The first season of major conference expansion has produced an intriguing set of championship games this week, and not just because they'll determine which teams get automatic bids and first-round byes in the College Football Playoff.

Sion James scored a season-high 22 points, and Tulane held off 10th-ranked Memphis 81-79 to hand the Tigers their second straight loss.

Kevin Cross of Tulane is The Associated Press national player of the week after having consecutive triple-doubles against Furman and Southern last week.

Kevin Jennings threw a touchdown pass and accounted for 266 yards from scrimmage in his first career start, Collin Rogers kicked four second-half field goals and No. 25 SMU beat No. 17 Tulane 26-14 on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

It's not easy picking a preseason Top 25.

Georgia is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college football poll, becoming the 12th back-to-back national champion in the history of the rankings after routing TCU.

Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State are the top four teams in the final Associated Press college football poll of the regular season.

Three key takeaways from the state’s football scene this past weekend -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.

Three key takeaways from the state’s football scene this past weekend -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.

The administrators in charge of the College Football Playoff plan to meet again on Dec. 1 to continue expansion talks, which need to reach a consensus by the end of the year if a new postseason format is to be implemented for the 2024 season.

Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns and No. 2 Cincinnati remained unbeaten with a 31-12 victory over struggling Tulane.

The No. 14-ranked Miami Hurricanes open the season against No. 1 Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on Local 10. Clemson-Georgia and Notre Dame-Florida State are also featured on opening weekend ABC coverage.

There will be no separation in this week’s Local10.com college football picks. 2 Ohio State is a prohibitive favorite against Penn State, but don’t discount the Nittany Lions. 2 Ohio State in 2016, knocking the Buckeyes from the ranks of the unbeaten. Those Buckeyes went on to make the College Football Playoff. That’s where the Hurricanes will try to keep their winning streak going against FIU, coached by former Hurricanes head honcho Butch Davis.

Tulane running back Darius Bradwell runs past Florida International linebacker Jamal Gates as the Green Wave defeated the Panthers 42-14, Aug. 29, 2019, in New Orleans. NEW ORLEANS - Justin McMillan passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns and Tulane piled up another 350 yards on the ground in a 42-14 season-opening victory over Florida International on Thursday night. The Green Wave had even more success on the ground, with Darius Bradwell gaining 90 yards, Corey Dauphine 76 and McMillan 51. AP Photo/Matthew Hinton Florida International quarterback James Morgan drops back to pass against Tulane during a 42-14 season-opening loss to the Green Wave, Aug. 29, 2019, in New Orleans. The Panthers managed little on the ground, with Anthony Jones gaining 48 of his team's 59 total rushing yards.

Local 10 sports reporter Clay Ferraro has an early lead on the rest of the group leading into the first full weekend of college football. Clay was the only person to pick Florida to beat Miami last Saturday in Orlando, although it nearly didn't happen. 8 Gators edged the Hurricanes 24-20 thanks to 10 sacks on redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams. The threat of Hurricane Dorian forced the game between Florida State and Boise State, originally scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in Jacksonville, to move to Tallahassee. Otherwise, all the picks are the same.