Not that much happened this week, unfortunately, for College Football in terms of Chaos. Most of the teams who were favored in their matchups would most likely blow out their opponent, or manage to win somewhat close. What really was impactful was how the matchups ended up changing the polls, and for next week, the AP polls will be no more. As the official College Football rankings are coming next Tuesday, let’s see how each conference will end up being favored by then.

Winless and Undefeated No More! Kennesaw State Upsets Liberty on Wednesday Night Football

But first, a huge group of five upset happened on Wednesday Night, as the Owls of Kennesaw State upset the defending C-USA Champions, the Liberty Flames, 27-24. This was the first win the Owls obtained as part of their transition from FCS to FBS contention. While this only restores the pride for the Owls as they won’t have a winless season, Liberty’s shot at the playoffs diminishes to next to nothing, as long as Boise State and Army are still ranked.

Huge Upset in SEC, Texas A&M is the Last Undefeated Team in Conference Play, Upsetting LSU and becoming #10

Before the game, Garret Nussmeier mentioned it wasn’t hard to play at Kyle Field, saying “It’s not even close. Kyle Field is loud, I’ll give them that, but it’s not Death Valley.” Unfortunately for him, the last time someone tried disrespecting Kyle Field, they got blown out by them (*Cough Cough* Brady Cook *Cough Cough*). This time around, the Aggies scraped out a 38-23 win against the Tigers and now starting to make a case for the playoffs. Sure an early loss to the Notre Dame Irish would most likely affect them(But then again they lost to NIU, so they’re the bigger question), but they managed to stay on track, as Jimbo Fisher has them undefeated in conference play since. Assuming they don’t start to falter, a showdown against the Texas Longhorns in a revived rivalry will determine which Texas team gets to show up in the playoffs.

As for LSU, there is one single matchup that will determine their fate. Circle the calendars for 11/9, as #14 Alabama heads into Death Valley. Alabama shut out the other Tiger Team, Missouri, but now they get a real tiger. A match-up against these two will have massive playoff implications. The winner survives another day and adds another ranked win, the loser is all but eliminated for playoffs. The two teams will get a week to prepare for a matchup that will guarantee the end of one’s playoff chances.

Conference Watches: BIG 10, BIG 12, and ACC Shows no Major Change, SEC Still up for Grabs, Pac-12 Somehow Has a Shot!?

SEC

While the Aggies got their marquee upset win for their playoff chances, the conference is still anyone’s game. Even though they are technically leading the conference, Georgia is still the Highest Ranked within the conference at #2, having a bye week to rest up against the now scrappy Florida Gators. The Texas Longhorns, currently #6,  had a close win against Vanderbilt, which proves they still may not be among the elite contenders of the conference. The next closest ranked SEC team would be #7 Tennessee, having a bye week to prepare for Kentucky. Along with the Aggies, these four teams look to be the front runners of the conference, with the main hope that Georgia continues their domination to obtain a bye week for playoffs.

BIG 10

The Oregon Ducks stomped out the Fighting Illioni, 38-9, keeping their #1 position, and making Dillion Gabrial a possible Frontrunner QB for Heisman, along with Cam Ward. For the team that may face them in the conference championship, it looks to be a showdown against #3 Penn State, and #4 Ohio State. Penn State Struggled at first against Wisconsin, but would ultimately demolish them in the second half. As for Ohio State, a close win against Nebraska (Oh Nebraska, your unclutchfulness reminds me of the Scott Frost Days) would keep them at #4. But this Saturday, the two top-ranked teams battle it out at Beaver Stadium, with the winner most likely facing Oregon for the conference. But if any of the two teams start to fall, it would be the Indiana Hosiers to take the lead in the conference, with a showdown against Ohio State probably making a case for them to be in the playoffs.

Big 12

With #11 Iowa State having a bye week, a new contender in the conference has risen. The newly ranked #9 BYU Cougars, of all teams, are leading the Big 12! Yes, those BYU Cougars, who were once at +15000 odds to win the conference at the start of the season, now have a great chance to secure the conference win and a covenant bye week in the playoffs. The next closest contenders would be #17 Kansas State, and newly ranked #23 Colorado. Iowa State would Play Kansas State on 11/30, with the winner most likely taking on the Cougars. But if any of them falter, Deion Sanders may truly make Colorado into the biggest Antagonist this season if they win the conference. 

ACC

While #5 Miami took care of business against Florida State, and #11 Clemson took a week off, it seems to be that these two are the major front runners of the conference. But if any of them start to falter, #20 SMU and #18 Pitt battle it out this Saturday, with the winner becoming the next team up in case either Clemson or Miami fall down in the rankings.

Pac 12!?

Somehow, someway, the Pac-12 still has a shot at the playoffs. While there can’t be a chance for a conference winner, #22 Washington State could somehow have a chance to make it. First, they would need to win out, then a lot of things need to go their way. Some of these include Texas Tech somehow winning the Big 12, Boise State to clinch the Group of Five’s automatic bid, and Notre Dame to lose again. While it’s a long shot, it’s not zero, and Washington State could be able to revive the Pac-12 sooner than later.

Group of 5

As for Group of Five schools, Navy would lose majorly against Notre Dame this week. However, since it is a non-conference game, it won’t affect their AAC rankings. Army is the only other ranked team in the AAC, but they also have a matchup against Notre Dame. A loss would most likely knock them out of the standings, but their conference championship aspirations would still be alive. As for Boise State, they would eke out a close victory against UNLV, with Ashton Jeanty having a down game with…128 yards and a TD. Assuming they still stay on track, they would be the best school to represent the Group of 5 conferences in the playoffs.

Hot Takes

• Indiana and Pitt End the Season Within the Top 10, Clemson Falls Out Top 10
• Alabama VS LSU Will Determine Who Gets the 11th Seed
• Indiana Would Face Oregon in the Conference Championship, With Penn State Beating Ohio State, and Indiana Beating Ohio State