Charlotte, Samford, Eastern Illinois, Coastal Carolina, Western Kentucky, Mercer.
What do these schools have in common? They all played SEC teams on Saturday!
It was Cupcake Week in the SEC, especially for playoff-contending squads like Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama. They all got a much-needed rest before the postseason arrives.
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Some folks don’t approve.
“We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, like some other places,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Saturday.
In the Big Ten, Lanning’s team dashed USC’s playoff hopes in Eugene, and Michigan kept its CFP chances alive with a win at Maryland. Oklahoma (vs. Missouri) and Vanderbilt (vs. Kentucky) remained in playoff contention, too, and so did Group of Five challengers James Madison and Tulane.
In a stunning comeback in Salt Lake City, Utah kept its CFP hopes thriving by toppling Kansas State, and in Cincinnati, BYU beat the Bearcats to maintain control of their destiny. In the ACC, Miami whipped Virginia Tech to remain in the playoff mix, and in Atlanta, Pitt slammed Georgia Tech to ruin its postseason chances. The ACC is proving to be an unpredictable bunch. SMU stomped Louisville to further complicate the league’s title race. Suddenly, the Panthers, Virginia and the Mustangs are all tied atop the league. Even five-loss Duke still has a chance to reach Charlotte.
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Next Saturday’s slate is shaping up to be a whopper of games with an impact on the playoff field. Let’s break it down before we get to the Top 10.
We’ve got three absolute locks for the 12-team playoff field: Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M. And 2 more likely locks: Georgia and Texas Tech.
Georgia Tech did not help itself with a road loss at Pitt on Saturday. (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
We know the ACC champion will be in the field, as well as the highest-ranked non-power league champion. That gets us to seven of the 12 spots filled.
Five spots are left for these bubble teams, placed in order of their CFP ranking:
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Win and in
– Ole Miss (at Mississippi State)
– Oregon (at Washington)
– Oklahoma (vs. LSU)
Win and likely* in
– Notre Dame (at Stanford)
– Alabama (at Auburn)
– BYU (vs. UCF)
– Utah (at Kansas)
– Miami (at Pitt)
– Vandy (at Tennessee)
– Michigan (vs. Ohio State)
*If Notre Dame and Alabama win, they’d be 10-2. Their biggest threat of missing the field is if the committee…
(1) moves in Michigan if it beats Ohio State.
(2) keeps in Tech if it loses to BYU in Big 12 title.
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(3) moves in either 10-2 Miami, Vanderbilt, Utah or 9-3 Texas.
Enough playoff talk, let’s get to the Top 10!
This week: Off
Next week: at Purdue
Yes, the Hoosiers still hold the best win in the country this season — beating the Ducks in Eugene. That, coupled with their perfect record, has them No. 1 again this week. Look, it’s close. Texas A&M, Ohio State and maybe even Georgia have an argument to be deemed the top team in the land. But for now, Curt Cignetti and Co. win out, but barely.
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Best win: 30-20 at Oregon
This week: beat Rutgers 42-9
Next week: at Michigan
The Buckeyes turned a rather close contest (14-3 at halftime) into a second-half blowout. Freshman Bo Jackson hit 100 yards for the fourth time this season, and Matt Patricia’s defense smothered yet another offense, this time squashing one of the more productive units in the country. Ohio State’s last three opponents have scored a combined 29 points.
Best wins: 14-7 vs. Texas
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This week: beat Samford 48-0
Next week: at Texas
The starters got a much-needed break in the final couple quarters in Aggieland. And it’s a good thing too. A&M travels to Austin next week where it may need a win to assure a spot in the SEC championship game against Alabama, Georgia or Ole Miss. It’s shaping up to be a challenging couple weeks for Mike Elko’s crew with the playoffs to follow.
Best win: 41-40 at Notre Dame
This week: beat Charlotte 35-3
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Next week: vs. Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
You don’t need to do much offensively when your defense holds the opponent to 169 yards of offense and a 9.1 percent mark on third-down attempts. The Bulldogs got a tuneup and plenty of rest before an intriguing meeting against the Yellow Jackets in a game moved from Bobby Dodd Stadium to Mercedes-Benz.
Best win: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
This week: Off
Next week: at Mississippi State
Did Ole Miss experience the busiest off week in the history of off weeks? It feels that way. The decision from Lane Kiffin remains just that — a decision. And that’s probably not good for the Rebels, who really would like clarity on the future of their head coach heading into Friday’s Egg Bowl in Starkville. A week of distraction awaits for the Rebs players and staff.
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Best win: 34-26 at Oklahoma
This week: Off
Next week: at West Virginia
The Red Raiders are in striking distance to actually get a first-round bye in the playoffs. They need to beat the Mountaineers, win the Big 12 championship game and then have an upset in the SEC to knock one of that league’s teams out of the top four. Coach Joey McGuire received a lot of investment this offseason, as everyone knows, and he’s doing plenty with it.
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Best win: 34-10 at Utah
This week: beat USC 42-27
Next week: at Washington
Look, the Ducks don’t have the best strength of schedule and, yes, they’ve survived some close calls to a few middling teams, but they’re 10-1 and in position to make a playoff run, especially if they can get a plethora of their receivers healthy. Despite missing their top three wideouts, Dan Lanning’s team rolled up 436 yards on the Trojans and eliminated them from playoff contention.
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Best win: 42-27 vs. USC
This week: beat Missouri 17-6
Next week: vs. LSU
After the loss to Texas, all the Sooners have done is win games at No. 20 Tennessee, at No. 10 Alabama and against No. 22 Missouri. Brent Venables’ defense is one of the most opportunistic and havoc-creating units in the country and that bodes well in playoff time. OU is a win away from almost assuredly punching its ticket into the big dance.
Best win: 23-21 at Alabama
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This week: beat Syracuse 70-7
Next week: at Stanford
Think the Irish wanted to prove something to the playoff committee? What’s so shocking about this result is that Notre Dame needed just 67 passing yards to win a game by 63 points. That’s what happens when RB Jeremiyah Love runs for 171 and three touchdowns.
Best win: 34-24 vs. USC
This week: beat Cincinnati 26-14
Next week: vs. UCF
LJ Martin hit 100 yards for a sixth time this year (in fact, he had 222!) and the Cougars won at Cincy to move to 10-1 and keep their playoff and Big 12 championship hopes alive. The Cougars are salivating over a rematch against Texas Tech in Dallas. Win that one and you’re in. Lose that one and… you’ll be sweating on Selection Sunday.
Best win: 26-14 at Cincinnati
Dropped: USC (10)