Okla. State, Auburn on the upswing
Each weekend during the regular season, USA TODAY Sports will highlight the race for the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six bowls. Here are three teams moving up and three moving down in the sprint for the four- team field after Week 9:
PLAYED THEIR WAY IN
Wisconsin: Look for the Badgers to be the highest- ranked two- loss team in the debut Playoff rankings. Better yet, expect Wisconsin to be seeded ahead of a number of one- loss teams, thanks to a slate of wins and losses matched by just a select few Playoff contenders.
Saturday’s win against Nebraska is joined by wins against LSU and Iowa, along with close losses to Michigan and Ohio State. In doing so, the Badgers have positioned themselves for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. Oklahoma State: Losses by Baylor and West Virginia — the latter at Oklahoma State’s hands — will be of huge benefit for the Cowboys, who can now picture a path to the Big 12 title. It might come down to a winner- take- all season finale against rival Oklahoma, should Oklahoma State navigate through Kansas State, Texas Tech and TCU to start November.
And if the Cowboys do win the Big 12, how will the Playoff selection committee view an earlier loss to Central Michigan defined by a massive officiating failure in the Chippewas’ favor?
Auburn: Much has changed since early September, such as Gus Malzahn’s quick shift from the hot seat to potential Southeastern Conference coach of the year. Five wins in a row have changed the complexion of the Tigers’ season, to the point where they might enter the Iron Bowl with a chance to win the West Division. That sounds familiar.
PLAYED THEIR WAY OUT
Utah: The Utes’ second loss dooms their chances of reaching the Playoff, though another shot at Washington could be in the cards should Utah manage to win the Pac- 12 South.
Utah gets great coaching and has a clear identity, two assets not shared by the vast majority of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Yet the Utes might spend the offseason thinking about a potential victory they let slip away at home against the Huskies.
Nebraska: Even in defeat, that Nebraska took Wisconsin to overtime — and probably should have won — speaks to the program’s massive growth during the past calendar year.
The Cornhuskers have enormous potential in coming seasons under Mike Riley and his staff. But with a loss in the books and Ohio State to come, Nebraska is in danger of losing its grasp on the Big Ten West. In the big picture, that’s OK: Nebraska is still getting there. That the Cornhuskers didn’t wilt in a tough environment is another positive sign for the future. Baylor: The Bears’ 6- 0 start was built on the back of one of the nation’s leastintimidating schedules. In other words, look for Saturday’s loss to Texas to cause Baylor to plummet out of the Playoff conversation.
There’s time and opportunity for the Bears to regain some foothold, but that weak non- conference slate will be too much for many to ignore.