With just two weeks left in the college football season, we usually have a small list of contenders remaining in the College Football Playoff race. The list of contenders is currently at 11, which is slightly above average.
We have 11 contenders for the next two weeks because there are so many teams with one or fewer losses. Two teams with two losses are still in the picture–Wisconsin and Oregon. Oregon essentially needs a miracle to get into the picture, while Wisconsin could have an incredible resume with two more wins.
So, that brings us to where we are now. 11 teams–three from the Big Ten, three from the SEC, two from the Big 12, two from the Pac 12, and Clemson. Wisconsin and Minnesota play an elimination game this week, with the winner moving on to the Big Ten Championship Game. LSU and Georgia will meet in the SEC Championship Game, while Alabama needs a win and then some help to get in. Utah looks in decent position now. And Oklahoma and Baylor can just win and hope the committee starts to like the Big 12 again.
The stage is very clearly set for what should be an intense final two weeks to the college football season. With that said, let’s look at the current Playoff pecking order, and what scenarios could possibly throw things out of whack. What teams are locks if they win out, who needs a little help, who is on the bubble, and who is officially a member of Team Chaos? Let’s look at as many of the potential scenarios as we can.