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After an orange- and blue-tinted Iron Bowl that was dominated by Auburn and one of the most shocking upsets of the year in which seven-loss Pittsburgh stunned Miami, there was yet another huge shake-up in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Crimson Tide and Hurricanes fell out of the Top Four, making room for Wisconsin and Auburn.
For the Badgers, it's about time. All they do is keep winning convincingly, and they're undefeated heading into this weekend's Big Ten Championship Game against the Buckeyes. The winner of that game will likely find itself in the playoffs.
As for the Tigers, they've been the most impressive team in the nation recently, beating No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in a three-week stretch sandwiched around a win over Louisiana-Monroe. Now, AU must beat the Bulldogs again in the SEC Championship Game to complete an amazing run.
If the Dawgs win, they'll be the one in the playoff.
There's so much drama remaining in the final weekend of the season. It's down to nine teams in this playoff race with Notre Dame's loss to Stanford ending any chance for the Fighting Irish. Let's take a look at the five looking for help.
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Why They're Out
Alabama had one of its most inept offensive performances in a long time in what was a thorough Auburn domination in Jordan-Hare Stadium this past weekend.
The Crimson Tide also couldn't handle Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was efficient and often dynamic in a 26-14 win. On the flip side, UA signal-caller Jalen Hurts had one of his worst games as a collegian, and coordinator Brian Daboll's offense was discombobulated all afternoon.
Though that's just former No. 1 Alabama's first loss, it comes at an awful time for the Tide.
They lost their division and won't have the opportunity to win any goodwill in the SEC Championship Game.
At this point, UA is on the outside looking in, which is hard to envision after the Tide were in the catbird's seat just a few days ago.
What Must Be Done
All Alabama can do is watch and hope.
That's a tough place to be for coach Nick Saban and Co. after they were used to controlling their own destiny. It would be best for the Tide if Auburn beats Georgia and TCU stuns Oklahoma in their rematch.
If that happens, Alabama probably gets in along with Auburn, the winner of the ACC Championship Game (Clemson or Miami) and the winner of the Big Ten title game (or possibly TCU if Ohio State beats Wisconsin). The Tide need a lot to happen, but they are nowhere near out of it yet.
Sure, they'd love to be playing this weekend to ensure a spot. But at least they can't lose again. Their resume is complete; it's only a matter of whether it'll be deemed good enough by the committee.
Playoff Chances: 45 percent
It's more likely than not that they miss the playoff, which is disappointing for the Tide considering they have one fewer loss than Auburn and Ohio State.
But the Tigers and Buckeyes still have a chance to impress the committee one more time; Alabama doesn't. That means a lot at this juncture.
Alabama has only itself to blame for the position it is in, and now Saban and Co. must have vested interests in the outcome of several games this weekend. Perhaps weirdest, the Tide likely need Auburn to win. That's just not something many folks in the Yellowhammer State can stomach.
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Why They're Out
The Georgia Bulldogs had their Auburn moment, much like Alabama. Maybe when you get right down to it, that has a whole lot more to do with how good the Tigers are than how the Tide and Dawgs are lacking.
Regardless, it's tough to move beyond the 40-17 thumping on November 11.
The Bulldogs couldn't get anything going on the ground after a strong opening drive, and they showed a lack of propensity getting to the edge and stopping Kerryon Johnson. Quarterback Jake Fromm looked like the freshman he was, too.
Still, at the end of the day, it's a one-game season for UGA with a winner-take-all.
What Must Be Done
It's easy: Beat Auburn.
Well, it's easier to say than do, obviously. The Tigers are perhaps the toughest team in the nation right now after they sleep-walked through a loss to LSU. To beat them, Georgia must be better on the offensive front by protecting Fromm and opening holes for their star runners.
Fromm needs a much better effort, too.
Though Johnson was banged up in the Iron Bowl, he told AL.com's James Crepea he is "confident" he'll play in the conference championship game. That's huge news for AU and bad news for UGA, but just how effective will he be? How many hits can he absorb?
If I'm UGA defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, I'm telling my guys this is a hard-hitting game and punish him legally every time he touches the ball. Johnson has been a warrior all year, but if he can't be effective, Georgia's chances increase exponentially.
Playoff Chances: 40 percent
It's always hard to beat a team twice in a season, but that's something Auburn has done before.
Back in 2004, the Tigers beat Tennessee in the regular season and turned around and won in Atlanta on their way to an undefeated season. They did the same thing to South Carolina in 2010 before winning the national championship. Now, the question is whether they can repeat the feat against the Bulldogs.
There's no question UGA is riding high after a dominant performance against rival Georgia Tech, and the Bulldogs are in a good spot health-wise, much better than the Tigers, who are feeling the effects of a rugged end-of-the-year stretch.
If Georgia can play its best game of the year, it can hang with Auburn. But it's going to take that.
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Why They're Out
Though the Hurricanes have lost just one game this season, it came at an awful time against an awful team.
Say what you want about Pittsburgh and how much better it has gotten as the season has progressed. Coach Pat Narduzzi gets his team up to play every week. But the 5-7 Panthers had no business upending Miami in the Steel City on Friday.
It's the kind of gaffe you can't have if you want to win a championship, and it has become all-too-familiar in coach Mark Richt's career, dating back to his days at Georgia.
Still, it's tough to blame Richt for that one. He even pulled star quarterback Malik Rosier, who was putrid in the game, missing pass after pass downfield against man coverage for what would have been game-changing gains.
What Must Be Done
Yes, that was an awful setback last week, and it's going to be fresh on the mind of the committee. But as well-regarded as Clemson is (as the rankings show), a win over the Tigers would go a long way toward putting them back in the good graces of the powers that be.
Miami's out-of-conference schedule is bolstered as well by a road win against Notre Dame, and the Hurricanes played a strong ACC schedule. That conference wasn't the nation's best this season, but it was loaded with quality teams.
The Hurricanes need to beat Clemson and hope that's enough to get in. It wouldn't hurt if TCU beat Oklahoma or Auburn upended Georgia, either. But if the Canes win, they have a strong argument.
Playoff Chances: 30 percent
Clemson is playing at a high level right now, as last weekend's dismantling of a good team in South Carolina showed.
The defense looks good, and quarterback Kelly Bryant continues to play well. He emerged from the considerable shadow of Deshaun Watson, and now, he'll try to lead his team to the College Football Playoff. But the Tigers won't go if Miami wins this weekend.
That's the primary focus for the Canes. Were they overlooking Pitt a week ago and toward the Tigers? Or was it a case of a team that has been living on the edge all year finally dropped off? There was probably a little of both involved.
But if the Hurricanes are playing their best football, they can win the ACC. Doing that should get them in.
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Why They're Out
Nothing can wash away the bitter taste of giving up 55 points at Iowa back on Nov. 4; that's tough to overcome.
But since then, the Buckeyes have manhandled opponents, trouncing Michigan State 48-3, punishing Illinois 52-14 and dismissing Michigan 31-20. In those games, not only did quarterback J.T. Barrett return to form, but the defense showed out as well.
That's an important thing to note considering how embarrassing they were against the Hawkeyes.
It's going to be hard to forget that Iowa loss, even if the only other setback was to an Oklahoma team early this season that is playoff lock if it beats TCU on Saturday. It's the inconsistency that killed OSU this year.
What Must Be Done
Beat Wisconsin and hope that's enough to sway the committee in the Buckeyes' direction. They also would love for Georgia to beat Auburn, thus knocking the Tigers behind them, and for Clemson to beat Miami and Oklahoma to handle TCU.
Right now, one-loss Alabama is probably the biggest threat to keeping the Buckeyes out, but a few puzzle pieces must fall in place for coach Urban Meyer's team to feel confident about getting to play for the title.
Even then, it's dicey, according to CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm:
"Ohio State's biggest problem is a loss at home to Oklahoma, which means the Sooners are the ceiling in the playoff for the Buckeyes. The committee has been borderline-religious about head-to-head this season, especially at the top of the rankings. Ohio State's second-biggest problem is a 31-point loss at unranked Iowa, which is the ugliest loss any of these teams have to date. The teams that lost to worse opponents at least put up a fight in their defeats. Beyond that, the Buckeyes just don't have the kind of wins or schedule that separates themselves from other good teams, especially if they need to jump a team with a better record."
Playoff Chances: 30 percent
All the Buckeyes can do is beat Wisconsin soundly and hope.
The Badgers are undefeated, so if OSU pummels coach Paul Chryst's team, it could go a long way in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of college football. This is a human committee, after all. So, a statement on that stage would be vital.
Will it be enough? Meyer's team must wait to find out.
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Why They're Out
If there is a forgotten team in this College Football Playoff scenario, it's TCU. The Horned Frogs remain on the periphery of the picture at 10-2, and the reason they aren't more a part of the programming is because of what happened late.
Coach Gary Patterson's team has lost two of its last five games, including an upset setback against Iowa State and a 38-20 thumping at the hands of quarterback Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma. That was the game in which the Horned Frogs needed to prove they were legit, and they fell flat.
TCU has the capability to be one of the best defensive teams out there, but it has been far from consistent enough to ooh and ahh the committee. That can happen this weekend.
What Must Be Done
It's rare that you get a do-over, but the Horned Frogs have that opportunity this weekend when they play Oklahoma again.
Most likely, it's going to take a lopsided payback to earn enough style points to warrant consideration in the College Football Playoff. Like Ohio State, the resume just isn't good enough without some major help.
If the Horned Frogs do win, though, they'd have that win over OU that the Buckeyes don't. They also don't have an embarrassing self-destruction on their schedule like OSU's loss to Iowa. So, advantage TCU. A win over Oklahoma would all but eliminate the Buckeyes.
But that means nothing to TCU if it isn't enough to get in. The only formula for the Frogs is stomp OU and hope.
Playoff Chances: 5 percent
Meh. They aren't good.
The committee has shown over the course of the first few years of the playoff that no matter how you want to slice it, preference goes the big-name teams with the gaudy fanbases. TCU isn't exactly Central Florida, but it also doesn't have the national clout of an Ohio State.
So, the Frogs are fighting a bit of the little-brother syndrome. Patterson's team is strong, and a win this weekend would give the Frogs an argument that at least would make the committee have to listen.
But, ultimately, there are just too many other teams around them who'd probably get the nod.
Bagikan Berita Ini
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