Conference football races winding down

Ask any college football coach or player at the start of the season what the No. 1 goal is and the all-but-inevitable answer is “Win the conference.”

It’s a safe cliché and not quite as exciting as saying, “National championship or bust,” but it’s the truth. It’s the one thing in major college football that is decided solely on what happens on the field – last year’s three-way tie in the Big 12 South being the exception to the rule.

With less than a month left in the season, here’s a look at the conference races and where they are headed.

ACC

No. 7 Georgia Tech (Coastal) and No. 24 Clemson (Atlantic) control the division races and have manageable schedules.

Big East

The Big East doesn’t have a conference championship game, but No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 8 Pittsburgh on Dec. 5 is shaping up to be just that – provided West Virginia doesn’t blow up those plans.

Big Ten

Simple: No. 15 Iowa and No. 10 Ohio State play for the league title Saturday in Columbus. The winner gets a Rose Bowl bid.

Big 12

Only a major meltdown will keep Texas out of the conference title game, where the Longhorns will face whatever sacrificial lamb wins the Big 12 North.

Conference USA

Houston (West) and East Carolina (East) lead the races to the conference championship game.

MAC

Who’s pumped for that Temple-Central Michigan conference title game? Not so fast. Northern Illinois could take out CMU in the West and Ohio can catch the Owls in the East.

MOUNTAIN WEST

No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU on Saturday could all but decide the conference title and the Horned Frogs’ BCS fate.

Pac-10

It’s a potential mess, with five teams in the running. As for potential BCS at-large picks, all you need to know is this: If USC finishes 10-2, they’re practically a lock to get into the BCS.

SEC

The simplest of them all – sort of. Undefeated and No. 1 Florida vs. undefeated and No. 3 Alabama play for the SEC title on Dec. 5 and a spot in the national championship game.