Takeaways from every 2025 college football conference championship

It's been a long regular season, but the College Football Playoff field is now set.

Conference championship weekend's results certainly had a major impact on the 12-team bracket, perhaps most notably the fact that the Indiana Hoosiers now hold the No. 1 seed after winning the Big Ten for the first time in nearly 60 years over defending national champion Ohio State.

However, the most influential result came in Charlotte, as Duke took down Virginia to win the ACC at 8-5. The five-loss Blue Devils ultimately did not make it into the field, while Sun Belt champion James Madison secured the fifth automatic bid as two Group of Five teams have made the CFP for the first time.

That's only scratching the surface of the chaos that unfolded during a wild conference championship weekend. Here are the takeaways from each title game.

American Championship — Tulane 34, North Texas 31

Tulane:

The Green Wave were home dogs in this game, but a defense that had struggled for much of the season absolutely stonewalled the No. 1 offense in the FBS, forcing a trio of interceptions from UNT quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Tulane was outgained here but ultimately won the turnover battle 5-0 and did enough on offense to build a big lead and sit on it. While it was a quiet day at the office from quarterback Jake Retzlaff, the Green Wave ran for 199 yards with Jamauri McClure leading the way with 121 and a touchdown. Tulane punched its ticket to the CFP, where it will get another crack at an Ole Miss team that dominated it back in September in a 45-10 win.

North Texas:

Like the Green Wave, the Mean Green is losing its head coach in 2026. Unlike Tulane, however, there will be no dream ending in the CFP here. North Texas' offense was unstoppable all year until Friday night in New Orleans, and though the Mean Green defense took a major step forward with new coordinator Skyler Cassity, it couldn't overcome the offense's turnover frenzy. UNT had a pretty manageable schedule, and its loss to South Florida perhaps should have clued us in on the fact that it was not quite up to the challenge of taking down the class of the American.

Sun Belt Championship — James Madison 31, Troy 14

James Madison:

James Madison was perhaps a bigger Duke fan than even Duke fans on Saturday night, and thanks to its Sun Belt title win over Troy and the Blue Devils' win over UVA, the Dukes are heading to the College Football Playoff. They were huge favorites in this game, and though they ultimately won by 17, things were a bit dicey before they pulled away late. JMU ultimately ran for over 300 yards, but it won't be able to do that against Oregon. An inefficient passing day from Alonza Barnett, who completed just 10 of 25 passes for 93 yards with an interception, was a bit concerning. James Madison needs to play much better if it hopes to pull off a CFP upset.

Troy:

All things considered, the Trojans fared far better than many expected. They entered the game as a more than three touchdown underdog, but they trailed just 17-14 entering the fourth quarter before a couple of late JMU touchdowns put things away. Troy ultimately just didn't have enough offensively, as Goose Crowder completed just 15 of 34 passes, while between sacks and zero rushing game, the Trojans totaled -26 yards on the ground. Between that and a run defense that gave up more than seven yards per carry on more than 40 attempts, the upset just wasn't going to happen here.

Conference USA Championship — Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15

Kennesaw State:

The Owls lost to Jacksonville State late in the regular season, but they got the last laugh in the Conference USA title game. Unlike the first matchup, which featured 61 combined points, this was a low-scoring affair. Kennesaw got a masterful game from quarterback Amari Odom, who won the MVP award after completing 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. The Owls' defense also did its job. Though it allowed more than 100 yards on the ground to quarterback Caden Creel — more than he managed through the air — it held FBS rushing leader Cam Cook to just 78 yards and 4.1 yards per carry.

Jacksonville State:

It's a disappointing result to lose a game you won the first time, especially with the offense still managing more than 200 yards on the ground despite a relatively pedestrian outing from Cook. Still, coach Charles Kelly deserves a lot of credit for what he accomplished in Year 1. He had to rebuild nearly the entire roster from last year's conference title-winning team, and the Gamecocks still almost ran it back. They're likely poised to be a perennial contender in this league moving forward.

Mountain West Championship — Boise State 38, UNLV 21

Boise State:

Even in a season that has been by all metrics a major disappointment, Boise State is still the class of the Mountain West. The Broncos proved it by beating UNLV for the second time in Maddux Madsen's return to the field for the first time in more than a month. It was a big return as he threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, while Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines led a 171-yard rushing performance. The star of the show was the defense, though, as it held UNLV's explosive offense completely in check with 14 of its 21 points coming in the second quarter.

UNLV:

It seems Dan Mullen's offensive scheme is simply no match for the physicality of Boise State. The Broncos dominated UNLV in the trenches once again, and it was difficult for Anthony Collandrea and the offense to get much of anything going. Mullen's squad moved the ball, totaling more than 400 yards, but it couldn't overcome a 28-14 halftime deficit. UNLV's defense, which had been a limiting factor all season, was gashed on the ground and through the air by Boise State as a good Year 1 for Mullen ended disappointingly.

Big 12 Championship — Texas Tech 34, BYU 7

Texas Tech:

The Red Raiders' second win over BYU played out in about as dominant a fashion as their first as they captured their first-ever Big 12 title. Texas Tech's defense once again came to play, holding the Cougars to just 200 yards and forcing a couple of ugly, game-changing interceptions from Bear Bachmeier early when the game was still close. BYU was held scoreless after the first quarter, and the Red Raiders got enough from Behren Morton, who was efficient and threw a couple of touchdowns, while the run game eclipsed 150 yards. No one in the Big 12 could match up to Texas Tech at full strength. Now, how will Joey McGuire's team fare in the CFP, where it has a first-round bye?

BYU:

An 11-2 season is nothing to scoff at, but unfortunately, the committee bounced the Cougars from the field after the loss to Texas Tech, which was the only team to defeat Kalani Sitake's group this season. Bachmeier once again looked like a freshman against this unrelenting Texas Tech front, which may be the nation's best, and the Cougars couldn't hang around in what was a six-point game at halftime.

MAC Championship — Western Michigan 23, Miami (OH) 14

Western Michigan:

Western Michigan led the way in the MAC all season, and they were ultimately crowned champions in large part thanks to a monstrous, 286-yard rushing performance. Jalen Buckley led the way with 193 yards himself, and the RedHawks managed just 272 yards on the Broncos' defense. To make the victory even sweeter, coach Lance Taylor reportedly agreed to an extension Monday to stay at Western Michigan.

Miami:

It was another admirable coaching job from Chuck Martin to get Miami to the MAC championship, but this team's hopes likely ended when starting quarterback Dequan Finn opted out last month to prepare for the NFL draft. Henry Hesson and Thomas Gotkowski combined to complete just 14 of 38 passes in this game, though the quarterback situation can't be blamed for allowing 286 yards on 56 carries from Western Michigan.

SEC Championship — Georgia 28, Alabama 7

Georgia:

The Bulldogs avenged their lone loss of the season, making easy work of Kalen DeBoer's Alabama. UGA ran for 141 yards while quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 20 of 26 passes and threw for three touchdowns. Kirby Smart's defense absolutely smothered a struggling and depleted Alabama run game, which totaled negative yardage thanks to Ty Simpson's sacks. It also didn't let Simpson get in rhytm passing as he completed just 19 of 39 attempts. It's a bit of a surprise that Georgia didn't supplant Ohio State as the No. 2 seed in the CFP field.

Alabama:

Despite many calls for it, the Tide were not ultimately snubbed from the field despite taking their third loss and having their best win counteracted. Still, the result against Georgia raises a lot of questions about this team's viability in the CFP. Alabama's run game has been its Achilles heel, and that cost it gravely in this game. Its defense came to play, for the most part, but the book is now out on how to beat this team. If Simpson doesn't play much better in the postseason, DeBoer's first trip to the CFP could be a short one.

Big Ten Championship — Indiana 13, Ohio State 10

Indiana:

The Hoosiers' two-year run under Curt Cignetti has a case for being the greatest coaching job in modern college football history, and it culminated with IU's first Big Ten title since 1967. Indiana's offense had its share of struggles against the mighty Ohio State defense, but its own defense bowed up against the run and didn't allow Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and friends to beat it through the air, though the Buckeyes had their fair share of success. Fernando Mendoza became the Heisman favorite, and his Heisman moment came with a late deep ball to put the game away. Now, we must legitimately ask ourselves if Indiana is the national title favorite.

Ohio State:

The Buckeyes' quest to repeat as national champions is very much still on, and while it was a disappointing loss, it should not cause us to rethink this entire team. The offense played well, it just couldn't make enough plays to win, even though the defense did more than enough to do so. Ohio State is still searching for its first Big Ten title since 2020, which is hard to believe, but a far greater prize is still on the table for Ryan Day's team.

ACC Championship — Duke 27, Virginia 20

Duke:

For everyone praying for chaos on championship Saturday, they got it with this result. The Blue Devils ultimately played spoiler for the ACC championship, missing the playoff with five losses while still capturing their first conference title since 1989. Darian Mensah took care of business while Nate Sheppard had a big day on the ground, and it was enough to shake up the entire field as James Madison made the CFP as a second Group of Five team. However, it didn't cost the ACC a spot in the playoff as Notre Dame was bumped for Miami in the final rankings.

Virginia:

This has still been an amazing season for the Cavaliers and Tony Elliott, who should be the national coach of the year for his efforts. Still, losing to a team you beat just weeks ago to cost you a spot in the CFP is a brutal way for it to end. The Cavaliers could find themselves back here in a wide-open ACC, but it will be tough to not dwell on what could have been.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: College Football: 2025 conference championship game takeaways