College Football Conference Championship Saturday is played on Saturday 5 December 2026, with the Power Four conference title games and several Group of Five championships concluding the 2026 regular season. The results of the day directly determine the top automatic berths and at-large seedings in the 12-team College Football Playoff, making Championship Saturday one of the most consequential days on the American sporting calendar.
What is Conference Championship Saturday?
Conference Championship Saturday is the final day of the college football regular season, when the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, American, Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt and MAC stage their conference title games. Each championship is contested between the two best teams from the respective conference, determined by win-loss record across the regular-season schedule and, where applicable, a division or strength-of-schedule tiebreaker system. The Big 12 Championship Game is traditionally held on Friday night, 4 December 2026, while the ACC, Big Ten, SEC and most remaining conferences play their finals on Saturday.
Under the 12-team College Football Playoff format introduced in 2024, the five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids, with the four highest-ranked of those earning first-round byes. Seven at-large spots round out the field. Championship Saturday results can therefore vault a team from playoff bubble to a top-four seed, or push a previously favoured side out of the bracket entirely. The CFP selection committee reveals its final rankings the following day, traditionally referred to as Selection Sunday.
How Championship Saturday works
Championship Saturday kicks off in the early afternoon Eastern time with the ACC Championship Game, which for 2026 moves to a noon ET start at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Big Ten Championship Game follows in late afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The SEC Championship Game, traditionally the marquee evening game, takes place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Group of Five championships, including the American Conference Championship and Mountain West Championship, are interleaved through the schedule and played at the higher-seeded team’s home venue.
When is Conference Championship Saturday?
Conference Championship Saturday is played on Saturday 5 December 2026. The ACC Championship kicks off at noon ET on ABC. The Big Ten Championship Game follows in mid-afternoon, with the SEC Championship Game in the primetime window. The Big 12 Championship Game is held the evening of Friday 4 December at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Group of Five championship kick-off times vary by conference and network. Selection Sunday for the 12-team College Football Playoff follows on Sunday 6 December, when the final rankings and bracket are revealed by the CFP selection committee.
Where are the championship games played?
The SEC Championship Game is held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Falcons, with a capacity of around 71,000 for football. The Big Ten Championship Game is played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the Indianapolis Colts. The ACC Championship Game moves between Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and other host venues, with Charlotte confirmed for 2026. The Big 12 Championship Game is hosted at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Group of Five championships are played at the higher-seeded qualifier’s home stadium, with venues rotating year to year.
Key Contenders
SEC Championship participants are drawn from the deepest conference in college football, with Georgia, Alabama, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida among the usual contenders. Big Ten title game participants traditionally come from the Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon tier after the conference’s 2024 expansion to include USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. ACC Championship regulars include Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Louisville. The Big 12 Championship Game features two of its top finishers, with Texas Tech, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Utah among the modern contenders. Boise State and Liberty have headlined recent Group of Five title races alongside Tulane and Memphis from the American Conference.
How to Watch
In the United States, the five Power conference championships are broadcast across ABC, ESPN, Fox, FS1, CBS and ABC/ESPN depending on the conference’s media partnership. The SEC Championship Game airs on ABC and ESPN. The Big Ten Championship Game is on CBS. The ACC Championship moves to ABC for 2026. The Big 12 Championship Game is on ABC or ESPN. Group of Five championships are distributed across ABC, ESPN and CBS Sports Network. Streaming is available through ESPN+, Paramount+, Fox Sports and the Disney bundle. International viewers can subscribe to ESPN Player in Europe, ESPN international feeds in Latin America, and DAZN carries selected games in parts of Asia. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sky Sports holds the primary rights package.
History and Records
Conference championship games became a defining feature of college football when the SEC launched the first modern title game in 1992, pitting division winners against each other for the conference crown. The Big 12 followed in 1996, the ACC in 2005, and the Big Ten in 2011. Conference title games were a central factor in the old Bowl Championship Series and a mainstay of the four-team College Football Playoff era from 2014 to 2023. Under the 12-team format, conference titles now double as automatic-berth qualifiers in the expanded bracket. Alabama has won the most SEC titles in the championship-game era, while Ohio State leads the Big Ten. Clemson has been the dominant ACC program since the championship game’s inception.
Recent Championship Saturday results have routinely reshaped the playoff picture. In 2023, Michigan’s Big Ten title game win propelled the Wolverines to the national championship. In 2024, the first year of the 12-team bracket, conference championship outcomes across the Power Four conferences directly set the first-round matchups and top four seeds. The same dynamic is expected to define the 2026 playoff, with multiple teams entering Championship Saturday needing a single result to secure or earn a berth.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets for the five Power conference championships are sold through each conference’s ticketing platform and the host venue’s box office, with priority going to season-ticket holders and official conference member allocations. SEC Championship Game tickets in Atlanta sell out nearly every year and carry some of the steepest secondary-market premiums in college football, regularly exceeding $500 per seat for upper deck and climbing into four figures for lower bowl. Big Ten Championship tickets at Lucas Oil Stadium follow a similar pattern. Group of Five championship tickets are generally more affordable and often available directly through the higher-seeded team’s ticket office. Hospitality packages and premium suites are available through official conference partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Conference Championship Saturday 2026?
Saturday 5 December 2026, with the Big 12 Championship Game on Friday 4 December 2026.
Where are the championship games held?
The SEC Championship is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Big Ten at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, ACC at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and Big 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
How can I watch the championship games?
ABC, CBS, ESPN and Fox in the US, Sky Sports in the UK, and ESPN Player internationally.
How do the games affect the College Football Playoff?
The five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids to the 12-team CFP, with the top four conference champions receiving first-round byes.
When is Selection Sunday 2026?
Sunday 6 December 2026, the day after Championship Saturday, when the CFP selection committee reveals the final rankings and bracket.