I need the college football season to end. This hasn’t been healthy for me. I need my life back. I’m Rust in the storage unit from Season One of True Detective right now trying to pin down all that can happen. It is an exciting time of the year as we grind towards the downright nitty gritty of the college football season. There’s a bit of a “Bittersweet Symphony” element to this time of year. It’s fun to nail down all of the possible scenarios for the College Football Playoff and talk about ’em. Some of us obsess over it and if you don’t keep us in check, we’ll talk about it for hours on end to nobody in particular. Trust me – my wife is tired of hearing me ask whether or not the committee would be forced to let in a two-loss LSU team if it wins the SEC Championship.
Realistically speaking, I think there are six teams still in the hunt. The simplest possible path is for Georgia and Ohio State to just win out. Those two are virtual locks in my mind, and it would take some real fireworks for either to miss the party. Third, I actually think that Tennessee is pretty safe in all of this because of their schedule. Listen – I get it….Vanderbilt is riding the wave of their first SEC victory in three years…but they’re not beating the Vols this year! So, if Tennessee can survive a trip to South Carolina this weekend, they’re going to be in great shape to finish 11-1.
Each week, the pressure seems to build on TCU, and each week, they rise to the occasion. They’re sitting there at #4. Conventional wisdom says that if they win out, they’re in based on that ranking. But, that’s not going to be easy with Baylor this weekend and a Big 12 Championship game here in a couple of weeks. I think TCU is the team that can afford a loss the least that’s currently in the mix. As for Michigan, I just don’t buy their body of work just yet. I think Ohio State’s going to cream them and I think they’ll have a nice little trip to Pasadena at New Years.
So, that leaves the LSU Tigers, and they have the opportunity to really screw some things up for people. They have to get by UAB and Texas A&M, but what happens if they beat Georgia for the SEC Championship? Would they be undeniable? That might spell doom for Tennessee. It’s hard to imagine a two-loss team getting in, but if you’re just trying to get the four best teams in, wouldn’t LSU have a strong case at that point?
But, then I start thinking about the chaos scenarios. Like…what if Michigan loses to Illinois this week? What if Ohio State loses to Maryl..okay, I almost typed that entire sentence with a straight face…what if TCU drops this one to Baylor but wins the Big 12? Could Kentucky upset Georgia? What if the Vols stumble? Maybe that opens the door for the USC Trojans to sneak in – those boys have the opportunity to really pad their resumé in the last few weeks of the season with games against UCLA and Notre Dame left. If they win those, they’d have the chance to play for a conference championship. I don’t think the Trojans are dead yet.
Then, there’s the ACC – Clemson can get back into the conversation if they win out and some dominos fall ahead of them. Maybe even North Carolina too! If either team wins out, they’d only have one loss and a P5 conference championship! But then, if we’re going to let in North Carolina with that resumé, shit….does that then open the possibility for a two-loss Alabama to get back in? Could two-loss Alabama get in over a one-loss North Carolina if everyone in the top five loses twice?!?! I can’t stop. This is a disease. Up next, I’m doing the mental gymnastics to scheme up a scenario in which Coastal Carolina gets that 4th playoff spot.
If you want more of this insanity, or to get Steven McCash’s opinion on the matter, fire up the latest episode of the College Football Roundup:
Listen to “2022, Ep. 11: Let’s Hash This Out” on Spreaker.If you haven’t already, be sure to go subscribe to the College Football Roundup Podcast, on which Steven McCash and myself break down all the action from the college football world and look ahead to the week to come.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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