All 10 FBS conferences now have championship games, with the Sun Belt joining the fray this year as the last to adopt the format. Out of those 10 games, only the Big 12 title game does not pit division winners against each other. Six of the 10 games are rematches, and the team that won the earlier meeting is now favored in all but the Oklahoma-Texas matchup.
Four of the 10 games feature double-digit favorites, and the four most competitive spreads are all in Group of 5 leagues. Six games are played at neutral sites, while four are hosted at campus sites. Only one game is a rematch of last year's conference championship game, and only one (besides the new Sun Belt game) features two conference title game debutants.
Each team's rank via AP Poll.
MAC championship game (22nd year)
Ford Field, Detroit
Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Buffalo Bulls (-3) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
Total: 49.5
The history: Underdogs are 13-8 and unders are 11-10 in the second-oldest conference championship game. This is the first MAC championship game since the 2014 edition with a spread of less than two touchdowns.
The season: Buffalo is 10-2 with losses to Ohio and Army and is 9-3 against the spread. Northern Illinois is just 7-5 straight up and 6-6 ATS, but the Huskies built plenty of character with a rugged nonconference schedule of Iowa, Utah, Florida State and BYU.
The matchup: The game pits the