Top-10 matchups should help shape CFP race

In a normal season, the College Football Playoff rankings likely would have debuted this week.

In this pandemic-altered season, the Pac-12 and the Mid-American Conference are debuting this week instead. The first selection committee rankings won’t be unveiled until Nov. 24, but a couple of top-10 matchups this weekend should bring some clarity to the race.

The late and staggered starts by conferences have thrown off college football’s body clock. How else to explain Arizona State and No. 20 Southern California kicking off at 9 a.m. Pacific time Saturday?

This weekend No. 1 Clemson plays its eighth game, No. 2 Alabama plays its seventh, No. 3 Ohio State plays its third, No. 12 Oregon plays its first and No. 14 Oklahoma State plays its sixth. That’s assuming all of them actually play. One never knows.

Despite all the oddness, this weekend does have a chance to clear up the playoff picture. The winner of Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame comes out in a really strong position. The loser isn’t out, but its path becomes narrow and fairly defined.

No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida is pretty much an SEC East and playoff elimination game.

Whether No. 9 BYU actually has playoff hopes is debatable. AP voters typically treat non-Power Five conference teams better than the selection committee. Whatever chances the Cougars have at cracking the final top four plummet to zero if BYU can’t beat No. 21 Boise State on Friday.

Picks for this week:

Friday

■ No. 9 BYU (minus 3) at No. 21 Boise State: No team has more riding on a game this season than the Cougars: long-shot CFP hopes, New Year’s Six prospects and QB Zach Wilson’s Heisman campaign ... BYU 31-24.

■ No. 11 Miami (minus 10) at North Carolina State: Hurricanes have not inspired a ton of confidence in winning two straight since getting pounded by Clemson ... MIAMI 28-17.

Saturday

■ No. 1 Clemson (minus 5½) at No. 4 Notre Dame: Combined record of Notre Dame’s opponents: 12-28 ... CLEMSON 31-24.

■ Rutgers (plus 37) at No. 3 Ohio State: In six meetings since Rutgers joined the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are averaging 54.5 points per game ... OHIO STATE 55-14.

■ No. 5 Georgia (minus 3) vs. No. 8 Florida at Jacksonville: Bulldogs didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with Alabama; can they do better against Florida’s two Kyles (Trask to Pitts)? ... GEORGIA 34-28.

■ Houston (plus 13½) at No. 6 Cincinnati: Bearcats look to make it three straight clampdowns on fast-paced and potent AAC offenses after holding Memphis and SMU to a combined 23 points ... CINCINNATI 35-20.

■ No. 7 Texas A&M (minus 10) at South Carolina: Matchup of two star sophomore running backs in Aggies’ Isaiah Spiller and Gamecocks’ Kevin Harris ... TEXAS A&M 35-28.

■ Stanford (plus 10) at No. 12 Oregon: Ducks won’t tip their hand on a QB competition between Tyler Shough and grad transfer Anthony Brown; Shough is the presumptive favorite ... OREGON 24-16.

■ No. 23 Michigan (minus 3) at No. 13 Indiana: Wolverines have won 24 straight in the series dating to 1987; the Hoosiers were ranked higher than Michigan that season, and the next season when they lost 31-6 to start the streak ... MICHIGAN 24-20.

■ No. 14 Oklahoma State (minus 12½) at Kansas State: Cowboys lost a game to Texas they should have won by almost every measure but turnovers last week; the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in turnover margin (plus-6) ... OKLAHOMA STATE 28-14.

■ South Alabama (plus 18) at No. 15 Coastal Carolina: Chanticleers QB Grayson McCall is second in the country in efficiency rating (201.77) among players who have played more than two games ... COASTAL CAROLINA 35-20.

■ Massachusetts (plus 44½) at No. 16 Marshall: Minutemen have played only one game so far, losing 41-0 to Georgia Southern ... MARSHALL 56-7.

■ Baylor (plus 14) at No. 17 Iowa State: The Bears have no running game, averaging 2.84 yards per rush (97th in the country) ... IOWA STATE 28-13.

■ No. 18 SMU (minus 17½) at Temple: It has been a rough season for the Owls, who started late because of COVID-19 issues and seem to be playing worse every week ... SMU 38-17.

■ Kansas (plus 38) at No. 19 Oklahoma: Jayhawks are making a strong run at being the worst Power Five team ... OKLAHOMA 56-13.

■ Arizona State (plus 10½) at No. 20 USC: Sun Devils have played 17 onescore games under coach Herman Edwards in two seasons, going 9-8 ... USC 28-21.

■ West Virginia (plus 6½) at No. 22 Texas: Since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012; they have split eight games with the Longhorns ... TEXAS 27-23.

■ No. 25 Liberty (plus 15) at Virginia Tech: Flames have already beaten an ACC team, though the Hokies should be much tougher than Syracuse ... VIRGINIA TECH 42-24.