How will the college playoffs shake out?
The college football season is beginning to show itself. Early on throughout the months of August and September, we were always finding out little nuggets here and there … Clemson is pretty good, Georgia Tech is overrated, and Rutgers is still the eyesore it seems to be every year.
Then, in the beginning and middle of October, the focus started to become clearer. Alabama may have lost a game to the Ole Miss Rebels, but the Crimson Tide remains a force to be reckoned with. The LSU Tigers and their all-world running back Leonard Fournette are not going anywhere. The Baylor Bears and TCU Horned Frogs are once again two teams with incredible offenses but defenses that will end up costing them a shot at the title.
With a month to go in the regular season, here are the top 10 teams in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll:
1.Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
2. Baylor Bears (7-0)
3. Clemson Tigers (7-0)
4. LSU Tigers (7-0)
5. TCU Horned Frogs (7-0)
6. Michigan State Spartans (8-0)
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
8. Stanford Cardinal (6-1)
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0)
So, here is what we absolutely know is going to happen before we get into the postseason…
Ohio State is yet to play a team that is ranked, but that is about to change in a big way. The Buckeyes still get to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Illinois Fighting Illini, but after that, the schedule produces a home game against Michigan State before Urban Meyer takes his boys north to play the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines in the Big House.
If the Buckeyes can win all four of those games and remain unscathed, they will roll into the Big Ten title game where they will almost definitely face the Hawkeyes. Iowa has not lost a game this season and the toughest remaining opponent appears to be the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who Iowa draws on the road in the final regular-season game. There is a very good chance that the Hawkeyes will be in the conference championship game, playing to go to the college playoff.
In the SEC, Alabama and LSU lock horns in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 7. Whoever loses that game is finished in the race for the national title. If the Crimson Tide lose, they have two losses. If the Tigers go down, they have almost no chance of playing in the conference championship.
Over in the Big 12, Baylor and TCU are scheduled to play on Nov. 27. However, the Bears have two ranked opponents before that contest, with contests against the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooner and No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys. TCU also plays those two schools in November. Chances are, neither will emerge without a loss.
What does it all mean? Look for one team out of each the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and then either Notre Dame or Stanford.
