That means, barring an upset in Saturday's ACC championship game between Clemson and SMU, Alabama might be headed back to the CFP for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons -- despite losing three times under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer -- while the Hurricanes get left out of the first 12-team tournament.

There is big movement in the final College Football Playoff ranking before the conference championships and Dan Wolken is here to break it down.

In the final College Football Playoff bracket projection before Sunday’s reveal, the Crimson Tide would face the Fighting Irish in the first round. The Hurricanes sit just outside the 12-team field.

Here’s a look at the showdowns coming up in the Power Four and Group of Five. All championship games are on Dec. 7 except in the American Athletic, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Dec. 6. No. 9 SMU (11-1, 8-0 ACC, No. 9 CFP) vs. No. 12 Clemson (9-3, 7-1, No. 12 CFP) at Charlotte, North Carolina, 8 p.m. ET on ABC

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers are one win away from returning to the College Football Playoff as ACC champions for the first time since 2020. Standing in their way is an SMU Mustangs program in their first season in the conference.

Clemson will face off against SMU in the 2024 ACC Championship Game this weekend. Here’s how the oddsmakers are predicting the matchup. SMU completed a perfect