Conference Championship Week: Previewing the Top College Football Games on Sling
The Conference Championship games are here. Here’s a preview and how to watch with Sling.
When the new 12-team college football playoff structure was announced, some folks in the sport believed that conference championships would lose importance. In some cases they’re right. According to the ESPN predictor tool, eight teams currently have over a 96% chance to get in the College Football Playoff. In the Big Ten and the SEC championships, the result of the games only matter for the history books, pride and seeding, as the loser will still likely make the College Football Playoff. But in the Big 12, ACC, and Mountain West conference championships, those games have ‘win and get in’ implications. With so many moving pieces, we’ll spare you the details, but the important thing to understand is that these games still very much do matter and as the great Herm Edwards once said, “you play to win the game.”
Here are the 2024 Conference Championship games and how to watch the games on Sling. The Big Ten Championship between Oregon and Penn State will be played on CBS, which is not available on Sling. To watch the Ducks and Nittany Lions you will need either an over the air antenna or Paramount+. As for the Conference USA title between Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State, Sling does not carry CBS Sports Network.
Remember, you can watch plenty of college football with Sling. Follow this link for more information on how to watch college football with Sling TV, and subscribe to Sling Orange + Blue with Sports Extras to get the most football Sling has to offer. Now let’s dive into the Conference Championship games in the 2024 college football season.
Conference Championships on Sling:
Mountain West Championship: #20 UNLV at #10 Boise State
Friday, Dec. 6 at 8:00pm ET on FOX
https://youtu.be/kEST4UOc6Hc?si=gZ6A3RBI5pABY2V5
What to know: The festivities will kick off with an especially fun matchup in the Mountain West. With a playoff spot in the line, this is probably the biggest group of five conference championship game of all time. These two teams faced each other six weeks ago in an Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, where Boise outscored UNLV 6-0 in the fourth quarter to win by five. UNLV held Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty to a season low 3.9 yards per carry, but the bellcow still rattled off 128 yards and a touchdown. UNLV head coach Barry Odom will be a hot name in the coaching carousel, especially if he can get a win on the blue turf. Mark this one down as a much watch.
How to Watch: FOX is available with a subscription to Sling Blue in select markets.
American Athletic Championship: Tulane vs #24 Army
Friday, Dec. 6 at 8:00pm ET on ESPN3/ ABC
What to know: Going into last weekend, Tulane had an outside shot at the College Football Playoff and hosting the AAC Championship. But a 34-24 home loss to Memphis slashed Jon Sumrall’s hopes to crash the party. Sumrall’s name will also be thrown around coaching vacancies, despite this only being his first year in New Orleans. As for Army, despite being 10-1, the road to the playoff is not zero, but it’s close to it. Realistically, both teams are playing for hardware and Army will look to keep things going before its big matchup with Navy in two weeks.
How to Watch: ESPN3 is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue. ABC is available with a subscription to Sling Blue in select markets.
Big 12 Championship: #16 Iowa State vs #15 Arizona State
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 12:00pm ET on ESPN3/ ABC
https://youtu.be/uz7DerIjEgE?si=65jbcPpzzECESZY8
What to know: Going into the final weekend of the season, six teams had a chance to make it to the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas. In the end, the matchup will be a clash between Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State Sun Devils and Matt Campbell’s Iowa State Cyclones. Similar to Boise State/UNLV, this is a win-and-get-in game. ASU is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won five straight games behind of QB Sam Leavitt and RB Cam Skattebo. WR Jordyn Tyson has been ruled out with an undisclosed injury which is a big blow to the Sun Devils. Iowa State will look to slow the pace of the game, but they’ll need to shore up its iffy run defense, which is ranked 99th in the country. ASU was picked by many to finish last in the conference in the pre-season and now could win the Big 12 in its first season since leaving the Pac-12.
How to Watch: ESPN3 is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue. ABC is available with a subscription to Sling Blue in select markets.
MAC Championship: Ohio vs Miami (Ohio)
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4:00 ET on ESPN
The MAC championship might not have CFP implications, but it is still an in-state battle for a conference championship. Ohio’s only conference loss of the season came at the hands of the Redhawks, so there is a revenge factor at play in this one. Ohio QB Parker Navarro struggled in the previous matchup, while Miami (Ohio) QB Brett Gabbert (brother of Missouri and former NFL QB Blaine Gabbert) thrived.
How to Watch: ESPN is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue.
SEC Championship: #5 Georgia vs #2 Texas
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4:00 ET on ESPN3/ ABC
https://youtu.be/nNCwIsHbP1U?si=-PJzaSWE0HKng6nE
What to know: With both teams pretty much guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff, this game is for SEC glory and a first-round bye. The matchup in Austin back in October feels like ages ago, especially seeing how both of these teams have played since then. Georgia has been consistently inconsistent, while Texas has slowly but surely gotten better, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In their first game, Georgia’s defense had their best performance of the season and the offense rode running back Trevor Etienne’s three touchdowns. But Etienne will likely miss his fourth straight game and the defense has not looked the same since. The Bulldogs needed a huge comeback and eight overtimes to beat Georgia Tech, but will come into this one as underdogs once again. Texas is looking to win the SEC in its first year in the conference.
How to Watch: ESPN3 is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue. ABC is available with a subscription to Sling Blue in select markets.
Sun Belt Championship: Marshall vs Louisiana
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30pm ET on ESPN
The Sun Belt, or, as we call it, the ‘Fun Belt’ Championship is between two teams who did not meet in conference play. Both Marshall and Louisiana finished the season 7-1, but the Ragin’ Cajuns were the most consistent team in the conference. Since the Sun Belt split into divisions in 2018, the home team of the conference title has won every game (5-0). But don’t count the Thundering Herd out, as they clawed their way out of a 17-0 hole vs James Madison last week to win in overtime.
How to Watch: ESPN is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue.
ACC Championship: #17 Clemson vs #8 SMU
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4:00 ET on ESPN3/ ABC
https://youtu.be/kPtnnAhAdL8?si=sVf0WWFb5G4Xiy_f
What to know: The ACC Championship is another ‘win and get in’ scenario. The SMU Mustangs took the conference by storm behind coach Rhett Lashley and QB Kevin Jennings. Clemson on the other hand has had an up and down season that culminated in a nonconference loss to rival South Carolina last weekend. But thanks to Miami’s loss to Syracuse, Clemson snuck into the title game and now has a path to the playoff. SMU could still possibly get an at-large bid with a loss, but it’s unlikely. None of the top three teams in the conference have a win over the selection committee's top 25.
How to Watch: ESPN3 is available with a subscription to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue. ABC is available with a subscription to Sling Blue in select markets.
College Football on Sling
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How to watch College Football with Sling:
- College Football Games on ESPN or ESPN2: You can watch college football games on ESPN with Sling Orange, as that package has ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 (ABC).
- College Football Games on ABC (All ABC games simulcast on ESPN3): You can watch college football games on ABC with Sling Orange, as all college football games played on ABC will be simulcast on ESPN3.
- College Football Games on FOX or FS1: Sling has FOX in the Sling Blue package in certain markets. Those markets are: Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Seattle, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Washington, DC. FS1 games are included with the Sling Blue package.
- College Football Games on NBC: Sling has NBC in the Sling Blue package in certain markets. Those markets are:Chicago, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Hartford/New Haven, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Washington, DC and San Diego. If you do not live in these areas, you can also watch by subscribing to Peacock.
- College Football Games on CBS: Sling does not carry CBS, but you can watch games on CBS with an OTA Antenna or subscribing to Paramount+ for $11.99 a month.
- College Football Games on SEC Network and ACC Network: To watch games on SEC Network, you will need Sling Orange plus the Sports extra pack.
- College Football Games on Big Ten Network: To watch games on Big Ten Network, you will need Sling Blue plus the Sports extra pack.