What seemed like a boring, ordinary college football week, transformed into the insanity we once knew of this great game. There were multiple losses to top teams, rankings on fire, and even more controversy in the playoff predictions. With only three more weeks of the CFB season, including that traditional Army V Navy Game Week, teams are starting to make their final cases for the playoffs, and drift away from the grinds of the Winter. Soon enough, teams will officially start bowling, and the top 12 begin the quest to Atlanta. Savor these last final weeks ladies and gentlemen, because it seems the Pac-12 is starting to mark its vengeance on the CFB world, by spreading the chaos it once had.
Jayhawks Pooch the Mormons, #6 BYU Loses Their Undefeated Season In Heartbreaking Fashion
Oh BYU. A team that people didn’t even give a chance to win the conference, let alone make the playoffs, losing their season like this. The Mormons were escaping games like Houdini. Like the Holy War win against Utah, UCF, and Baylor. Yet even Houdini eventually loses his magic. That was the case when the supposed “dark Jayhawks” came into LaVell Edwards Stadium, and pulled off another top-10 upset in back-to-back seasons. BYU plummets down to #14, and the chance of capturing the conference may soon go down the drain with them. #16 Colorado and #21 Arizona State are not too far behind them now, and it seems that this conference will end up trotting a team that didn’t even manage .500 last year. The spirit of the Pac-12 lives on through the Big 12, as it truly seems like someone will end up costing someone else to miss the playoffs(Looking at you Colorado Vs Kansas).
#12 Georgia Finally Gets Back On Track Against #7 Tennessee, Who Will Win The SEC!?
Newly ranked #10 Georgia finally managed to show everyone why they should be feared once again. The Bulldogs came back from a tied half to stifle the Vols into not scoring at all in the second half, with Carson Beck Finally having a great performance, 25/40 for 347 Yds and 2 Tds. Now, the Bulldogs finally find themselves back in playoff contention, being ranked #10, the last real opponent being a very scrappy Georgia Tech. Tennessee dropped back to #11, yet the first team out, and their playoff chances are beginning to dwindle, with the last main matchup being against Vanderbilt of all teams. The SEC race is currently being led by the Texas Longhorns, with around four to five different teams having a chance to face them. Is it possible that the spirit of the Pac-12 also infected the SEC as a last middle finger because of Conference Realignment?
Conference Watch: Calmness and Chaos Start To Settle In…
SEC
As mentioned before, #3 Texas holds control of the SEC, another scrappy win against the Arkansas Razorbacks. As for who could face them? You got #15 Texas A&M who has a rivalry matchup against the Longhorns in rivalry week and can actually knock off them for the conference championship. #10 Georgia could make a comeback, and have a very good chance of winning assuming it’s another rematch. Then #7 Alabama and #9 Ole Miss can somehow find a way in if we have more Pac-12 levels of insanity in the upcoming weeks. Either way, all it really takes is to at least make the championship game, or winning out the rest away to have a really good shot at making the playoffs, because we all know ESPN is going to get at least four SEC teams in.
BIG 10
#1 Oregon survives an almost upset loss by the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers of all teams. But because of this, no matter the circumstance, Oregon will automatically clinch a spot in the BIG 10 Championship game! Their matchups aren’t going to be as tough as they would hope for, but it’s always possible for slip-ups, especially at this time. For who could possibly face them, a key matchup between #5 Indiana and #2 Ohio State looms in for Week 13. While Indiana had a bye week this week, they faced their greatest challenge when heading up to Columbus to take on the Will Howard-led Buckeyes. However, Ryan Day is only 1-7 against top-five opponents(with the exception of Penn State) so if there is anything going for them, it’s Ryan Day’s bad luck. And if both teams end up imploding back to back, #4 Penn State could manage to snatch the chance to play against Oregon if things fall to fruition.
BIG 12
#14 BYU falling down to that rank is really going to hurt their chances at making the playoffs, yet they still lead the conference. But due to them dropping that low, they no longer have a chance to clinch a bye week, and may eventually have to play on the road to begin the playoffs! Now that #16 Colorado is racking up key wins, they look to be the ones to face the Mormons in Dallas. Assuming that the Pac-12 really wants to make a final statement, #21 Arizona State could possibly have the chance to meet the Mormons or the Buffs, whatever chaos the BIG 12 likes to throw at them. Whatever it will be, this conference is one to watch when it comes to who can achieve that automatic bid.
ACC
This conference is the opposite of the BIG 12 and SEC, and more like the BIG 10 when it comes to implications. #13 SMU still holds the lead in the conference, after easily dismantling Boston College. With that being said, #8 Miami still is assumed to be the conference winner, assuming they don’t screw up like last week and give that honor to possibly ## Clemson. This feels more dry when it comes to playoff implications, and not the insanity the SEC and BIG 12 would have. Whatever the case may end up being, the best-case scenario leads to either the Cam Ward-led Hurricanes or the newcomers of SMU to represent the ACC in the playoffs.
On another note, former #19 ranked Louisville managed to lose to the 3-7 Stanford Cardinals, by a field goal, due to two extra penalties, with five seconds remaining in the 4th. Do with that information as you will.
Group of Five
The first major championship game has been determined for the Group of Five, as it will be #20 Tulane Green Waves vs the #19 Army Black Knights. While these teams have a really good chance to make the playoffs, they’re only playing fiddle to #12 Boise State, being led on by another Ashton Jeanty Masterclass. And with ## Army having to take on #6 Notre Dame next week, the AAC’s chances of being the G5 representatives may slip away if Jeanty is the one running away with the opportunity. Thankfully for them, the former #18 ranked Washington Cougars got upset by the Nex Mexico Lobos, ending the actual chance the Pac-12 may have had for the playoffs…
Playoff Matchups as of 11/17
#12 BYU @ #5 Ohio State -> Winner takes on #4 Boise State
With the new change up, BYU takes the place of Boise State to head to Columbus for a matchup against the Buckeyes. Will Ryan Day’s abysmal record against ranked teams keep going, or will the Mormons finally run out of prayers? And whoever wins this, they get themselves a matchup against the Broncos, led by Ashton Jeanty in the blue.
@9 Alabama @ #8 Notre Dame -> Winner takes on #1 Oregon
An old-time rivalry sparkles up again as the Tide, this time, rolls into into South Bend for the first time in a long time. The only problem is that with the record on how the Tide absolutely dismantles the Irish, it may be safe to assume they’ll be the ones taking on the Ducks.
#11 Georgia @ #6 Penn State -> Winner takes on #3 Miami
Georgia is now back in the playoff picture, this time getting to head to College Station against the Nittany Lions. The only issue is that James Franklin looks like Ryan Day if Ryan Day had a worse record. If they get past that, they get themselves a date with the Heisman favorite Cam Ward and the Hurricanes.
#10 Ole Miss @ #7 Indiana -> Winner takes on #2 Texas
A very odd matchup here. Ole Miss having another successful season and possibly having the best playoff chances without making it into the bye will take on…Indiana?! But then whoever wins has Texas next so…it’s going to have levels of insanity if this ends up being official.
