B/R CFB Community: Teams That Can Crash the College Football Playoff?
Before Week 10, the College Football Playoff had a blueprint to follow. With three of the top six teams losing, however, that blueprint has been replaced with one far more interesting and uncertain.
We're onto bigger, brighter and weirder things.
Georgia, of course, is in a wonderful position to make the CFP with a good chunk of the regular season still to come. The Big Ten seems almost certain to have at least one team represented, too (More on that in a moment.)
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Outside of that, well, it's a bit unknown.
With the playoff picture reset, we're looking for teams capable of crashing the College Football Playoff. To help unearth them, we asked B/R readers for suggestions.
As always, they delivered. Let's explore the candidates.
Brian Kelly's SEC Takeover
User: Dexter
Response: LSU
There is no other place to start, given what transpired on Saturday.
LSU is very much in the mix to make the playoff in Brian Kelly's first season in Baton Rouge. (That is not a sentence I ever expected to type this year if we're being honest.)
Even before the Tigers beat Alabama, the College Football Playoff selection committee had a favorable view of this team. LSU ranked No. 10 in the first CFP rankings. This week, having just beaten the No. 6 team, the Tigers will continue to climb.
The committee clearly respects this team, and a flawless finish will be enough to make the postseason. LSU controls its own destiny in the SEC West, which means it will likely get a crack at Georgia in the SEC Championship Game if it ultimately wins out.
The Tigers, however, still have road trips to Arkansas and Texas A&M. Sure, the Aggies are a mess following five straight losses, and Arkansas is coming off a loss to Liberty, but these are still places where a slip-up can occur.
LSU is no doubt back in the mix, and Kelly's team deserves the utmost credit for revitalizing its season. Here's the issue: LSU already has lost two games, and a third loss probably does the Tigers in.
Are we ready to say that LSU will win out AND beat Georgia? Because I'm not.
The Quack is Back
User: @swankysand1
Response: OREGON EASILY
The team that was left for dead in Week 1 is very alive.
In fact, the upsets and outcomes of Week 10 were an enormous boost for Oregon. The Ducks have won eight consecutive games, and only one of those wins came by single digits.
Still, they needed some help. Thanks to Notre Dame, LSU and Georgia, they got plenty.
The concern for Oregon is the schedule still has plenty of teeth. The Ducks play Washington, Utah and Oregon State before a potential matchup in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The good news? Washington and Utah, two teams with enormous home-field advantages, are taking the trip to Eugene. Still, this is one of the trickier closing stretches for any team in all of college football.
The playoff resume is solid, and it will get better. And if you're going to lose a football game badly, it doesn't hurt that the loss came early and against the No. 1 team in the sport.
This team makes all sorts of sense for the playoff. Quarterback Bo Nix is playing as well as any player in college football right now.
I'm not sure Oregon should be considered a playoff crasher at this point.
The Deep Closer
User: @JosiahLoyd5
Response: North Carolina
Now this could be a potential CFP crasher.
The Tar Heels were ranked No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. They responded by nearly losing to Virginia, a not-so-great football team. This close call doesn't doom UNC by any means, but it is worth monitoring.
Like pretty much everyone else mentioned, it was a very good weekend for North Carolina's playoff chances.
UNC has lost just one game. That loss came at the hands of Notre Dame, and it doesn't look so bad after the Irish took down Clemson.
Meanwhile, QB Drake Maye is an incredible football player. If he plays the way he has, UNC will have a chance in any game moving forward.
As for the resume, well, it needs some work.
At the moment, North Carolina's best win is over Pittsburg or Duke. That is not going to get it done, although competition in the coming weeks should help.
UNC plays Wake Forest and NC State before the regular season ends. The Tar Heels will likely then match up against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game if both teams continue to win.
If UNC wins out, it could make a compelling case. But it still feels like Tar Heels need help and more losses from teams above them for this possibility to be realized.
The "Other" L.A. Team
User: @labosguy
Response: UCLA spanking USC and then Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. Just watch.
We're not talking about this team enough. Thank you, @labosguy, for bringing this one up.
USC is very much in the mix, and the Trojans are a much more buzz-friendly team. But UCLA, which debuted at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, is in an incredible position to shoot up the rankings with only one loss to date.
The schedule is both favorable and conducive for a potential rise. The Bruins play Arizona next week. The week after, they'll play rival USC in a massive game with enormous implications for the Pac-12 and beyond. They'll then close out the regular season with a road trip to Cal.
A win over USC and an unblemished run to finish the year would put the Bruins in the Pac-12 Championship Game. This could mean a rematch against Oregon, which would allow UCLA to avenge its only loss.
In short, I am feeling it. Beating Oregon will be easier said than done, but there's a path to the playoff that very few seem to recognize. UCLA will have to play brilliant football to get there, but I'm on board with this.
If it's not Oregon, this could be the one.
Second Place is the First…Winner?
User: @Meat_Bat
Response: One-loss Big Ten team (OSU or UM)
Yes, @Meat_Bat brings up a good point. That sentence, I am sure of it, has never been written before.
While the Pac-12 and Big 12 benefited from the Week 10 destruction, the Big Ten somewhat quietly had an enormous weekend.
On the field? It wasn't great.
Ohio State was sloppy in blustery conditions at Northwestern, and Michigan trailed Rutgers at halftime before exploding in the final 30 minutes. Elsewhere, however, several dominoes fell that set up well for the conference.
On Tuesday, Ohio State and Michigan are likely to be No. 2 and No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The order could go either way, but both teams will be there.
In a few weeks, Michigan will travel to Ohio State to close out the season. The winner will almost certainly head to the Big Ten Championship Game. The loser will be done with the regular season, hoping to still crack the final top four.
Ohio State plays Indiana and at Maryland before the Wolverines. Michigan plays Nebraska and Illinois at home. It seems likely that both teams will enter that final game unbeaten. If that is the case, both could very well be in a quality position.
This isn't a given, but a few more losses could make it a reality.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
