Top 8 Teams Likely to Cause Chaos in the Last Half of the College Football Season
As college football begins its slow, drama-filled sprint to the College Football Playoff, one thing has been made abundantly clear over the past few weeks.
Chaos is coming. It's simply a matter of time. And it will likely be served in a variety of different ways as the sport welcomes its 12-team postseason.
Over the past month, that chaos has been served in regular doses. Now, as the reveal of the first College Football Playoff rankings nears, one can't help but wonder what teams will impact the remaining games most.
To be clear, you don't have to be a contending playoff team to make a mess of things. We've seen that already this year, and we're likely to see it again.
As the intensity picks up and the schedule slowly runs low on games, here are teams positioned to cause playoff madness in the remaining weeks.
Indiana
1 of 7
The Hoosiers are no longer just a nice little football story. They are a force, even as they play on without injured starting QB Kurtis Rourke.
That much is clear after Indiana clobbered Nebraska 56-7 on Saturday. The offense has been one of the best in the nation, the defense has been better than advertised, and the team is now 7-0.
We've spent months talking about Big Ten teams that could make the playoff, and the Hoosiers have never truly been included in that discussion. Well, at least for most. That should change now.
Indiana plays Washington at home, at Michigan State, Michigan, at Ohio State and Purdue. The game in Columbus will be a challenge, although Curt Cignetti's team could be favored in every other game but that.
If you're a fan of the team on the playoff bubble, Indiana is a team to take inventory of.
As we enter Week 9, this group is very much a threat.
Kansas
2 of 7
How does a 2-5 team inject madness into college football's postseason, you ask?
Well, by playing spoiler.
It has been a rough year for Kansas, which has shown great promise in recent seasons. Thus far, it has not carried over.
In fairness, the schedule has been tricker than we first thought. Out-of-conference games against UNLV and Illinois turned out to be tougher than originally anticipated.
The Jayhawks also haven't exactly thrived in close games. Only one loss has come by more than a touchdown.
With that acknowledged, Kansas will get a crack at the favorites in the Big 12 over the next month. This week, KU will travel to Kansas State. Then, after a bye, Kansas will play at Iowa State at home before traveling to BYU.
For as bad as the record looks, Kansas is still capable. Although this team is unlikely to make a bowl, it could very well spoil someone's playoff hopes along the way.
Notre Dame
3 of 7
At the beginning of the season, we looked at Notre Dame's schedule and snickered.
In short, it wasn't great.
After a massive Week 1 victory against Texas A&M, it looked like smooth sailing. A loss to Northern Illinois the following week showed us how wrong we were. Although as it turns out, we were wrong twice.
Notre Dame is one of the most fascinating teams to watch for a handful of reasons. For starters, the Irish have one loss—the worst loss any playoff contender is likely to have on its resume this year.
If this team loses again, the selection committee could have its hands full. This is especially true considering Marcus Freeman's team won't play in a conference championship.
Beyond its own playoff fate, Notre Dame will also have a sizable say on others. This week, ND will play Navy. A few weeks after, the Irish will play Army.
Both teams are unbeaten and viable options to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff as a Group of Five team. In a sense, how Notre Dame performs could impact its own playoff future and plenty of others.
This team is rarely if ever ignored, although all eyes will be on the Irish these next five games.
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SMU
4 of 7
Back in Week 0, which feels like a lifetime ago, SMU nearly lost to Nevada as roughly a four-touchdown favorite.
Now? The Mustangs aren't just a different team. They're a program we should be talking about when it comes to the postseason.
In the ACC, our focus has been squarely on Miami and Clemson when it comes to the playoff. In many ways, this makes a lot of sense. The Hurricanes are unbeaten, and the Tigers have looked fabulous since an ugly Week 1 loss to Georgia.
Along the way, SMU has stayed unbeaten in conference play. The lone loss came against undefeated BYU in a tight game.
Now, the Mustangs play Duke, Pitt, Boston College, Virginia and Cal to close out the year. To translate that a little more plainly: SMU should be favored in every game moving forward.
For months, we assumed the ACC would send only one team to the playoff. As we close in on November, however, that sentiment no longer seems valid. SMU is in a fine position to steal a playoff bid with another strong month.
Vanderbilt
5 of 7
Vanderbilt, yes Vanderbilt, is now ranked in the Top 25 of the AP Poll.
This is not a drill.
Through eight games, one could argue no team has created more chaos than this one. It first came when this group nearly beat Missouri. The Commodores conquered Alabama a game later, sending shockwaves through the sport.
CFB hasn't been the same since.
At the very least, there will be ample opportunities for Vandy to flip the SEC on its side yet again.
It starts this week, as a hurting Texas squad will come to town. Then, to close out the season, Vanderbilt will finish at LSU and at home against Tennessee.
Vanderbilt likely won't be favored in any of these games, although recent history tells us that doesn't exactly matter. Quarterback Diego Pavia can create magic, and the teams on the schedule won't sleep on him or this program any longer.
Vandy won't make the playoff, but it could impact its participants in an enormous way.
Wisconsin
6 of 7
In the next month, Wisconsin has a chance to play disruptor in one of the greatest environments in all of sports.
This weekend, the Badgers welcome unbeaten Penn State into town. A few weeks after, it will be No. 1 Oregon's turn to make its maiden voyage to Madison as a member of the Big Ten.
In a small window, no program can disrupt the hierarchy of the sport quite like this one. With two teams currently ranked in the top three set to visit, Wisconsin, which still only has one Big Ten loss, can do plenty of damage.
Although Luke Fickell's team had its struggles earlier in the year, losing back-to-back games against Alabama and USC, it has since found its footing against lesser opponents. While the competition hasn't exactly been stellar, Wisconsin has allowed just 16 combined points across its last three matchups.
There is nothing "lesser" about these teams. That much is clear.
But the Badgers' rapid improvement coupled with an environment that should pack a punch makes this a team that could disrupt multiple unbeatens in the near future.
Texas A&M & LSU
7 of 7
We're doubling up on this one, and we don't have to wait long for the next chapter of chaos involving both teams to unfold.
Next week, it'll happen. The top two teams in the SEC, which is both real and surprising, will meet at Kyle Field. The winner, which will stay unbeaten in conference play, will inch closer to the playoff as a result.
Next week will provide plenty of clarity, although that's not all.
LSU will play Alabama at home in early November. For Alabama, this trademark rivalry will likely serve as an elimination game. Depending on what happens to LSU this weekend, the Tigers could be in the same position.
Texas A&M will finish the year with a home game against Texas. The fact that this great rivalry returns with enormous stakes is a massive win for CFB. Depending on how both teams play before then, we'll find out exactly how big it is. Although the game will almost certainly matter for one—if not both.
As an unlikely SEC sorts itself out, the Tigers and Aggies will do plenty to help clear things up.
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