After an exciting 12 weeks packed with action, twists and turns, the college football regular season has come to a close. As it happens, only eight teams remain in true consideration for the College Football Playoff Semifinals with a chance to play for a national title. Let’s dive into each of the contenders’ resumes and the scenarios they need in order to reach the Playoffs.
ACC:
Clemson: The Clemson Tigers appear to be primed for a third consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff, only needing to defeat Miami in the ACC Championship game. The real question lies in whether the Tigers will be seeded first with a win, a fate that appears likely due to their strong resume including a head-to-head win over Auburn as well as the largest number of wins over teams with winning records in the country. With their surprising loss to Syracuse seemingly excused by the Playoff Committee due to an injury to star quarterback Kelly Bryant, the game against Miami seems to be all that separates Clemson from the top seed in the College Football Playoffs.
Miami: The Miami Hurricanes saw their playoff hopes tumble with a shocking loss to Pittsburgh during the last week of the regular season. However, all is not lost for the U, as they have a chance to secure a spot in the Playoff with a win against a favored Clemson team in the ACC Championship Game. Originally, there was speculation about the possibility of two ACC teams in the playoff if an undefeated Miami were to lose a close game to Clemson, but Miami’s loss to Pitt ended such prognostications. For both Miami and Clemson, “win and you’re in” appears to be the mantra for next week.
SEC:
Auburn: The Auburn Tigers have taken the college football world by storm after victories against two top-ranked teams in three weeks against Georgia and Alabama. Auburn is now set for a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, deciding another Playoff spot. Although early losses to Clemson and LSU appeared to set the Tigers back, a hot streak as well as both of the losses coming to ranked teams will help the Tigers as they finish their playoff push. With a victory against Georgia already in the bag, Auburn’s playoff hopes look strong as they only need to take care of business on Saturday.
Georgia: Despite an embarrassing blowout loss to Auburn, Georgia still possesses the ability to contend for a Playoff spot during their rematch with the Tigers. Georgia’s stellar non-conference win against Notre Dame on the road has taken a hit lately with Notre Dame’s recent losses to both Miami and Stanford in recent weeks. However, Georgia simply needs a win against Auburn in the SEC Championship to book their spot in the Playoffs.
Alabama: Though Alabama suffered a rare loss to rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl and will not be appearing in the SEC Championship Game, their Playoff hopes are still alive. Alabama has drawn comparisons to Ohio State’s 2015 team whose only loss kept them out of their conference championship game and eventually out of the playoff. However, Bama can still make the Playoffs if Ohio State defeats Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, resulting in a comparison of resumes between a two-loss Ohio State and a one-loss Alabama team. These chances can be made greater if TCU defeats Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Big 12:
Oklahoma: With their high-powered offense led by Baker Mayfield, the Sooners simply need to defeat TCU, a team they already beat by 18 earlier in the season, in the Big 12 Championship Game in order to secure a Playoff berth. The Sooners have a strong resume enhanced by their non-conference win over Ohio State, with their lone loss coming at home to Iowa State. The Sooners also may have an argument for the Playoffs even if they lose to TCU due to their aforementioned win in Columbus. In that scenario, the Sooners would need Ohio State to defeat Wisconsin in order to start a comparison between them, TCU and Ohio State for two Playoff spots, while Alabama looms.
TCU: Even if TCU were to defeat Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, they would need help from Ohio State as mentioned above, as well as the benefit of the doubt from the committee. TCU’s non-conference win over Arkansas doesn’t look great in the light of Arkansas having a bad season, and they lack any quality wins outside of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. From this point of view, it doesn’t look like their resume will stack up with that of Ohio State if they were to both win their respective conferences.
Big 10:
Wisconsin: The undefeated Badgers haven’t been truly tested yet, with their only quality win over a ranked team coming against Northwestern. However, an undefeated season isn’t easy and the Badgers will have the chance to prove their mettle against Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship Game. If Wisconsin wins, they will be in the Playoff as the committee will not leave out an undefeated Power 5 conference champion. If the Badgers lose, however, they can kiss their Playoff hopes goodbye.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are in the midst of a complicated situation if they beat Wisconsin: will their quality wins outweigh their shocking 31-point loss to an unranked Iowa team? If they do win the Big 10, their chief competition for a Playoff spot will come from the 11-1 Alabama team that is not playing this coming weekend. The resume debate will take place between the two teams, with Ohio State having better wins while Alabama has a better loss, and depends on where the committee ranks Alabama this week. If they remain in the top four, the committee will likely keep them there. If not, the Buckeyes have a chance.
Pac 12:
USC? Sorry Trojans. The Pac 12 does not have a team that is in contention for the Playoffs this year. Better luck next year!
