Is your favorite college team on the playoff radar with a chance at the title?
With four weeks in the books, the new College Football Playoff picture is starting to come into focus. It seemed like an excellent time to get a pulse check on which teams would be in if it were decided today and which teams would be wishing their was an 8-team system.
At this point, a lot of teams have yet to play their toughest games. But, the rankings seem to be settling in and that means pole positioning.
So…
WHO IS IN?
Oklahoma Sooners
Oregon Ducks
Alabama Crimson Tide
Florida State Seminoles
WHO IS OUTSIDE LOOKING IN?
Baylor Bears
There isn’t a team on Baylor’s schedule that the Bears can’t handle easily. Well, except Oklahoma. An upset will be needed to get into the playoffs.
UCLA Bruins
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Okay, the win against Michigan doesn’t look so impressive in retrospect. They need to prove they are real before they will get an invite at this point.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs
The carnage of the SEC will knock some very viable candidates out like a demolition derby. Somebody survives, but good luck trying to pick one after the first five minutes.
ONE LOSS TEAMS IN WAITING
Michigan State Spartans, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stanford Cardinal, Wisconsin Badgers
These teams each lost to worthy opponents, but only two one-loss teams will get into the playoffs, at most. They will have to keeping winning and racking up a great resume. Any more losses will make for a quiet January… well, except for … ya’ know… doing homework.
DARK HORSE CANDIDATES
BYU Cougars
No matter how good the Cougs may be, they won’t face anyone that vaults their status high enough… right?
Arizona State Sun Devils
With UCLA sputtering and the Trojans dropping easy games, it is very possible that ASU sneaks out of the Pac-12 South and earns a trip to the Conference title game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers & Penn State Nittany Lions
If the Big 10 is going to have representation in the playoffs, it is going to have to be a (currently) lowered ranked team that runs the table. That leaves the unlikely Nittany Lions and Big Red.
Washington Huskies
Because we should all keep hope alive for our alma maters… especially when they are 4-0.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sportson Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
