which could help slow the Georgia pass rush.

On defense, Texas has surely scoured the tape from the Georgia-Ole Miss game. The Bulldogs couldn’t protect quarterback Carson Beck, who was sacked five times and threw an interception. Beck was held to 186 passing yards in that game. Texas has one of the top cornerbacks in the country, Jahdae Barron, and needs to find a way to force some turnovers and put Georgia in obvious passing situations. Beck has been turnover prone at times this season and was intercepted three times in the first game in Austin.

What does Georgia need to do to win? In both of its losses this season, Georgia was in a position where it had to come from behind, including getting down 28-0 at Alabama. The Bulldogs have long been one of the most physical teams in the country under Kirby Smart and need to be the most physical team on the field Saturday in Atlanta. That’s what was so disappointing about the 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs were bullied physically. So establishing the run game against the Longhorns and not allowing them to run it will be critical. The other obvious factor will be not giving Texas short fields with turnovers. Quarterback Beck had thrown 12 interceptions in the previous six games prior to the 31-17 win over Tennessee. He threw for 347 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Vols, and it’s that kind of efficiency the Bulldogs will need Saturday.

Georgia’s offensive line played its best game against Tennessee, which had not given up more than 19 points in a game coming into that contest. Giving Beck time to throw will be vital, especially because Texas has given up very few big plays on defense. The Longhorns rank first nationally in fewest plays from scrimmage allowed of 20 yards or longer (24) and 30 yards or longer (seven). Hitting some explosive plays down the field would help loosen up a Texas defense that has allowed more than 17 points only twice all season, one of those times in the 30-15 loss to Georgia. The Bulldogs have been excellent on special teams. Place-kicker Peyton Woodring has missed only two field goals, both from 50-plus yards, and punter Brett Thorson is a finalist for the Ray Guy Award. — Chris Low

What does Clemson need to do to win? The Tigers have been here many, many times before, making Charlotte a quasi-home away from home considering its two-hour proximity to campus and the fact they have won seven of the past nine ACC championship games. Their experience in this environment should give them an intangible edge, as SMU is playing in its first ACC title game. The last time the Tigers were here in 2022, Cade Klubnik came off the bench to replace DJ Uiagalelei, picked up championship game MVP honors in a 39-10 win over North Carolina and has firmly entrenched himself as the starter. This has been his best year yet, as he has thrown for 3,041 yards, 29 touchdowns and five interceptions. Clemson has had its most success when it finds the right balance between Klubnik and running back Phil Mafah, who has rushed for 1,078 yards. But more than that, Clemson must find a way to fix its run defense. In losses to Louisville and South Carolina, the Tigers allowed more than 200 yards rushing — uncharacteristic for a defense that prides itself on its strength up front.

What does SMU need to do to win? One ACC coach said Clemson has the better team, but SMU has done a terrific job being opportunistic. That part is undeniable. SMU has forced 21 turnovers and scored four defensive touchdowns, but maybe more impressive, the Mustangs are plus-77 in points scored off turnovers. So yes, they have done a great job at being opportunistic in this category. Coach Rhett Lashlee said the most important thing for his team to do to win is to not deviate from what has gotten it here — play physical, create turnovers and play loose and free on offense behind Kevin Jennings, who is 9-0 since he took over as the starter following Week 3. Brashard Smith has come on strong in the backfield, too, earning All-ACC honors after rushing for 1,157 yards and 14 touchdowns. SMU has not let any moment get too big for it this season, and that is partly because Jennings is as even-keel as they come. He led the team to the American Athletic Conference championship last year as an injury replacement for Preston Stone. The stage won’t be too big, but SMU will have to match Clemson’s physicality and force some turnovers to take home another championship. — Andrea Adelson

What does Oregon need to do to win? Played indoors at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Big Ten championship game often favors teams with superior speed. Oregon checks those boxes and can also match opponents at the line of scrimmage. The Ducks recorded their biggest win of the season against Ohio State by challenging the Buckeyes’ secondary with receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson, who combined for 14 receptions, 224 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon needs to force Penn State’s defensive backs to stop downfield passes.

The Ducks’ defensive line has held up very well against the run, allowing 81 rushing yards or fewer in five games. Oregon allowed explosive runs to Boise State‘s Ashton Jeanty and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and will need to limit Penn State’s talented tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State lacks the wide receiver threats that Ohio State had, but tight end Tyler Warren presents a major matchup problem for most defenses. Coach Dan Lanning and coordinator Tosh Lupoi must craft a plan to limit Warren.

What does Penn State need to do to win? Since the start of the 2023 season, Penn State leads the FBS in yards per rush allowed (2.66). The path to beating Oregon starts with stopping Jordan James, who averages 5.7 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns and, while not a burner, consistently gains yards. Penn State ideally wants to mimic what Wisconsin‘s defense did against the Ducks. The Badgers twice turned away Oregon in their own red zone and allowed only one play longer than 25 yards. Penn State must make Oregon work for its points and ideally play a low-possession game in which field position, takeaways and special teams become the difference.

The Lions also need innovation from offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who has been masterful in using Warren and getting more out of quarterback Drew Allar, despite some limitations at receiver. Penn State will need to generate some chunk plays against an Oregon defense that has been susceptible to them through the air. — Adam Rittenberg

What does Arizona State need to do to win? Iowa State’s defense allowed just 14.4 points per game in the Cyclones’ 7-0 start but is allowing 26.8 over its 3-2 finish. Jordyn Tyson, who leads the Sun Devils in targets, catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs, is out for the season with an injury, so finding room for running back Cam Skattebo is key. The Sun Devils have a big, experienced offensive line, and Skattebo had five games with more than 150 rushing yards, second only to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, despite missing a game because of a shoulder injury. Skattebo’s 42.5 receiving yards per game also ranks third among running backs.

Redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt has taken care of the ball all season, with 21 touchdowns to five INTs, but Iowa State has seven players who have combined for 14 picks, and without his favorite target, he’ll have to stay disciplined against an opportunistic defense.

What does Iowa State need to do to win? The Cyclones’ defense is second best nationally in pass completion percentage allowed, but it has struggled in key run statistics. They rank 112th in yards per carry allowed at 5.1, 114th in percentage of opponents runs that go five or more yards, and 121st in yards before contact. This is a concern against Skattebo, who is second nationally in forced missed tackles with 93, so they’ll have to get him on the ground.

Offensively, the Cyclones boast the only pair of 1,000-yard receivers in the FBS in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown a TD in 16 straight games, the longest such streak in school history. The Cyclones’ passing game struggled against Kansas State, with Becht going 13-of-35 for 137 yards, but he still threw two touchdowns in the 29-21 win to help Iowa State to its first 10-win season in school history. — Dave Wilson

What does Boise State need to do to win? It sounds simple, but the recipe for Boise continues to be the same: Give the ball to Ashton Jeanty and watch him go. Against UNLV, however, exactly how Jeanty fares will be particularly important. The Rebels were one of only a few teams able to somewhat contain the Heisman Trophy contender — he had 128 rushing yards (his second-lowest total on the season) and only one touchdown.

Still, Jeanty and Boise did enough to win their regular-season matchup, and it will be fascinating to watch the Rebels’ defense and Boise’s offensive line battle it out now that they have film on each other. Whoever can either move or halt the game’s biggest chess piece (Jeanty) most effectively will likely emerge with a victory and a conference title.

What does UNLV need to do to win? During that late October matchup, Jeanty’s explosiveness was stifled. His longest run of the night was 16 yards, by far his lowest for any game this season. If the Rebels want any chance to win this game and spoil the Broncos’ season, they’ll need to once again do the same, if not better. The good news is they have the personnel and the scheme to do it.

Defensive coordinator Michael Scherer has UNLV defending the run better than nearly anyone this season. The unit is ranked 10th in the country in run defense, allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game, and it has allowed only nine rushes of 20 yards or more (good for 16th overall). Jeanty met his match in October, yet still got his yards. If Scherer and Co. can replicate their performance, they should be in position to win. — Paolo Uggetti

Players to watch from each championship team

Clemson: LB Barrett Carter

A week ago, Clemson’s defense was stout — unless it came to stopping QB LaNorris Sellers. South Carolina’s battering ram of a QB is an exception to many rules, but SMU will present some similar problems. Kevin Jennings is a mobile quarterback, but he’s also more than capable of beating teams with his arm. Brashard Smith has made countless defenders look foolish this year. SMU’s slot receiver and tight end play have been strong. All of that is a lot of pressure on a talented linebacking corps for Clemson, led by Carter. SMU wants to stress a defense by forcing linebackers to make choices — knowing the Mustangs’ offense can beat a team multiple ways. But Carter’s a veteran, and he’s not fooled easily. — David Hale

SMU: S Isaiah Nwokobia

The first-team All-ACC linebacker has been a tackling machine for the Mustangs, racking up 91 stops to go with three picks, three pass breakups, two QB hurries and three tackles for loss. He’s versatile, consistent and fast — more than capable of helping in the run game but also holding up well in coverage. His ability to do a little of everything opens up options for SMU to get after QB Cade Klubnik, who has struggled against better defenses since taking over as QB1 in 2023. — Hale

Georgia: TB Nate Frazier

One of the best ways for Georgia to take pressure off quarterback Carson Beck is to establish a running game and open up the play-action passing game. In the teams’ first meeting, Georgia ran for 108 yards on 30 carries. That might not seem like much, but Texas was held to just 29 rushing yards after sacks. The Bulldogs might get back senior tailback Trevor Etienne, who has been battling a rib injury. Etienne was upgraded to questionable on Wednesday’s availability report. He ran for 87 yards with three touchdowns in the first meeting.

Freshman Nate Frazier has emerged as Georgia’s No. 1 tailback during his absence. Frazier ran for a career-high 136 yards with three touchdowns against UMass on Nov. 23, then scored the winning touchdown in the Bulldogs’ eight-overtime marathon against Georgia Tech last week. — Mark Schlabach

Texas: QB Quinn Ewers

Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers struggled against Georgia’s tenacious pass rush in the first meeting. Ewers was briefly benched in that game, but backup Arch Manning didn’t have much success, either. Georgia pressured the Texas quarterbacks on 23 of 59 dropbacks, and Ewers and Manning combined to complete 5 of 13 attempts for 46 yards when under duress. They were sacked seven times and lost three fumbles. Ewers has been battling a low-grade high ankle sprain the past few weeks. He was effective in last week’s 17-7 win at Texas A&M Aggies, throwing for 218 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Longhorns leaned heavily on their running game the past few weeks, but they can’t be one-dimensional against Georgia. Ewers is averaging 6.47 yards per attempt this season, which ranks 123rd out of 126 FBS quarterbacks, according to TruMedia. — Schlabach

Oregon: RB Jordan James

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is Oregon’s Heisman Trophy contender. But James is an underrated, yet critical, piece of the Ducks’ offense. He’s third in the Big Ten with 1,166 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns. In Oregon’s win over Ohio State on Oct. 12, James rushed for a game-high 125 yards, keeping the Buckeyes off balance. The Nittany Lions have a solid run defense, but Ohio State was able to pile up 176 rushing yards in its 20-13 win at Penn State last month. Likewise, Oregon can keep the Nittany Lions’ defense on its heels by remaining two-dimensional. — Jake Trotter

Penn State: DE Abdul Carter

The Ducks have allowed just 12 sacks, the second fewest in the Big Ten. They also have a sack-per-drop-back rate of just 2.9%, sixth lowest of all Power 4 teams. The Nittany Lions can’t allow Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel to sit back and pick them apart. Penn State boasts one of the most talented pass rushers in the country in Carter, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year who’s projected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Carter, who has 10 sacks, is fifth nationally with an edge pressure rate of 17.2%. Him getting in the face of Gabriel early and often will be paramount for the Nittany Lions. — Trotter

Arizona State: RB Cam Skattebo

As goes Skattebo, so does Arizona State. In ASU’s two losses — against Texas Tech and Cincinatti — Skattebo was held to 60 and 75 yards rushing, respectively. In the Sun Devils’ other games, he averaged 140.3 yards rushing, including 177 in the regular-season finale against rival Arizona. Six of Skattebo’s 17 rushing touchdowns came in the past two games as the Sun Devils finished strong to reach the title game. If he winds up on the ballots of a few Heisman Trophy voters, it won’t come as a surprise. — Kyle Bonagura

Iowa State: WR Jaylin Noel

Noel will leave Ames as one of the best receivers in school history, having caught a pass in 44 consecutive games. In four years, he has 231 catches for 2,670 yards — which ranks Nos. 2 and 4 on the school’s all-time lists. Noel’s 67 catches for 1,013 yards this season came playing alongside receiver Jayden Higgins (80 catches, 1,068 yards), which makes them one of the best receiving tandems in college football. Noel has made at least five catches in eight straight games and has made at least two catches in every game over the past two seasons. — Bonagura

Boise State: QB Maddux Madsen

Yes, all eyes will be on Jeanty as they should be, but Madsen’s role will only get more important as the stakes get higher. So far, the sophomore quarterback has been a more-than-capable game manager for the Broncos, but if UNLV can limit Jeanty or even simply knock him off his rhythm, then Madsen will need to step up. Against the Rebels in the regular season, Madsen threw the ball 33 times — tied for second most in a game this season. It’s likely he’ll have to do the same this time around, and 18 completions for 209 yards might not cut it. — Uggetti

UNLV: Wide receiver Ricky White

The senior wideout might be the most talented player on the field not named Ashton Jeanty. White has caught 75 passes for 1,000 yards this season and 11 touchdowns despite having a quarterback change from the outgoing Matthew Sluka to Hajj-Malik Williams earlier this season. Though Williams is more of a dual-threat quarterback who has shown his ability on the ground (he has three games of 100 rushing yards or more), White has continued to be the top target, averaging over 13 yards per catch and crossing the 100-yard mark five times. White is a playmaker, and given that he’s facing one of the worst passing defenses in the nation in Boise State, his production will go a long way toward getting UNLV the win. — Uggetti

Quotes of the Week

“We’re playing for a freaking championship. That’s not good. It’s great. We’re playing one of the best teams in the country, that’s playing with a lot of precision on both sides of the ball, and we’re going to have to play our best football. We’ve not done that yet,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “But you know what? It ain’t too late to play our best football. Hopefully we can find a way to get that done this week and hold that trophy up.”

“We want to be a team that year in, year out, is viewed as a team that has a chance to compete to get to Charlotte. That’s what Clemson is every year. Everybody knows that if you want to win the championship, probably to some degree, you’re going to have to go through them,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “We came into this season knowing that we wanted to just prove we belonged, and I think our guys have done that, and this is just another opportunity to see where we stand, see how we measure up against the team that has set that standard.”

“Absolutely not. Ashton Jeanty is the best football player in the country. For me, if you’re one of the best players in the country, you play in the championship game.” — Boise State coach Spencer Danielson on whether the Heisman race is over after Colorado‘s Deion Sanders declared it over in favor of Travis Hunter.

“Great competitors, they don’t care. We can play in the parking lot. It don’t matter.” — UNLV coach Barry Odom on the potential of his team playing in inclement weather in Boise.

“Obviously, there’s benefit to having more time to prepare for an opponent, and you should have a benefit if you go and win your conference championship game. So there’s definitely a huge advantage there of putting yourself a step closer to the end-all goal.” — Oregon coach Dan Lanning

“Being from PA, Penn State, seeing that game from 2016, them winning a championship, I always imagined being in that moment, trying to win a Big Ten championship. So being in that exact moment right now just feels good. Just got to go out there and win it.” — Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton

“I think he’s one of the most real people in the sport. I mean, you see the passion, emotion on the sideline. … It’s not fake, it’s real,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said of Matt Campbell and Iowa State. “When I was at Auburn, I had the ability to go study at one program in the country. I had two days. At that time, coach [Gus] Malzahn would let you go and study with the team … and I chose to go visit Iowa State. That was the program that I wanted to study from because I thought that they were overachieving at that time early in his career at a high level before he had built it up. Now he’s built it up.”

“It’s not payback. We have it in the back of our minds what they did to us. We have respect for them, but we don’t fear them.” — Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron