Conference championship weekend is here in college football and we have a loaded slate of marquee matchups to take in this weekend. The College Football Playoff field will be released on Sunday, but there are about eight teams still in the running to make it, and only four will survive. Not only will we find out who makes the CFP, but we will also find out which group of five team finished with the best ranking to earn them in a bid in a New Year's Six bowl. The AAC championship between Tulane football and SMU football will be huge in that regard. The 22nd ranked Green Wave come in with an 11-1 record, and the Mustangs are coming in 10-2. Will Tulane keep the highest ranking, or will SMU pull the off the upset.

A lot of times in college football, we see a group of five school stay undefeated for a long time and they start to get near the top 10 of the rankings. That wasn't the case this season. Almost every group of five school suffered their first loss fairly early in the season, and because that, none of them are ranked very highly. Liberty football is still undefeated, but they haven't been ranked very high this season and Tulane has a better shot to get that coveted New Year's Six game. A win against SMU should lock up that bid.

SMU football is also knocking on the door, and if they win, things are going to get very interesting. The Mustangs aren't ranked in the CFP rankings, but they are #25 in the AP Poll. If they win and Liberty wins, it's going to be very interesting to see who ends up getting the higher ranking. For Tulane, however, the job is simple: win the AAC Championship and go to a New Year's Six bowl game. As a group of five team, that's just about the best result you can ask for in a season. Here are three predictions for the massive title game.

Preston Stone will throw three touchdown passes

SMU football quarterback Preston Stone might up being the difference in this game. He's been slinging the ball this year and he finished the regular season with 3,197 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He is one of the best QBs in the AAC, and if the Mustangs are going to get a win in this game, he is going to have to step up. I think he rises to the occasion and has one of the best games of the season. Expect a big performance from Mr. Stone.

Preston Stone will throw for 325+ yards

I'm going all in on Stone in this one. There are definitely some parts of this matchup that Tulane has the upper hand in, but I don't think the quarterback position is one of them. SMU football knows that, and they're going to do their best to use it to their advantage. Expect the Mustangs to be pass first on offense, and expect Stone to rack up passing yards in this game. He is going to need to be efficient, and he is going to need to make the big plays when they present themself. I think he will be able to do both of those things.

SMU will pull off the upset

Don't be surprised at all if SMU comes in and wins this matchup. Tulane is the team with one less loss and the ranking next to their name, but people forget that SMU is also undefeated in AAC conference play and that their only two losses came against Big 12 teams. The difference between these two teams is that SMU played two power five schools in the non-conference, and Tulane only played one. If the Green Wave had played two, they would likely also be 10-2 and unranked. The spread currently favors Tulane by 3.5, but I'm taking SMU to get to the win.

This is going to be one of many terrific matchups this weekend, and SMU has a chance to make things very difficult on the College Football Playoff rankings committee. This should be a fun one. SMU and Tulane will kick off at 3:00 ET on Saturday from Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, and the game will be airing on ABC.