- Joined
- Sep 12, 2020
- Posts
- 9,348
- Reaction score
- 6,832
- Bookie:
- $ 2,000.00
Going off my 10 teams in contention (which got killed this past weekend), I will start to track and categorize the playoff race. Feel free to discuss.
Favorites:
Georgia - Defending Champion, beat Tennessee and got 12-0 and they are in
Ohio State - Has dominated competition to date. Strong offense and good defense.
Alabama - Although they have lost to Tennessee, Bryce Young, the talent around Bryce, and Saban keep this team in mix but they cannot afford an error
Clemson - Clemson continues to win ugly but most of their toughest opponents are not behind them.
In the Mix:
Michigan - They need to avoid losing to Illinois and then beat Ohio State. Path to playoff will likely go through their rival
Tennessee - Needs to beat Kentucky and likely beat Georgia. If they don't beat Georgia, their best bet is if Georgia beats Alabama in the title game
TCU - TCU needs to go unbeaten which will be tough. Rematch possible against Oklahoma State in title game.
Oregon - ? - How will committee view the week 1 loss? Oregon looks like the strongest Pac12 team to date and probably deserve more love in playoff hunt. Should they be punished for getting beat by Georgia (even if it is ugly)? The concern about punishing them is that it could encourage less great OOC matchups like the game they setup with Georgia. Oregon could have played San Jose State at home and would be unbeaten right now.
Long shots:
UCLA - It doesn't look good after that loss but if they were to win out and then beat Oregon in title game, we could be singing a different tune. I don't think this will happen and this is why they are a Long shot.
USC - Like UCLA, they could win out and be in mix. However, how much love a 1-loss UCLA or USC will receive versus a 2nd B1G or SEC team is still to be seen.
Oklahoma State - If they win out and get a rematch win over TCU, how will they be viewed? I think they would need Clemson out of the picture and/or hope there isn't a potential B1G or SEC team to steal their spot.
Penn State - This one maybe laughable but if they beat Ohio State and then win out, what would the committee think of an 11-1 Penn State team. If Ohio State beats Michigan as well, you could have a 3-way tie for B1G East.
Ole Miss - I almost listed them in "no shot" due to how bad they lost to LSU but they could beat Alabama and win out. An 11-1 Ole Miss team that wins in Atlanta would to go 12-1 would make it. I don't think they will and this is why they are in the Long Shot section and very close to the "no change".
No shot:
Syracuse
Wake Forest
To summarize both, they need Clemson to drop 2 games in ACC play to get back in mix. If they don't win their division, they are likely not going to the playoffs. There would have to be massive chaos for the ACC to get an at-large team.
Favorites:
Georgia - Defending Champion, beat Tennessee and got 12-0 and they are in
Ohio State - Has dominated competition to date. Strong offense and good defense.
Alabama - Although they have lost to Tennessee, Bryce Young, the talent around Bryce, and Saban keep this team in mix but they cannot afford an error
Clemson - Clemson continues to win ugly but most of their toughest opponents are not behind them.
In the Mix:
Michigan - They need to avoid losing to Illinois and then beat Ohio State. Path to playoff will likely go through their rival
Tennessee - Needs to beat Kentucky and likely beat Georgia. If they don't beat Georgia, their best bet is if Georgia beats Alabama in the title game
TCU - TCU needs to go unbeaten which will be tough. Rematch possible against Oklahoma State in title game.
Oregon - ? - How will committee view the week 1 loss? Oregon looks like the strongest Pac12 team to date and probably deserve more love in playoff hunt. Should they be punished for getting beat by Georgia (even if it is ugly)? The concern about punishing them is that it could encourage less great OOC matchups like the game they setup with Georgia. Oregon could have played San Jose State at home and would be unbeaten right now.
Long shots:
UCLA - It doesn't look good after that loss but if they were to win out and then beat Oregon in title game, we could be singing a different tune. I don't think this will happen and this is why they are a Long shot.
USC - Like UCLA, they could win out and be in mix. However, how much love a 1-loss UCLA or USC will receive versus a 2nd B1G or SEC team is still to be seen.
Oklahoma State - If they win out and get a rematch win over TCU, how will they be viewed? I think they would need Clemson out of the picture and/or hope there isn't a potential B1G or SEC team to steal their spot.
Penn State - This one maybe laughable but if they beat Ohio State and then win out, what would the committee think of an 11-1 Penn State team. If Ohio State beats Michigan as well, you could have a 3-way tie for B1G East.
Ole Miss - I almost listed them in "no shot" due to how bad they lost to LSU but they could beat Alabama and win out. An 11-1 Ole Miss team that wins in Atlanta would to go 12-1 would make it. I don't think they will and this is why they are in the Long Shot section and very close to the "no change".
No shot:
Syracuse
Wake Forest
To summarize both, they need Clemson to drop 2 games in ACC play to get back in mix. If they don't win their division, they are likely not going to the playoffs. There would have to be massive chaos for the ACC to get an at-large team.
