With a trip to Oklahoma and a home date against Baylor to close out – not counting the free space game against Kansas – 11-1 would still be impressive.
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There is plenty of football left to be played, but of the top four teams, how many are you willing to bet will ultimately be in the playoff when it starts in January? But Oklahoma with one loss are in the mix, and so are TCU, falling to number 15, with one loss to Oklahoma State. Twelve Gauge, last year’s playoff hero, was just 12 of 22 for 187 yards. The committee feels that Oklahoma State’s home loss to Baylor and Baylor’s loss to a two-loss TCU team are worse than LSU’s one loss at Bama.
“We understand that our schedule is really back-loaded”, Baylor Coach Art Briles told ESPN on its post-ranking wrap-up show. Not good. For the Cowboys to get in the playoff, it could be undefeated or bust. Ask TCU and MI State how it feels to see your slim national title hopes slip away. “If I’m sitting there looking at the teams, I think being in it now for 25-plus years, you’re looking at strength of schedule, the eye test, who they played, how they’ve played, and I think we all want to get it right, get the four best teams and have them play”.
With Alabama beating LSU Saturday night, the Crimson Tide are in the driver’s seat to reach the SEC Championship game against Florida. The committee possibly faced either passing up the SEC champion for a team that lost to the SEC champion or dropping Alabama in the rankings even if it was winning games. Mississippi State (CFP: No. 17) 22. Alabama (30-16 win vs. LSU) 5. That would put LSU in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game on December 5 in Atlanta against SEC East champion Florida (8-1), which is No. 11 in the CFP poll. Mississippi State (7-2) 18. All it means is that you’ve created an opportunity to have a chance to finish the season and maybe have an opportunity to play in a few other games that are big games.
Despite its loss, No. 4 Notre Dame is playing at a offensive level that justifies inclusion.
Army and Navy refused to move their game off the traditional date, causing possible upheaval in the CFP process.
Kelly smiled while saying that last sentence, knowing how his comments sound with Notre Dame already having a loss.
Notre Dame jumped into the fourth spot in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.
A year ago, the Fighting Irish were a win against Florida State away from cracking the top four in rankings during the regular season, but a loss was followed by four more over the next five games and Notre Dame never sniffed any playoff interest. With all of the Bears most important games coming down the stretch, they still have to go undefeated to make the College Football Playoff.
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Playoff bids aren’t won in early November, despite the attention we all give to these early rankings.
