It seems that the College Football Playoff Selection Committee does not have enough to discuss this season.
Uncontrolled schedule, delayed onset, interruptions and voids due to coronavirus epidemic. And then, on Saturday, the ACC and SEC further complicated the playoff picture when they both promoted the initial case. Two Top four contenders.
No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame, with a chance to meet again in the ACC Championship game, were separated by just a touchdown in the Irish 47-40 double overtime win, while Florida and Alabama also seemed to clash. Course for their conference championship game.
It may seem a little early to present that potential discussion, however, the hardest part of their schedule is already behind them, and they should all be favored in every one of their remaining games. ESPN’s Futb Power Power Index gives Clemson, Notre Dame, Alabama and Florida more than 71% chance of winning each of their last regular-season games.
With both Alabama and Ohio State on the fast track to finish in the top-four, it is possible the committee will pick them along with Clemson. And Notre Dame (Joe Clemson beats the Irish to win the ACC title and both beat each other – each other). The committee may also consider the top four, including Ohio State, ACC Champion, Alabama. And Florida, Gators, SEC championship game tides the tide.
Given how close the Notre Dame-Clemson game was to the competition, however, the ACC’s playoff position looks like four more real situations for a Power 5 conference, with two teams placed in the top four. The selection committee will consider the fact that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sidelined due to a coronavirus in that game, but the Tigers’ quarterback situation will not be a determined part of Clemson’s playoff potential, or move to Notre Dame’s achievement. .
Clemson’s toughest remaining game at Virginia Tech (78%) is Dec. 5 – and the Hawkeyes have just lost to Liberty. They are also the only ACC team with more than .500 left on Clemson’s schedule. Notre Dame made the most challenging finish, his last four games on the road, including Friday night’s game in North Carolina.
Irish coach Brian Kelly is the booze liqueur and will put an immediate break on the playoffs on Saturday.
“We’ve got more work to do, and look, BC [Boston College] “It’s going to be a challenge for us,” Kelly told reporters after the Irish’s win over Clemson. I got this football team back up, emotionally ready to play. Now the target is on our backs. There are so many things on my plate that I really have to do, worry about myself with the playoffs and who is and who isn’t? There are others who will do this. “
And this may be their most difficult decision ever.
While Alabama Bay was on holiday for the week, SEC East took center stage on Saturday and emerged as its leader with a 44-28 win over Florida No. 5 Georgia. According to ESPN’s FPI, Florida now has an 89% chance of winning in the East. So far, the combined record of the Gators’ final five opponents is 9-18, and none of them exceed 500. The Gators’ most difficult game, according to FPI, is their December 12 regular season against LSU (75.9%). There’s no reason to be upset, but if Florida stumbles along the way, it’s not clear for the semifinals.
Florida coach Dan Mullen said he wanted to see how good his team could be when he was fully on the field. The Gators have been shortened for almost every game for a variety of reasons, and on Saturday, tight end Kyle Pitts left the game with an injury.
“We’re at the point right now. We’re in the east instead of the middle,” Mullen said. “How far can we go? I don’t know. Hopefully we can get back to work [Sunday] And find a way to beat Arkansas next week, and if we worry about anything other than that, we won’t continue to enjoy the great things we’ve enjoyed so far this year. “
The loss of Florida’s 31-38 at Texas A&M doesn’t look as bad as it did on Oct. 10. The No. 7 Aggies beat South Carolina 48-3. What happens if Texas wins A&M – and it has a win over SEC East Champs – but Alabama wins West?
Now throw Clemson and Notre Dame into the discussion, and the committee is really messed up to sort out. Will the committee consider the other best teams of ACC and SEC to be better than the Pack-12 champions? Undefeated BYU? Cincinnati?
Strong start for Pack-12
The top two playoff contenders for the Pack-12 – No. 12 Oregon and No. 20 U.S.C. won their respective openers, starting with the need for a conference, notable afterwards. The longer the league’s ranked teams can be ranked, the longer it will be part of the playoff conversation.
It is too early to say whether both teams have top-four material, if any elite emerges as conference champions, it will be considered by the committee for the semifinal spot – despite a short, seven-game schedule.
The question is whether a duck or a Trojan can grow faster than good.
“How good can we be? We can be really good,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “We can be one of the best football teams. I’m confident we’ll go there. I’m confident these guys will wake up and are really looking forward to getting back on it.”
As expected, both teams made mistakes in their first games in almost a year, but the USC still rejected the rules of football by beating Arizona State 28-27, even after making four turnovers. It was also the start of 9am PT for a team that had not played a game in almost a year.
USC coach Clay Helton said he told the team that “we all made mistakes,” but there were “some good things here as well.”
“This team could be really good, and yes, there was a lot of corrosion, and we kicked it out,” Halto said. “But the thing that makes this team, I think, is their special mindset and how they deal with difficulties and playmakers.
“And then defensively, if we can eliminate the big plays – and a lot of them came out of the pockets and out of the quarterbacks – if we can eliminate that, this has a chance to be a really good team. That was a big hurdle for us today. We knew how big it was, we knew what it meant for the conference, and it’s huge to get it today. “
With just seven games, in Pack-12 it will be that way every week.
Is the Big Ten deeper than Ohio State?
Maybe, but not because of Penn State or Michigan.
The bookies’ next two games are against Maryland and Indiana – two teams that have shaken the balance of power in the Big Ten in recent weeks with wins over Penn State and Michigan. While Turps and Hoosiers have taken decisive action in recent weeks, they are not yet at the elite level of Ohio State, as programs continue to evolve.
Do they have enough confidence and speed to pull off any discomfort?
The Buckeyes are still in contention to win each of their remaining games, but who wins the Wild West? Assuming Ohio State will advance in the Big Ten Championship game, with Northwest, Purdue and Wisconsin remaining undefeated, there is currently nothing to say about who they can face. Wisconsin has only played one game and the Badgers’ situation is uncertain after the cancellation of Bagram, as the program has a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Badgers have to play each of their remaining games, starting Saturday in Michigan, to meet the Big Ten benchmark of six games to qualify for the convention championship game. Purdue also missed a game because it was to play Wisconsin.
The unprecedented season of Big Ten continues, with Ohio State seeming to be the only team to follow the script so far.
Who can crash a party?
According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, it starts with Cincinnati, which won its 18th straight game Saturday with a 38-10 win over Houston. If Cincinnati wins (including the AAC Championship game), the Barclays will have a 38% chance of reaching the playoffs, according to Allstate Playoff predictions. Going into the weekend, it was the fourth highest chance to reach the CFP – behind Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson.
The selection committee compares general opponents, and both Cincinnati and undefeated BYU have now beaten Houston. Barclays held Houston up 10 points and 282 yards; The BYU outscored Houston 26-14 in the third quarter and went 29-26 with four minutes left before two touchdowns. Houston had 438 total yards.
The common antagonist is just one factor. The strength of the schedule is second, and in Cincinnati there may be edges. The Bearcats have three wins with a winning record against the teams, while the BYU has two matches in eight games.
On Friday, BYU gave its No. 21 Boise State a much-needed victory over a ranked opponent on the blue turf with a 51-17 win. The question is whether the Broncos will be considered a top 25 opponent in the eyes of the committee. Cincinnati also won the No. 16 SMU on October 24, the number one opponent. BYU has only two games left – November 21 against North Alabama and December 12. Against the state of San Diego – and they should both win for sure. Cincinnati has a more difficult road ahead, with three of the final four games on the road, and ESPN’s FPI 21 Nov. On the 21st UCF gives the Barclays a chance to win only 33.3%.
If Cincinnati wins and ends up as AAC champions, it is likely to win a resume debate against independent BYU. While both have a chance to earn a place in the New Year’s Six Bowl, Cincinnati is in a more favorable position to bring more pressure.
On Saturday, however, the ACC and SEC would have made it more difficult.
.
