Transfers will be all over the fields in the conference championship games

Almost 40 percent of the starters in this weekend’s conference championship games will be players acquired via the transfer portal.

Eighteen of the 20 teams in the league title games, all but Clemson and Georgia, will start at least one transfer. USC (an expected 12), UCF (nine), LSU and North Texas (both seven) and TCU and Troy (both six) will start the most. In all, 90 of the 240 expected starters (offense, defense, kicker and punter) are transfers; that’s 37.5 percent.

Six of the 20 teams will start a transfer at quarterback: Fresno State, LSU, North Texas, UCF, USC and Utah. LSU, UCF and USC will start quarterbacks grabbed from the portal during this past offseason. Thus, if your favorite team has to go quarterback shopping in the portal this offseason, fear not: There is hope for a conference title next season.

The Pac-12 will have the most transfer starters, with 16. The AAC will have 14, Conference USA 12, the Big 12 and Sun Belt 10 each, the Mountain West and SEC seven each, the Mid-American six, the Big Ten five and the ACC three.

Here’s a closer look by league. There’s also a look at the key transfer for each team in each of the championship games.

ACC

Time/TV: Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
Teams: Clemson (10-2) vs. North Carolina (9-3)
Key transfer for Clemson (zero transfer starters): None
Key transfer North Carolina (three): C Corey Gaynor. Gaynor, in his first season at UNC after transferring from Miami, and his interior linemates have a tough task against a formidable Clemson front. Clemson’s top three defensive tackles – Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro – have a combined 18.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. UNC QB Drake Maye needs to be upright and well-protected; if he has time, he will slice and dice Clemson’s secondary. The Tar Heels’ only hope is a huge game from Maye.

Big Ten

Time/TV: Saturday, 8 p.m., Fox
Teams: Michigan (12-0) vs. Purdue (8-4)
Key transfer Michigan (one): C Olusegun Oluwatimi. Michigan’s offensive line was the Joe Moore Award winner as the nation’s best last season. This season’s group may be better, one reason being Oluwatimi moved seamlessly into the starting lineup after transferring from Virginia. Michigan figures to run right at the Boilermakers, who have struggled to stop the run for most of the second half of the season.
Key transfer for Purdue (four): WR Charlie Jones. Jones was one of the biggest surprises out of the portal this season. After catching 21 passes in two seasons with Iowa, he has 97 receptions for 1,199 yards and 12 TDs this fall – all figures that lead the Big Ten. If it is to pull the huge upset, Purdue has to get production from Jones, who has had seven 100-game games this season. But get this: Jones has had five games this season with double-digit receptions and at least 100 yards – and Purdue has lost four of them. In short, Jones has to be productive but so does someone else.

Big 12

Time/TV: Saturday, noon, Fox
Teams: Kansas State (9-3) vs. TCU (12-0)
Key transfer for Kansas State (four): S Josh Hayes. K-State remade its starting secondary via the portal in the offseason, and Hayes is one of two “new” transfers who started this fall. TCU has the best passing attack in the Big 12 (not the most yards per game, but the best, nonetheless) and K-State’s secondary struggled in the first matchup; the Horned Frogs won that one by 10, throwing for 280 yards and three TDs. Hayes, who transferred from Virginia in the offseason, has been a pleasant surprise in a move from cornerback. He is second on the team with 60 tackles and also has seven pass breakups. Hayes, who began his career at North Dakota State, needs to be active in run support and also in coverage.
Key transfer for TCU (six): LB Johnny Hodges. TCU starts four transfers on defense, and Hodges – who left Navy in the offseason – will be the most important one in this contest. TCU beat K-State 38-28 on October 22; the Wildcats gained 390 yards in that game, the last time this season they didn’t reach the 400-yard mark. While K-State has effectively thrown the ball with Will Howard at quarterback, the Wildcats are far more dangerous if they get their rushing attack cranked up. Hodges (and other TCU defenders, too) need to get up close and personal with K-State RB Deuce Vaughn on Saturday. Hodges is a cool story: He went to Navy originally to play lacrosse, then switched to football (in which he also starred in high school) as a sophomore.

Pac-12

Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m., Fox
Teams: USC (11-1) vs.  Utah (9-3)
Note: Both transfer quarterbacks, USC’s Caleb Williams and Utah’s Cameron Rising, are hugely important in this matchup. When these teams met in October, a 43-42 Utes win, Rising accounted for 475 yards of total offense and five TDs; Williams had 438 yards and five TDs. Both obviously must play well for their team to win. That said, we’re spotlighting two other transfers.
Key transfer for USC (12): RB Austin Jones. Jones, who transferred from Stanford in the offseason, became the feature back in Game 11, after Travis Dye was lost for the season with a leg injury. He has responded to an increased workload with aplomb, rushing for a combined 274 yards and two TDs on 46 carries in wins over UCLA and Notre Dame. (Jones had 54 carries in the first 10 games.) Can he be effective against a physical Utah front?
Key transfer for Utah (four): TE Dalton Kincaid. Yes, Rising hurt USC in the first game. But, man, Kincaid ran roughshod on the Trojans: He had 16 receptions for 234 yards and a TD. USC couldn’t find anyone who could cover him, so Rising kept getting him the ball. Will it be the same this time around for Kincaid, who transferred from FCS San Diego after the 2019 season?

SEC

Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS
Teams: Georgia (12-0) vs. LSU (9-3)
Key transfer for Georgia (zero): None
Key transfer for LSU (seven): QB Jayden Daniels. Daniels, who transferred from Arizona State in the offseason, had back-to-back huge performances in wins over Florida and Ole Miss in October; he accounted for 393 yards of offense and six TDs against the Gators and 369 and five against the Rebels. He has to have that type of performance against Georgia if LSU is to pull the massive upset. But one indisputable fact: Georgia’s defense is in a different stratosphere than the Gators’ and Rebels’. Heck, the only team to gain more 313 yards on the Bulldogs is Florida with 371.

AAC

Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m., ABC
Teams: UCF (9-3) at Tulane (10-2)
Key transfer for Tulane (five): DT Patrick Jenkins. UCF beat Tulane 38-31 on November 12 because it ran all over the Green Wave, to the tune of 336 yards and four TDs. Jenkins, who transferred from TCU in the offseason, and his linemates simply must play better this time. UCF averaged 6.22 yards per carry in the first meeting; on the season, Tulane has given up 3.98 yards per carry. Jenkins leads all Tulane linemen with 29 tackles and five tackles for loss.
Key transfer UCF (nine): LB Jason Johnson. QB John Rhys Plumlee, an Ole Miss transfer, ran for a season-high 176 yards in the first meeting. If he approaches that figure again, UCF will win. But we don’t think he will, which puts more pressure on UCF’s defense to stop Tulane RB Tyjae Spears. Spears comes in with six consecutive 100-yard outings, including 130 (on just eight carries) against the Knights. Johnson, who transferred from Eastern Illinois in the offseason, leads UCF with 114 tackles, 64 more than anyone else on the roster. He needs to be active against Spears and Tulane QB Michael Pratt, who also is an effective runner.

Conference USA

Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Teams: North Texas (7-5) at UTSA (10-2)
Key transfer for North Texas (seven): QB Austin Aune. Aune, who transferred from Arkansas in the spring of 2018, struggled with his accuracy in UNT’s 31-27 loss at UTSA on October 22. While he threw for 325 yards and three TDs, he was just 15-of-31 (48.4 percent). He needs to be more accurate if the Mean Green is to pull the upset (UTSA is favored by 8.5 points).
Key transfer for UTSA (five): S Clifford Chattman. Chattman, who transferred from Texas A&M after the 2020 season, is a physical presence (6-5, 195) on the back end of the Roadrunners’ defense. He is second on the team with 59 tackles, including nine in the earlier win over North Texas. Chattman also leads the team with three picks (one in each of the past three games) and with 13 pass breakups, a figure that is fourth in the league. His season-high in PBUs? He had three against the Mean Green in the first meeting and will need to be that active again.

Mid-American

Time/TV: Saturday, noon, ESPN
Teams: Ohio (9-3) vs. Toledo (7-5)
Key transfer for Ohio (three): WR Sam Wiglusz. Wiglusz went from a walk-on who had three catches in four seasons at Ohio State to a standout receiver for the Bobcats. Wiglusz transferred from Ohio State in the offseason and leads Ohio in receptions (67), receiving yards (820) and TD receptions (11). Those numbers rank third, fourth and tied for first, respectively, in the MAC. But he’s caught just two passes in the six quarters since star QB Kurtis Rourke was lost for the season with an injury. Ohio can’t win if it doesn’t have some semblance of a passing attack against the Rockets.
Key transfer for Toledo (three): LB Dallas Gant. Gant also transferred from Ohio State after last season, and he, too, has been extremely effective in his first season with his new team. He leads Toledo, which is No. 1 in the MAC in total defense, with 103 tackles and teams with Dyontae Johnson to form an especially effective linebacker duo. With Rourke out, can Ohio’s offense be productive? Gant will try to make sure that it isn’t.

Mountain West

Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m., Fox
Teams: Fresno State (8-4) at Boise State (9-3)
Key transfer for Boise State (three): CB Caleb Biggers. Biggers is in his second season as a starter at Boise State after two years as a starter at Bowling Green. He and the rest of the Broncos’ secondary figure to be quite busy trying to slow Fresno State’s passing attack. Biggers leads the Broncos with four pass breakups.
Key transfer Fresno State (four): QB Jake Haener. Haener has been scorching hot since his return from injury; he has thrown for 1,578 yards and 13 TDs in the past five games, completing 74.7 percent of his passes (136-of-182). Haener, who transferred from Washington in August 2019, was injured when Boise beat Fresno on October 8, but he threw three picks when the Bulldogs lost to the Broncos last season.

Sun Belt

Time/TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Teams: Coastal Carolina (8-3) at Troy (10-2)
Key transfer for Coastal (four): WR Sam Pinckney. Star QB Grayson McCall seems all but certain to miss the game, putting increased pressure on the Chanticleers’ other top skill-position talent. Pinckney, who transferred from league rival Georgia State in the offseason, is Coastal’s top receiver and has had four 100-yard games this season. He needs to make an impact against the defense-minded Trojans, who lead the Sun Belt in pass defense.
Key transfer for Troy (six): EDGE Richard Jibunor. Jibunor has been a problem for opposing quarterbacks for the past three seasons. Jibunor, who transferred from Auburn after the 2018 season, has six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss this season, giving him 18.5 and 27.5, respectively, in the past three seasons. Coastal’s offensive line has had protection issues at times this season, so Jibunor and his linemates should have opportunities to wreak some havoc.