College Football: Conference Crowns at Stake

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It's conference championship weekend in college football, but how much is really at stake in terms of the national championship game?

The only possible way that No. 1 LSU (12-0) won't meet No. 2 Alabama (11-1) in New Orleans next month is if the Tigers find a way to lose to No. 14 Georgia (10-2) in the SEC championship game Saturday night in Atlanta. That right there could be the boost the Bulldogs need for an upset -- they're playing in their home state.

But even if LSU were to lose, that doesn't mean they still couldn't eke out a spot in the BCS title game. If anything, it could mean LSU drops to No. 2 and Alabama moves to No. 1.

Of course, the other conference championship games aren't meaningless, because the four other BCS bowl bids are at stake, starting with the first Pac-12 championship playoff game in which unranked UCLA (6-6) travels to No. 9 Oregon (10-2) this evening for a Rose Bowl bid.

USC, which beat Oregon in the regular season and UCLA 50-0 last week, was ineligible because of recruiting violations to represent the Pac-12 South, so their city rival the Bruins got to go.

The first Big Ten title game, in Indianapolis, features No. 13 Michigan State (10-2) vs. No. 15 Wisconsin (10-2) for the other Rose Bowl spot.

The Big 12 doesn't have a championship game this season because it has only nine teams, but it does have the Bedlam game -- No. 10 Oklahoma (9-2) at No. 3 Oklahoma State (10-1) for a Fiesta Bowl spot.

No. 5 Virginia Tech (11-1) and No. 20 Clemson (9-3) will vie for the ACC championship in Charlotte, N.C., and an Orange Bowl berth.

The Big East champ is yet to be determined, but No. 23 West Virginia (9-3) may have sealed it with a 30-27 thriller over South Florida Thursday evening. The Big East winner goes to the Orange Bowl.

And No. 6 Houston (12-0), the only undefeated team other than LSU, will play No. 24 Southern Mississippi (10-2) for the Conference USA crown, with the Cougars going for an at-large BCS bid. That could possibly be in the Sugar Bowl this year because two SEC teams will likely be in the national title game.

The Corner's season picks record stands at 36-26 (.580) after a stellar 4-1 week last week. Let's take a look at the games in depth.