ECU Loss to Temple Means Group-of-5 Conferences Won't Be Crashing Playoff

We, as sports fans, love the underdog. The Kansas City Royals captured a nation’s attention with their incredible run before falling in Game 7 of the World Series. Every March, we’re captivated by the directional schools of the world who push heavily favored teams to the brink and beyond in the NCAA tournament.

But if you were looking for an underdog in the College Football Playoff, well, you’re going to be disappointed.

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

East Carolina’s ugly 20-10 loss at Temple ended any slim chance that a group-of-five representative would crash the four-team playoff.

The Pirates were ranked No. 23 in the initial College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings, giving them a slim opportunity at making a run at the playoffs should they keep winning handily with chaos happening ahead of them.

They do own two wins over power-five programs, beating ACC foes Virginia Tech and North Carolina in consecutive weeks (although neither the Hokies nor Tar Heels have distinguished themselves in league play this season). Luke DeCock of the News & Observer predicted Pirates' fans are cancelling their New Year's Eve plans:

Saturday was the Pirates’ worst offensive performance of the season, by far. ECU entered averaging 39.6 points per game (No. 14 nationally) but could only manage a field goal through three-plus quarters before adding a late touchdown. Senior quarterback Shane Carden was 24-of-41 for 217 yards passing, the first time he was held under 250 passing yards this season.

East Carolina was the only group-of-five team with anything approximating a chance at a College Football Playoff run.

Marshall is 8-0 and was ranked No. 23 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today polls but was not ranked in the initial College Football Playoff poll—a sign of the respect (or lack thereof) the committee has for the Thundering Herd.

Marshall is a strong favorite to win Conference USA and finish the regular season unbeaten, but its schedule is a major concern. The Herd have not played a power-five program this season and will not play one the rest of the regular season. Its nonconference games came against Miami (Ohio), FCS program Rhode Island, Ohio and Akron.

With strength of schedule noted as an important factor in the playoff committee’s deliberations, that slate spells death for the Herd’s playoff chances. TV play-by-play announcer Mark Followill highlighted Marshall's "pretty big result" from Saturday: 

Colorado State entered this week 7-1 and owns wins over power-five foes Boston College and Colorado, but the Rams are also not serious College Football Playoff contenders. They aren't ranked in any of the major polls.

At this point, the most interesting race will be for the group-of-five spot in the College Football Playoff-affiliated-access bowls; one of the group’s teams is guaranteed access. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com noted Marshall's previously assessed "weak sked" suddenly becoming a "stronger" one:

Will an unbeaten Marshall team be impressive enough to garner respect? Will East Carolina’s wins over power-five teams carry weight? Or can Colorado State make an appearance if it runs the table and wins the Mountain West?

It’ll be an interesting story to follow, but one thing is for sure: We won’t see an underdog in the actual College Football Playoff this season.