In this week's Canadian Stock Watch, it’s conference championship weekend in college football, with plenty of Canadians taking part in the action.

ACC Championship: No. 3 Clemson (9-1) vs. No. 2 Notre Dame (10-0), Saturday at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT on TSN3: Of all the conference championships games this weekend, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s is arguably the biggest. Both Clemson and Notre Dame are currently slotted in one of the four College Football Playoff spots, but depending on Saturday’s result, either both – or perhaps just one team – will retain a spot in the Playoff. When these two heavyweights clashed in November, Notre Dame was able to force overtime by scoring a touchdown with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation and ultimately won the game in double overtime. Clemson did not have its star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, for the November game. He’ll be a huge factor in Saturday’s edition.

A more detailed look at Saturday’s rematch between Clemson and Notre Dame can be found here: tsn.ca/1.1564914

Canadian Watch: WR Ajou Ajou (Brooks, Alta.) – Ajou hasn’t been able to produce much for Clemson this season – he has just two receptions for 41 yards, but that includes a highlight-reel 35-yard touchdown – but with his combination of size (6-foot-3, 215 lbs.) and athleticism, Ajou has the potential to create a big play at any time.

For more on Ajou and the story of his journey to Clemson, check out this profile on him by TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor: tsn.ca/1.1564856

 

SEC Championship: No. 1 Alabama (10-0) vs. No. 7 Florida (8-2), Saturday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC: The Southeastern Conference championship has lost some of its lustre following Florida’s upset loss last weekend to LSU. Nevertheless, it’s still an important game for Alabama, as they have held the No. 1 ranking in every edition of this year’s Playoff rankings and have also held the top spot in the Associated Press poll since early November. And for Florida, SEC bragging rights are on the line, as well as potentially being able to play the role of spoiler. There’s also plenty of Heisman Trophy candidates in action, with quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith for Alabama and quarterback Kyle Trask for Florida.

Canadian Watch: WR John Metchie III (Brampton, Ont.) – Metchie, who has totaled 720 yards and six touchdowns on 40 receptions this season, is Alabama’s second-leading receiver behind Smith. Alabama has a very high-scoring offence, so look for Metchie to contribute significantly against Florida.

 

AAC Championship: No. 23 Tulsa (6-1) vs. No. 9 Cincinnati (8-0), Saturday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC: After having their match rescheduled three times this season, Tulsa and Cincinnati will finally meet with the American Athletic Conference championship on the line. Despite its stellar run this season, a win on Saturday wouldn’t likely help Cincinnati’s Playoff hopes much. Expect Tulsa, winners of six games in a row, to give Cincinnati a good fight.

Canadian Watch: TE Bruno Labelle (Montreal, Que.) – Labelle has amassed 47 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions this season while playing in Cincinnati’s heavy-run dominated offence.

 

*Editor's Note: Following the publishing of this article, the Sun Belt Conference announced that Saturday’s championship game between No. 19 Louisiana and No. 12 Coastal Carolina has been canceled due to an individual on Coastal Carolina testing positive for COVID-19.

SB Championship: No. 19 Louisiana (9-1) vs. No. 12 Coastal Carolina Cincinnati (11-0), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12: 30 p.m. PT on TSN2: It’s been a Cinderella-like season for Coastal Carolina, who this week became the first team ever from the Sun Belt Conference to be ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press’ poll. This season is also the first time in school history that a Coastal Carolina team has finished the regular season with an undefeated record. As result of its success in 2020, Coastal Carolina announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to a contract extension with second-year head coach Jamey Chadwell, keeping him away from some of the more higher-profile schools that currently have openings. In regards to Louisiana, it is definitely a formidable foe for Coastal Carolina. The Ragin’ Cajuns only loss this season was by three points against Coastal Carolina in October.

Other Games On TSN

Big 12 Championship: No. 10 Oklahoma (7-2) vs. No. 6 Iowa State (8-2) – Saturday at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT on TSN1/3/4

No. 5 Texas A&M (7-1) vs. Tennessee (3-6) – Saturday at noon p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT on TSN2

Ole Miss (4-4) vs. Tennessee (4-5) – Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT on TSN2

Stanford (3-2) vs. LSU (3-3) – Saturday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on TSN2

Arizona State (1-2) vs. Oregon State (2-4) – Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT on TSN2

 

For a betting perspective in relation to championship weekend, check out TSN Edge’s Michael Simmons’ picks: tsn.ca/1.1565710