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Saturday was filled with the insanity that has defined the college football season. After more wild finishes, the College Football Playoff is starting to take shape, some weird sort of shape.
Here are some top threats to take home a title, depending on how much madness fills the next two months.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide is doing what the Crimson Tide does. It was a sloppy start against Kentucky, but it turned into a 34-6 win. With a win over Ole Miss in the books, Alabama goes to Arkansas and to Tennessee the next two weeks.
Texas A&M/Tennessee: There are a few other SEC teams still in the hunt, and the Aggies and Vols are at the top of the list. The Aggies have Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU at home and play at Alabama. With losses to two of those, an Ole Miss could pop back into the picture (with the right wins). Strap in for this week’s colossal matchup between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Kyle Field this Saturday.
Clemson: The new class of the ACC survived a crazy night at Louisville, knocking off the No. 3 Cardinals. The Tigers have a case to be the No. 1 team in the country. Going to Florida State on Oct. 29 should tell the tale for Dabo’s crew.
Michigan (or) Ohio State: If the Wolverines and Buckeyes meet undefeated on Nov. 26, it’s a ticket punched for one of them. The two have the lead in a Big Ten with four unbeaten teams (Maryland and Nebraska the other two).
Washington: Chris Peterson has been lying in wait. The Pac-12 Huskies had beaten Rutgers, Idaho, Portland State and Arizona. Saturday’s 38-point dismantling of No. 7 Stanford was eye-popping for doubters with questions. The Huskies are 5-0 with still a long way to go, but ESPN’s FPI has them favored in every game from here on out, including a 77.5 percent chance of beating ranked Utah at Utah. The lowest chance the Huskies have of winning according to the FPI is in the season finale at Washington State, and that is a 72.5 percent chance to win.
Baylor: The Big 12 is on the outside looking in, with 5-0 Baylor its current best chance. There are plenty of chances to end all hope with games at Texas, at Oklahoma and against TCU. Oklahoma is the Ole Miss of the Big 12, hoping to win the rest of its games and have the right teams ahead of it lose.
Houston: Speaking of Oklahoma, one of the Sooners’ two losses came to Houston. The Cougars are the yearly oddball from the Group of 5 making a run toward the Playoff. The Cougars have at least a 69.5 percent chance to win every remaining game according to the FPI except one, and that’s a big one on Nov. 17 against Louisville.
Louisville: The Cardinals are coming off a tough loss to Clemson and a tough mental test. Like Houston, Louisville has a chance to win out, at least a 92.6 percent chance to win every remaining game with the exception of that showdown against Houston, which the FPI still favors the Cardinals with a 69.3 percent chance on the road. If Houston is still unbeaten, and it should be, that could put the Cardinals over the top. Either way, that game will have a ton to say about the College Football Playoff.
