BELIEVE IT OR NOT
Wild year offers array of odd playoff scenarios
THE ONLY two things predictable about this college football season are Alabama and upheaval. Parity reigns. Uncertainty is a constant.
Over the past three weeks, seven top-10 teams have fallen. This weekend alone, previously undefeated teams Clemson, Washington and Washington State all lost, losing to Syracuse, Arizona State and California, respectively, three teams that are a combined two games over .500. The week before, Oklaho ma fell to Iowa State and Michigan lost to bitter in-state rival Michigan State, considered the fourth-best team in the Big Ten East.
The topsy-turvy nature of the season, specifically of late, has completely opened up many interesting possibilities for the College Football Playoff. Here are the three biggest:
Notre Dame: The Irish have been mostly forgotten since a one-point home loss to Georgia on Sept. 10, a defeat that looks far better now that the undefeated Bulldogs have emerged as a title contender. Notre Dame already has defeated Michigan State, has a Saturday night primetime showdown with USC this weekend and still has four other ranked teams, led by undefeated Miami, on its schedule. Win out and coach Brian Kelly’s team, which is fifth in the country in rushing yards (308 yards per
game) and 15th in points allowed (16.8), has a legitimate case for itself.
Two-bid conferences: The SEC has the best odds, with Alabama and Georgi a both undefeated and steamrolling the rest of the pedestrian conference. The Crimson Tide still have to get through Auburn in the Iron Bowl over Thanksgiving weekend, but that’s the only thing standing in their way of another perfect regular season. Georg i a , meanwhile, has a quality nonconference victory over Notre Dame and should be able to reach the SEC title game unscathed, barring a slip-up against Auburn or ACC rival Georgia Tech on Nov. 25. It’s hard to see one of these two getting left out if they meet in Atlanta both undefeated.
But the SEC isn’t the only conference with two-bid possibilities. There also is the Big Ten, which has the most playoff contenders: undefeated teams Penn State and Wisconsin and oneloss programs Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. While Wisconsin’s schedule has been incredibly soft so far — the Badgers have yet to face a team with a winning record — it does host Michigan on Nov. 18 and would meet the Big Ten East champion in the conference title game, providing two opportunities for marquee wins. As would be the
case with the SEC, if Penn State and Wisconsin both meet for conference supremacy undefeated, both could find themselves in the playoff. There even could be an argument if the Big Ten East champion is Ohio State, whose one loss came to Big 12 power Oklahoma.
Two-loss team: A two-loss team has yet to be selected in the three years of the playoff, but this seems like the season for it. Let’s say Ohio State has two losses but wins the Big Ten championship, would the Buckeyes really be passed over? Or USC falls to Notre Dame this weekend but wins the Pac-12? The Trojans would have losses to a pair of top-25 teams in the Irish and Washington State. Another possibility is Oklahoma dropping another Big 12 contest but rallying to get to the title game and knocking off TCU. That, combined with the non-conference win at Ohio State, would create a strong résumé.
No guts, no glory
Bravo, Kyle Whittingham. Hopefully, coaches were paying attention to his gutsy decis i on l ate Saturday ni ght in Southern California and more will coach to win rather than not to lose. With 42 seconds remaining and Utah trailing USC by a point, the Utes head coach went for the win, attempting a twopoint conversion.
His players didn’t convert — quarterback Troy Williams was stopped on a keeper — but it remained the right move. USC had found its rhythm after a poor first half, scoring touchdowns on three of its four previous possessions. Utah’s best chance to win the game was at that precise moment. If the ga me wen t into overtime, it was likely a loss. Had Utah opted for the extra point and the tie, the Trojans still had time to win it in regulation.
You can be sure Utah’s players loved their coach going for the win. Recruits will notice the daring move, too.
Orange you glad...
The upset of Clemson was a monster victory for second-year Syracuse coach Dino Babers, the kind of win that can turn around a program by garnering national headlines and attracting recruits. But the performance shouldn’t be that shocking when you consider the Orange nearly won at LSU and N.C. State, too. Babers clearly has this program headed in the right direction, already with as many wins (four) as he had in his first season and a dynamic quarterback in junior Eric Dungey capable of putting up points against anyone.