By the end of the day, five conference championship trophies and four spots in the College Football Playoff will be handed out.

Kicking off conference championship weekend is the Big 12 championship game between No. 6 Texas Tech (No. 4 in CFP rankings) and No. 11 BYU (No. 11 in CFP rankings). This game could impact the rest of the day and how the field is set up on Sunday, Dec. 7 — if the Cougars can pull off the upset.

REQUIRED READING: College football picks for conference championship games in Week 15

There’s then the SEC championship game between No. 3 Georgia (No. 3 in CFP rankings) and No. 10 Alabama (No. 9 in CFP rankings), the site of “College GameDay” in Week 15. The Crimson Tide will need to replicate its game plan — a big passing game from Ty Simpson — from earlier this season to beat Georgia again. A win for Alabama will be its first SEC title in the post-Nick Saban era, while a win for Georgia will give Kirby Smart’s squad back-to-back SEC titles and three titles in the last four years.

The nightcap features No. 1 Ohio State (No. 1 in CFP rankings) and No. 2 Indiana (No. 2 in CFP rankings) clashing in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, and No. 16 Virginia (No. 17 in CFP rankings) and Duke meeting up in the ACC championship in Charlotte. A win by the five-loss Blue Devils would create chaos in the 12-team CFP field, potentially admitting two Group of Five programs into the CFP field.

Host of TNT’s “Inside NBA” Ernie Johnson is the celebrity guest picker for Week 15. Here’s a look at how “College GameDay” picked each of the conference championship matchups in Week 15, including the Army-Navy game next weekend:

Big 12 championship game: Texas Tech vs BYU

• Desmond Howard: Texas Tech
• Pat McAfee: Texas Tech
• Ernie Johnson (guest picker): Texas Tech
• Nick Saban: Texas Tech
• Kirk Herbstreit: Texas Tech

REQUIRED READING: Texas Tech vs BYU live updates: Score, highlights from Big 12 championship game

SEC championship game: Georgia vs Alabama

• Desmond Howard: Georgia
• Pat McAfee: Georgia
• Ernie Johnson (guest picker): Georgia
• Nick Saban: Alabama
• Kirk Herbstreit: Abstained (calling game)

REQUIRED READING: SEC Championship game: Alabama vs. Georgia prediction, keys to game

Big Ten championship game: Ohio State vs Indiana

• Desmond Howard: Indiana
• Pat McAfee: Indiana
• Ernie Johnson (guest picker): Ohio State
• Nick Saban: Ohio State
• Kirk Herbstreit: Ohio State

WASHINGTON – Four Georgia congressmen are backing a new House resolution that denounces a group of fellow lawmakers for appearing in a video about refusing unlawful military orders. Republicans say the video amounted to “dangerous and seditious rhetoric.”

Georgia congressmen sign on to resolution

What we know:

Reps. Rick Allen, Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, and Andrew Clyde are among 27 GOP members who signed onto the measure, which criticizes six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video. Those six are Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Christopher Deluzio, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. All have backgrounds as veterans or former members of the clandestine service.

In the video, the lawmakers advise current service members about their duty under U.S. military law to disobey illegal orders. The resolution argues the message created “an environment placing troops and their loved ones at risk of harm, compromising and undermining the national security.”

At least fourteen of the 27 co-signers report prior military service, including Georgia’s Rep. Clyde.

What the resolution states

What they’re saying:

The resolution condemns six Democratic lawmakers for a video urging service members and intelligence personnel to refuse what they called illegal orders. 

The measure argues the lawmakers offered no evidence that such orders exist and says their message encourages insubordination, threatens the chain of command, and violates long-standing military law. 

It accuses the group of undermining confidence in the armed forces and asserts their statements place troops and their families at risk. 

The proposal reaffirms the President’s authority as commander in chief and denounces the remarks as dangerous and seditious rhetoric.

Pentagon probes video

The backstory:

The video at the center of the controversy was released Nov. 18 by six Democratic lawmakers, all of whom previously served in the military or intelligence community, who told service members they could refuse illegal orders. In it, the group tells service members they have a duty to refuse illegal orders, framing the message as a reminder of their oath to the Constitution. 

According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon opened a preliminary investigation because Rep. Mike Kelly is a retired Navy captain and remains subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Defense officials said they were concerned the message could erode the chain of command, noting that military orders are presumed lawful unless clearly illegal. 

The AP reports the lawmakers provided no examples of unlawful orders, and Kelly later said he had not witnessed any. Critics argue the video could undermine discipline, while the lawmakers say they were reminding troops of their duty to uphold the law.

What is Article 92 of the UCMJ?

Dig deeper:

Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice makes it a crime for a service member to fail to obey a lawful order or regulation. 

Military orders are presumed to be lawful, and service members who refuse them risk court-martial unless the order is clearly illegal under U.S. or international law. 

The standard is intentionally strict in order to protect the chain of command and ensure that individual service members are not left to interpret orders based on personal beliefs or political views.

Congressional in-fighting

Why you should care:

It is rare for the House to formally rebuke sitting members of Congress, particularly over matters involving national security. 

Disputes between lawmakers are typically handled through floor debate, committee oversight, or public statements rather than resolutions denouncing specific colleagues. 

The move highlights the degree of concern some Republicans say they have about the potential impact of the video on military discipline and the chain of command, and reflects an unusually direct confrontation between members of Congress over how their words may influence active-duty troops.

Will it reach a vote?

What’s next:

The proposal was introduced Thursday and sent to the House Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for review. No word on if the resolution will ever reach the House floor for a full vote.

The Georgia Bulldogs will be without several starters in the SEC championship against the Alabama Crimson Tide. In fact, both teams are extremely banged up entering Saturday’s SEC championship.

Georgia has six players out for the game and safety Zion Branch has an injury designation (questionable) that popped up on Thursday. It is unclear what Branch’s injury is. Alabama has eight players out for the game and four players that are questionable to play.

Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens has been battling injuries and has not had a carry since he left in the fourth quarter of the Texas game. Bowens does not appear on the injury report, but he’s clearly not 100%.

Bowens is not the only injured Georgia running back. Freshman Bo Walker is out. “Bo is not going to be with us,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after Walker was reportedly involved in a car crash. “He was required to have a surgery. He’ll be out for this game.”