Can anyone challenge Alabama?
Through eight games Alabama has scored over sixty twice, fifty-four times and in the other two games, they scored forty-five and thirty-nine. This is the best offense in Alabama history and by the end of the season, we may be talking about one of the best offenses in the history of college football. Not to be overshadowed the Crimson Tide defense is only allowing sixteen points per game. This is a dominant team that looks invincible. Clemson with Trevor Lawrence now entrenched at the helm looks to be the only team in the country that can hang with Alabama offensively and has enough talent on defense to slow the powerful Crimson Tide attack, but Lawrence is still a true freshman and thus far no true freshman has won the National Championship.
How much chaos is looming?
This is a two-word answer: A lot. Georgia/Kentucky, Penn State/Michigan, Alabama/LSU will sort out the contenders from the pretenders and tilt the College Football Playoff rankings next week. The following week has Auburn/Georgia, Alabama/Miss State and Oklahoma State/Oklahoma left in addition to rivalry games and Conference Championship games.
Does Washington State have a shot?
Washington State comes into the rankings 7-1 and currently ranks eighth in the initial rankings (which is pretty solid) but does it matter? After Washington suffered their second loss of the season to Oregon the collective reasoning was that Pac-12 is out of the playoff; Washington State kept winning beating Utah, Oregon State, Oregon and Stanford the last four games shooting up the rankings from unranked to eighth. Three out of their next four are at home than a re-match with Utah in the Pac-12 Championship. Washington and Utah twice would be quality wins, but I do not foresee the committee putting the Cougars ahead of a one-loss Oklahoma, or a one-loss Michigan. Unless of course, something crazy happens like Clemson losing in the ACC Conference Championship game, SEC Conference Champion has two losses, and an upset in the Big 10 championship game.
Will Notre Dame be hurt by a lack of conference title?
Yes. The only way Notre Dame makes the playoff is going undefeated which given how the schedule is set up is a very real possibility. Northwestern is a tough out, Florida State at home should be an easy win, Syracuse in Yankee Stadium in the Shamrock Series favors Notre Dame, then USC at the Coliseum in the season finale. A slip up in any of those games will ultimately cost the Fighting Irish for two reasons: 1. Bad timed loss. Teams can overcome an early loss and still make it to the playoff (14 Ohio State and 15 Oklahoma); a loss late in the year will cost you. 2. Recently biases. In the week that Notre Dame is off Oklahoma could be winning the Big 12, Washington State could be winning the Pac-12, Michigan/Ohio State could be winning the Big-10 all of those wins could bump a one-loss Notre Dame.
Should there be a Group of Five Playoff?
Yes. UCF has not lost in two years and is putting together one of the more remarkable runs in College Football by a Group of Five teams. The 2009-2011 Boise State teams are the closest to what UCF is currently doing. Even though UCF is one of four teams that are undefeated they have no shot at making the College Football Playoff. Instead of sending UCF to a New Year’s Day bowl College Football should be considering creating a four-team Group of Five Playoff to reward teams that go undefeated or have one loss against a Power Five team. Has it stands now the “playoff seeding” would be #1 UCF, #2 Fresno State, #3 Utah State and #4 Buffalo.
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