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| statecollege.com |
Matt Linder
As the college football season begins to wind down, the playoff uncertainty ratchets up. Even after ten games, the four playoff spots are wide open, without any true favorites emerging from the pack. It has been an exciting year, but not because of wild upsets and Cinderella teams. This season’s suspense lies in its unpredictability; even with only two games remaining, there are no locks to make the playoff. The field is extremely crowded, without much separation between the #1 and the #8 team. All of the top eight teams in the country are “blue blood” traditional powerhouses. This year, the importance of every week is magnified because there are so many quality teams with extremely similar resumes. Lose again and you may have squandered the chance to compete for a national championship. Let’s take a look at the teams in the hunt for the playoff and what each of them has to do in order to be one of the last four teams standing.
Here are the teams that have the best chance of making the playoff if they win out:
-Alabama
-Clemson
-Miami
-Oklahoma
-Wisconsin
-Auburn
-Georgia
-Ohio State
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I am going to start with Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide since they are currently the top team according to the committee. The recipe for them to get back into the college football playoff is simple. Alabama is currently 10-0 and if they run the table, they will be the top seed in the playoff. However, winning out will not be an easy task since they still have two tough games remaining. This Saturday, they play intra-state rival #6 Auburn and if the Tide win that game, #7 Georgia is waiting for them in the SEC Championship.
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| si.com |
According to the committee, the second best team in the nation is the Miami Hurricanes. They are currently 9-0 and less than two weeks removed from blowing the doors off of then #3 Notre Dame. Just like Alabama, Miami’s road back to the playoff is simple, but not easy. If they win out they are in, but they have to beat the #4 Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship game in order to do so.
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The third ranked team in the country is the Oklahoma Sooners. Despite their ranking, I believe they are the best team in the NCAA because they have the front-runner for the Heisman leading the way. Baker Mayfield is the most dynamic playmaker in college football and as a result, he makes Oklahoma the most feared team come playoff time. The Sooners finish the season with West Virginia and then the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma will most likely play TCU in the conference championship, a rematch of the game two weeks ago which the Sooners won 38-20. If Oklahoma wins their final two games, they will get a chance to compete for a national title.
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| si.com |
The defending national champion Clemson Tigers are currently ranked fourth in the nation. They only have one loss, but it is a “bad loss” to Syracuse. Kelly Bryant, the team’s starting quarterback, did not play in the game so I believe the committee is cutting Clemson some slack for that loss. The Tigers are in the same situation as Miami. The winner of the conference championship game will get into the playoff and the loser will be on the outside looking in.
So that rounds out the top four team’s playoff chances. Now, let’s take a look at the teams that are currently on the outside looking in, but have a strong chance to make the playoff.
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| si.com |
The Wisconsin Badgers are currently 10-0 and in excellent position to earn a spot in the playoff. If they win out, they will definitely get in. The committee is not going to keep out an undefeated team from a Power 5 conference just because the Badgers’ schedule was weak. However, in order to win out, they will have to beat Minnesota on Saturday and #8 Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship Game. If Wisconsin finishes the season undefeated, they will replace the loser of the ACC Championship game (Miami or Clemson).
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| 247sports.com |
Let’s discuss the playoff chances for the team standing in Wisconsin’s way, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Coming into the season they were ranked #2 in the nation, right behind Alabama. However, some inconsistent play, especially on the defensive side of the ball, has lead to two losses. Although a two-loss team has never been selected for the playoff, this is the year it could happen. If Ohio State beats Michigan this Saturday and then hands Wisconsin their first loss of the year in the conference championship game, they could jump over the loser of the ACC Championship game. It would be interesting to see whether the committee puts in a two-loss Big 10 champion Buckeye team, on a four game winning streak, over a one loss Miami team. My gut tells me they would.
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| gridironnow.com |
The next team that has a strong chance to compete for a national title is the Auburn Tigers. Less than two weeks removed from a dominating win over Georgia, they host arch-rival Alabama in the most anticipated regular season game of the year. The winner of the Iron Bowl will represent the SEC West in the conference championship vs Georgia. Even with two losses, the Tigers will make the playoffs if they win their final two games.
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| ncaa.com |
The final team that still has a chance at the playoff is the Georgia Bulldogs. They were the number one team in the country before getting blown out by Auburn two weeks ago. Even with that embarrassing loss, if the Bulldogs win out, meaning they would have beaten either Alabama or Auburn in the conference championship game, they will get into the playoff.
To wrap up a complicated list of potential scenarios, the four teams competing in the college football playoff will be most likely be the:
-Winner of the Big 10 Championship game: Wisconsin or Ohio St.
-Winner of the SEC Championship game: Georgia, Alabama or Auburn
-Winner of the ACC Championship game: Clemson or Miami
-Oklahoma: Even though they will be heavily favored to win their final two games, if they were to lose one of them that could open up a spot for a one loss team or TCU, the team that would have beaten the Sooners in the conference championship game.
Although clarity may be minimal with only two games left on the calendar, there is one certainty…the finish to the season will leave four fan bases in agony and four fan bases in jubilation.
If you have any questions, comments or criticisms feel free to reach out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com
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