Are There Any Remaining Cinderellas Left in Race to College Football Playoff?

It was a sight that might never be seen again.

When Navy shocked No. 6 Houston 46-40, protocol and tradition were promptly dismissed in the best of ways Saturday afternoon. The Midshipmen, of all people, stormed the field and wildly celebrated the football program's first win over a Top 10 team since 1984.

One didn't have to be there to appreciate that it's the kind of thing that makes college football special, and the academy's superintendent subsequently announced there would be no classes Tuesday in honor of the accomplishment.

But while Annapolis, Maryland, was full of jubilation, many other fans were able to exhale and relax a little more, especially those of Power Five conferences. With another potential obstacle all but removed from the national championship landscape, the Cinderella watch was over for another year.

Since the Bowl Championship Series was created and put into effect in 1998, the door has been open for teams from the other five conferences to have a bigger stake in the title, although one has yet to fully do so.

A handful have managed to land a spot in a major bowl, including Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, followed by Utah and Cincinnati, TCU (then in the Mountain West) in the 2011 Rose Bowl and Northern Illinois in the 2013 Orange Bowl.

The one to make the biggest splash came 10 years ago, when No. 9 Boise State shocked No. 7 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, 43-42 in overtime, leaving the Broncos and Ohio State as the only teams with perfect records at that point. Of course, the Buckeyes went on to get crushed by Florida in the title game, while Boise State finished fifth in the final Associated Press poll.

With the advent of the College Football Playoff, which features four teams, Houston had hoped to be the one to break through and challenge for this season's championship. It came pretty close in 2015 with a 13-1 record and victory over Florida State in the Peach Bowl, but the Cougars were still considered long shots unless they could run the table.

That meant defeating Oklahoma in the season opener, upsetting Louisville and capturing the American Athletic title.

It didn't even get to Step 2, thanks to Navy, with no one caring that the home team was pretty good and the game was played in lousy weather due to Hurricane Matthew. Coming in, the Cougars were leading the nation in rushing defense, having yielded just 42 yards per game, only to give up 306 to the triple-option. They also allowed more points than in their previous four games combined.

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That's what will be remembered—not that Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. went 32-of-50 passing for 359 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 94 yards and another score, but that his team's loss might have ended his Heisman Trophy chances.

Similarly, when it comes to the title chase, everything counts, including attrition, lousy conditions and avoiding letdowns. Houston had earned its chance, and it failed.

What also doesn't help the smaller leagues has been the top tier of teams standing out, led by Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan and Washington. They and the other undefeated teams in the biggest conferences essentially control their own destinies. Win out and capture the league title, and they know they're in.

The playoff is a particularly tough invitation for a Cinderella to get, regardless of strength of schedule. You just don't see the equivalent of Coastal Carolina's College World Series title or Virginia Commonwealth's journey from the First Four to the Final Four in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

In football, you still hear about how Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in 2007. To see something like that over the course of a season is now almost impossible. The closest thing college football has seen was probably Brigham Young in 1984, and that was more than 30 years ago.

Consequently, the list of potential Cinderella candidates is always short to begin with—and to clarify, Louisville no longer qualifies since it plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while programs like Baylor, Miami and Washington can't be called anything more than a surprise—because everything has to go right.

This year, that list was made up of Houston, Boise State, San Diego State, South Florida, Air Force, Western Michigan and maybe Western Kentucky. Per usual, they're being dismissed one by one:

• Western Kentucky lost at No. 1 Alabama but then also to Vanderbilt and Louisiana Tech.
• South Florida lost at home to Florida State.
• San Diego State was ranked for two weeks in the AP Top 25, but then it lost at South Alabama.
• Air Force lost at Wyoming this past weekend.

That leaves Boise State and Western Michigan as the remaining "Other Five" unbeatens, yet their chances are slim.

The Broncos are led by sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien, who is 96-of-156 (61.5 percent) for 1,415 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating of 157.2 ranks 19th in the nation, which means the same perception exists for both he and his team: good but not great.

Boise State has wins against Washington State and Oregon State, but those aren't exactly statement victories, especially when the Pac-12 is about as static as all the alternative uniforms being worn.

Boise State faces BYU at home Oct. 20 in a nationally televised game that could be its best chance to make an impression against a name opponent. It also has two squads on the schedule with winning records—Wyoming and Air Force—but will probably not play a ranked team.

Western Michigan, the class of the Mid-American Conference so far, has a similar problem: Its best wins are against below-.500 Big Ten teams Northwestern and Illinois. The Broncos' toughest remaining games appear to be against Akron, Eastern Michigan and Toledo. Those teams have already lost to Appalachian State, Toledo and BYU, respectively.

Which brings us back to the Houston Cougars, who despite the loss to Navy will likely remain the highest-ranked non-Power Five team. But to still have a shot at the playoff, the Cougars can't stumble again and would need some major help, like Alabama losing twice, Baylor faltering and Washington fading.

In other words, it needs the football equivalent of a fairy tale.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.