December has arrived, and it is time for all the College Football candidates to present their closing arguments. At least one, possibly more, of this weekend’s winners will still be somewhat unhappy in the end, but that is the system we have.

Here are the matchups that will determine the College Football Playoff foursome.

No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Georgia

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS

Here’s the first potential complication that might cause angst at two conference offices. There is virtually no doubt that the winner of this heavyweight bout is in, and an LSU victory could mean the No. 1 seed for the Tigers. A victory by the Bulldogs, however, probably won’t eliminate LSU from the equation with its strong resume.

The marquee matchup pits LSU’s high-octane attack that puts up 560.5 yards and 48.7 points a game, both tops in the SEC, against a Georgia defense surrendering just 257 yards and 10.4 points per contest, also best in the conference in both categories. Tigers QB Joe Burrow enters with 44 TD passes and is hitting at a lofty 78.3% completion rate. Georgia can generally count on S Richard LeCounte to keep big plays to a minimum. But the Bulldogs might need to take more chances with blitzes to keep Burrow from using his array of deep threats, most notably Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. But UGa LBs Monty Rice and Tae Crowder must also be mindful of LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who is also a receiving threat from the backfield. Bulldogs QB Jake Fromm has been in his share of big games. But he won’t have nearly as many weapons at his disposal with WR Lawrence Cager sidelined with an ankle injury and WR George Pickens suspended for the first half after last week’s ejection. RB D’Andre Swift, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, will try to provide ground support for Fromm, but Tigers S Grant Delpit will be keeping an eye toward the backfield.

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No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Wisconsin

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

The last conference title tilt of the day is a rematch, the first round of which went about as badly as one could imagine for the Badgers. Wisconsin recovered to win the Big Ten West, finishing the deal with a solid road win at Minnesota. But the Buckeyes have shown little sign of slowing down. Like LSU, Ohio State would likely have a case to remain in the top four with a loss, but the Buckeyes will be in no mood to test that argument in court.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields had a brief injury scare that had the city of Columbus holding its collective breath in the second half of the Michigan win, but he returned to finish the drive and should be ready to go. It helps that he has weapons like RB J.K. Dobbins and WR Chris Olave around him, but even with a sore knee he won’t be afraid to take off himself into the teeth of LB Chris Orr and the Badgers’ defense. Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor remains the primary mover on the offensive side. The Buckeyes’ front seven, featuring LBs Malik Harrison and Tuf Borland, kept him bottled up in their last meeting, however, so QB Jack Coan must provide some air cover to give the Badgers any chance of creating a different outcome.

No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 22 Virginia

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Following yet another impressive win in the Tigers’ regular-season finale against South Carolina, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney might have improperly characterized his team’s No. 3 ranking as disrespect. But he’s correct that his Tigers are in something of a no-win situation entering the title game of their league that they have for the most part dominated. Should Virginia play the Tigers close, something that hasn’t happened in a couple of months, Clemson might get credit for a quality win but will more likely face criticism for struggling to put away an inferior opponent. If the Tigers dominate, they’ll continue to hear that they haven’t beaten anyone of note. The bottom line, of course, is they simply have to ignore the noise and win a football game for a chance to defend their title. Swinney is also quite right that a loss would almost certainly keep the Tigers out.

Clemson’s backfield duo of QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne have been virtually unstoppable since that aforementioned close call at North Carolina on Sept. 28. UVa LBs Zane Zandier and Jordan Mack will do their best to cause havoc behind the line of scrimmage, but Lawrence can also look outside to WRs Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross if the blitz arrives too late. Cavaliers QB Bryce Perkins does it all for the offense, but he’s going to need a lot of help to avoid frequent collisions with Tigers LB Isaiah Simmons.

No. 5 Utah vs. No. 13 Oregon

Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC

The reality of five power conferences competing for four spots means someone inevitably gets left out of the College Football Playoff. As such, nothing is guaranteed to the Pac-12 champ even if once-beaten Utah should prevail. The Ducks, whose shot at the national title went by the boards in the desert a couple of weeks ago at Arizona State, still have a lot on the line here as they try to claim a league crown and assure a Rose Bowl berth.

Since their late September setback at Southern California, the Utes have been on a roll. Their lone close call during that stretch was a 33-28 escape at Washington on Nov. 2. They rely on big runs from RB Zack Moss and ball security from QB Tyler Huntley. But Utah’s biggest strength is its defensive front, featuring DE Bradlee Anae and DT Leki Fotu and backed by LB Devin Lloyd. The Ducks offense has lost some explosiveness with QB Justin Herbert’s receiving corps hit hard by injuries. His top target of late has been WR Johnny Johnson III. They could both use help from the RB duo of C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye. The Oregon defense, anchored by LB Troy Dye, must avoid falling behind early.

No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Baylor

Saturday, noon ET, ABC

The winner of this contest will need a couple of other dominoes to fall the right way to be guaranteed a seat at the playoff table. The Sooners with the higher ranking and the earlier head-to-head win against the Bears would seem to be in a better position, but Baylor might still have a case with a victory that would avenge the lone blemish on its record.

The Sooners’ winning formula is not terribly complicated. When QB Jalen Hurts avoids giving the ball away, OU can count on a comfortable win. The improved defensive unit led by veteran LB Kenneth Murray has bailed the Sooners out a time or two, including the Nov. 16 encounter with Baylor while OU was staging its second-half rally. Sooners’ fans would much rather see a clean performance from the offense, but Bears DE James Lynch will try to make that difficult. Baylor QB Charlie Brewer’s most dangerous downfield threat is WR Denzel Mims. His 15.45 yards per reception don’t quite match OU WR CeeDee Lamb’s average of 20.70, but both will get plenty of attention from the opposing secondary.

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