The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Auburn, Michigan can create CFP chaos
For those who love chaos and a college football world turned upside down, here’s an easy primer for the next two weeks:
• Root hard for two teams — Auburn and Michigan.
If you’re an Ohio State fan, root very hard for the Wolverines.
The last three undefeated teams with legitimate College Football Playoff hopes are Alabama (10-0), 9-0 Miami (Fla.) and Wisconsin (10-0).
It seems unlikely the Hurricanes will lose in their final two regularseason games against Virginia and Pittsburgh.
If Miami is 11-0 when it meets Clemson in the ACC championship game, it’s likely the Tigers will be 11-1. In that scenario, the winner of that game is a lock for the CFP.
If Oklahoma wins out and is 12-1 and the Big 12 champion, its case for a spot in the playoffs appears strong.
The final two spots could get interesting if Auburn and Michigan deliver wins the next two weeks. If that happens, get ready for CFP chaos.
Let’s explore the possibilities:
• Michigan upsets the Badgers in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 18, giving the Badgers their first loss of the season.
Let’s assume Ohio State wins out and takes the Big Ten East, and plays the Badgers in the Big Ten Championship game.
As long as Wisconsin wins at Minnesota in its last game, that would pit 10-2 OSU vs. the 11-1 Badgers.
Wisconsin’s poor strength of schedule would be an issue even with a win over the Buckeyes. On the other side, OSU as the 11-2 Big Ten champ complicates things because of its two losses.
Since the CFP began, no two-loss team has made it. In this scenario,
let’s give the Big Ten to Ohio State, which just beat Michigan State, 48-3, on Nov. 11.
• Auburn can mess things up in two weeks. The Tigers (home to Louisiana Monroe) and Alabama (home to Mercer) play cream puffs this week.
When they play in two weeks at Auburn, it will be the 9-2 Tigers vs. the 11-0 Crimson Tide.
Auburn just thumped previous No. 1-ranked Georgia, so momentum is on War Eagle’s side.
An Auburn win over Alabama would give it the
SEC West Title, a spot in the conference championship game, and a rematch with Georgia.
If Georgia wins out, and then a rematch vs. Auburn, book it for the playoffs. No chaos there.
If Auburn wins out, it will likely be difficult to deny the Tigers a spot in the CFP — even with two losses.
• Let’s recap: In this scenario, 12-1 Oklahoma, the winner of Miami-Clemson and Auburn is likely in the CFP, leaving one spot up for grabs.
• It would seem reasonable two teams would remain
as top candidates for the final CFP spot — Big Ten champion Ohio State (11-2) and SEC runner-up Alabama (12-1).
Good luck figuring out that one.
Top 10
(Last week in parenthesis) 1. Alabama 10-0 (2) 2. Oklahoma 9-1 (4) 3. Miami (Fla.) 9-0 (6) 4. Clemson 9-1 (5) 5. Wisconsin 10-0 (8) 6. Georgia 9-1 (1) 7. Auburn 8-2 (NR) 8. Ohio State 8-2 (NR) 9. Notre Dame 8-2 (3) 10. Washington State
9-2 (NR) WATCH LIST » USC, TCU, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Central Florida
Top games to watch Nov. 14
Ohio at Akron, 8 (ESPN2)
Nov. 15
Toledo at Bowling Green, 8 (ESPNU)
Nov. 18
Michigan at Wisconsin, noon (WJW)
Virgina at Miami (Fla.), noon (WEWS or ESPN)
Illinois at Ohio State,
3:30 (WEWS)
Navy at Notre Dame, 3:30 (WKYC)
Oklahoma at Kansas, 3:30 (ESPN)
California at Stanford, 8 (WJW)
UCLA at USC, 8 (WEWS)
Heisman watch
1. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
3. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
4. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
5. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin