Category: Championship Week

North Texas vs UTSA Conference USA Championship Prediction Game Preview

North Texas vs UTSA game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Conference USA Championship Week game on Friday, December 2

North Texas vs UTSA prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Championship Week, Friday, December 2

North Texas vs UTSA Conference USA Championship Prediction Game Preview

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North Texas vs UTSA Conference USA Championship How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 2
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: North Texas (7-5), UTSA (10-2)
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Why North Texas Will Win

The Mean Green came close the first time around.

They went to UTSA, got the passing game going, and had their chances in the 31-27 loss. As long as they can keep bombing away, they’ll have a shot.

Consistency has been a bit of an issue, but no one in Conference USA gets more big plays out of the passing game partly because no on in the conference is better in pass protection. Giving QB Austin Aune time to work won’t be a problem – UTSA doesn’t have much of a pass rush to worry about.

Aune struggled with his accuracy, but he threw for 325 yards and three scores in the first meeting. He’ll come up with close to 300 yards in this to keep up the pressure.

However …

– Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why UTSA Will Win

North Texas might have been strong the first time around, but UTSA did win.

Frank Harris threw a pick, but the offense was well balanced, there weren’t any big problems moving the chains, and it should all work again against a North Texas defense that allows over 450 yards per game.

On a nine-game winning streak, the defending Conference USA champion has the consistency North Texas doesn’t. It has the ability to run or 250 yards, bomb away when needed, and keep things moving against a defense that’s awful at coming up with third down stops.

The Mean Green are 5-0 when allowing fewer than 150 rushing yards and 2-5 when giving up more. UTEP is 7-0 when hitting the 150 mark.

– Championship Week Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

North Texas isn’t going to make this easy.

Just when it seems like UTSA has things under control, the Mean Green big plays will connect to keep the pressure on.

The UTSA offense will be steady throughout, it’ll control the clock late, and the program will make it two Conference USA championships in a row in a fun back-and-forth shootout.

– Expert Picks College Championship Week | NFL Week 13

North Texas vs UTSA Prediction, Line

UTSA 41, North Texas 31
Line: UTSA -8.5, o/u: 67.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
North Texas vs UTSA Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 6 teams still in the race 

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings

USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship Prediction Game Preview

USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Pac-12 Championship Week game on Friday, December 2

USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Championship Week, Friday, December 2

USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship Prediction Game Preview

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USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 2
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: FOX
Record: USC (11-1), Utah (9-3)
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Why Utah Will Win

How did the Utes do it the first time around?

They got down big early, rallied back, and rallied again with Cameron Rising running for a touchdown and the two in the final minute to beat USC 43-42 in one of the best games of the college football season.

The running game is going to continue to be a problem for the Trojans. They held up relatively well, but allowed over four yards per carry to go along with the 424 yards from Rising.

The Utah offense should be good for at least 400 yards – even if it doesn’t get to the 562 that were the most allowed by the Trojans all year – with the versatility to do whatever it wants.

Defensively, the Utes haven’t allowed more than 70 rushing yards in four of the last five games, and USC doesn’t have Travis Dye, who led the way with 76 yards in the first meeting.

Let Caleb Williams get his yards, accept that there will be a few explosive plays, and then let the offense do the work. Every third down stop and every empty USC possession will mean everything.

The pressure is ALL on the other side of the field. Utah is in the Rose Bowl with a win, and it’s probably in the Alamo if it loses. On the other side, USC has the College Football Playoff right there for the taking.

– Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why USC Will Win

USC had them.

It got up fast on Utah, got up late, and it couldn’t hang on against a strong team in one of the tougher environments in college football.

But it was on the road.

Utah managed to beat Washington State, but it’s 1-3 this year away from Salt Lake City against teams that finished with a winning record after going 1-4 last year against the good opponents that didn’t come to Rice-Eccles.

Yeah, that one win last year was over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, but the Utes had that team’s number. USC has a much, much better quarterback situation and even more firepower.

It’s not like Utah stopped the Trojan attack that rolled up 556 yards of total offense. It came up big when it had to, but Caleb Williams got off that field thinking he let one slip away.

There’s a reason he’s – probably – about to win the Heisman Trophy. Over the last three weeks he’s hitting even bigger shots down the field, he has been even more accurate, and he took his game up a few notches in the biggest games of the year. He’s handled the stress fine so far.

Yeah, the pressure is on, but there’s a way to tone that down – rely on the run defense.

The USC D might have been pounded on earlier in the year, and UCLA cranked up 204 yards, but the defense held up better over the last month, it rose up against the Notre Dame running game, and …

– Championship Week Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

Utah is going to get its yards.

The USC defensive front seemed to accept the challenge of the moment last week, but the secondary has crashed allowing over 300 yards in five of the last six games.

However, the D continues to make up for its issues with lots and lots of takeaways. The five saved the day against UCLA, the two against Notre Dame mattered, and overall the team is a whopping +24 in turnover margin.

Utah will get up fast and look like it’s in control, but Williams and the Trojans will creep on back before taking over midway through the second half after the team calms down and settles in.

It’s not going to be as much fun as the first time around, but it’ll be a blast.

One way or another, the College Football Playoff will probably be settled before Saturday.

– Expert Picks College Championship Week | NFL Week 13

USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship Prediction, Line

USC 38, Utah 34
Line: USC -2.5, o/u: 66.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
USC vs Utah Pac-12 Championship Must See Rating (out of 5): 5
Utah vs USC Experts Picks

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 6 teams still in the race 

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings

Buffalo vs Akron Prediction Game Preview

Buffalo vs Akron game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Championship Week game on Friday, December 2

Buffalo vs Akron prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Championship Week, Friday, December 2

Buffalo vs Akron Prediction Game Preview

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Buffalo vs Akron How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 2
Game Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: UB Stadium, Amherst, NY
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Buffalo (5-6), Akron (2-9)
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Why Akron Will Win

Where did that come from?

Akron had fought through the first season under head coach Joe Moorhead with more production and promise than previous years, but without the results to show for it.

Jeff Undercuffler stepped up with his best performance of the season – throwing for 312 yards and three scores in the stunning 44-12 win over Northern Illinois for the first win of the year over an FBS team. The offense hasn’t been a problem and should bomb away on Buffalo, too.

The UB pass defense hasn’t been bad overall, but Ohio was able to roll for over 300 yards and five scores a few weeks ago, the run defense disappeared, and it’s been an ugly three game losing streak without a win since October 22nd.

Akron can play loose – it got its win, things are pointing up, and it can play the spoiler role.

– Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why Buffalo Will Win

The Bulls are a win away from a nice trip, various gifts and prizes, and more football.

It’s this simple. Win, go to a bowl game. Lose, and the season is over.

The Bulls have to control the clock and the game from the start. They’re good at operating at their own pace, and Akron has too many problems consistently converting on third downs to keep things going – the Northern Illinois game aside.

The offense has stalled a bit, but it doesn’t have a bit problem with turnovers, Akron is good for at least two giveaways, probably three, and few teams are better at taking advantage of its chances with UB terrific in the red zone.

– Championship Week Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

This was supposed to be played a few weeks ago, and then nature dumped a whole lot of snow on Buffalo. At the very least, both teams should be fresh.

The Akron offensive line has stepped it up over the last few weeks. The running game has been better, but there’s still a problem keeping defenses out of the backfield. As long as the Buffalo run defense can hold up, the defense should be okay despite allowing at least 250 yards through the air.

It won’t be a breeze, but Buffalo will hang on late to get its bowl game.

– Expert Picks College Championship Week | NFL Week 13

Buffalo vs Akron Prediction, Line

Buffalo 34, Akron 23
Line: Buffalo -11.5, o/u: 55.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Buffalo vs Akron Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 6 teams still in the race 

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings

College Football Playoff Chase: Ranking Path Of The 6 (really 5) Teams Still Alive

Who’s in the College Football Playoff chase? Six teams are still realistically alive, and we rate them based on how clear their paths are and the likelihood of getting in.

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2023-2023 College Football Playoff? Before Championship Week, here are the six teams still alive and what they need to do to get in.

Is there really any drama left?

LSU tapped out with its loss to Texas A&M, Clemson is done after losing to South Carolina, Oregon ended any hopes after collapsing against Oregon State, Tennessee is effectively done, and Alabama … more on that in a second.

Remembering that the College Football Playoff committee has always taken a 12-1 or unbeaten Power Five conference champion this can be very, very simple.

If Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and USC all win their respective conference championship games, they’re in. That’s it. No debate. That’s the College Football Playoff.

But what happens if one of them loses? What happens if one of them gets rocked in a massive blowout? Then this gets interesting for a few other teams.

Remember, though – we have yet to get a huge upset in one of the Power Five conference championships in the eight years of the College Football Playoff era.

What’s the path for the five teams – with another added – to get into the College Football Playoff?

This isn’t a ranking of who the top teams are – that’s for our ranking of all 131 teams – this is about a combination of talent, clearest path, and overall pecking order.

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College Football Playoff Chase Ranking Path Of The 6 Teams Still Alive

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Rankings CFN 1-131 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible Teams | Week 13 Scoreboard
Championship Week opening lines | CFP Top 25 Prediction
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions | Heisman Candidates 

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2)

What’s Next: Bowl Game

What Alabama has to do to make the College Football Playoff: I’m only indulging here because of all the Alabama fans who still believe this is one of the four best teams despite the two losses.

Pray for chaos.

It’s going to take something insane – like Kansas State beating TCU by 40 in the Big 12 Championship, Purdue shocking Michigan in the Big Ten title game, and USC has to lose to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship.

And even then, the committee might like the idea of an 11-2 ACC champion Clemson, or a 10-2 Tennessee that beat the Tide.

Will Alabama make the College Football Playoff? Of course not.

The College Football Playoff has yet to take a two-loss team, and it’s not going to select one that didn’t win its Power Five conference championship. With that said …

Alabama’s two losses came on the road on the final plays against Tennessee and LSU. There might be enough respect to think it might be worth of the four slot if TCU gets destroyed and USC loses.

However, the close calls against Texas and Texas A&M are a factor, and yeah, there would’ve been a more compelling case to be made if Bama beat Auburn 49-0 instead of 49-27.

And then there’s the mythical “because it’s Alabama” clause always hanging over the CFP committee. It can do whatever it wants.

But no. Alabama won’t get in. The one team outside of the top four that really does have a shot, though is …

– College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1)

What’s Next: Bowl Game

What Ohio State has to do to make the College Football Playoff: USC has to lose to Utah.

There’s the slimmest of chances that Clemson could slide in with a total wipeout of an ACC Championship win over North Carolina. Even then, the committee would take Ohio State because of its win over a Notre Dame team that beat Clemson.

Ohio State beat the first 11 teams on the slate by double-digits, the committee might rationalize that time off could help the injury factor, and then there’s the theoretical side that doesn’t get used enough. If Michigan is one of the top two teams, and that’s Ohio State’s only loss, it could – in theory – actually be the third-best team.

Will Ohio State make the College Football Playoff? 50/50.

Utah was terrific in last year’s Pac-12 Championship, it took down USC once already, and ALL of the pressure is now on the Trojan side of the field. It might depend on how close the loss is – if it happens. If it’s on a last second play, it could still be questionable.

And no, Ohio State almost certainly doesn’t jump TCU even if Kansas State wins in a wipeout. It would have to be something truly ugly.

NEXT: College Football Playoff Chase Rankings Top 4

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

College Football Playoff Rankings Top 25 November 29: One More To Go

College Football Playoff top 25 rankings. How do the teams rank in after the penultimate round? 

How do the top teams rank in the top 25 after the penultimate round of the 2022 College Football Playoff rankings? 

College Football Playoff Rankings Top 25 November 29

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25. NC State Wolfpack 8-4 (NR)

24. Mississippi State Bulldogs 8-4 (NR)

23. North Carolina Tar Heels 9-3 (17)

22. UCF Knights 9-3 (22)

21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-3 (15)

20. Texas Longhorns 8-4 (23)

19. South Carolina Gamecocks 8-4 (NR)

18. Tulane Green Wave 10-2 (19)

17. UCLA Bruins 9-3 (18)

16. Oregon Ducks 9-2 (9)

– Bowl Eligibility: All bowl eligible teams

15. Oregon State Beavers 9-3 (21)

14. LSU Tigers 9-3 (5)

13. Florida State Seminoles 9-3 (16)

12. Washington Huskies 10-2 (13)

11. Utah Utes 9-3 (14)

– CFN Rankings 1-131

10. Kansas State Wildcats 9-3 (12)

9. Clemson Tigers 10-2 (8)

8. Penn State Nittany Lions 10-2 (11)

7. Tennessee Volunteers 10-2 (10)

6. Alabama Crimson Tide 10-2 (7)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes 11-1 (2)

– How do the 6 teams still alive for the CFP rank?

4. USC Trojans 11-1 (6)

3. TCU Horned Frogs 12-0 (4)

2. Michigan Wolverines 12-0 (3)

1. Georgia Bulldogs 12-0 (1)

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections

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Coaches Poll College Football Rankings 
All-Time Coaches Poll Rankings | AP All-Time Rankings

Heisman Trophy Candidates. Can ANYONE Beat Caleb Williams?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2022 Heisman Trophy race? Are there ANY candidates worthy other than Caleb Williams?

Who’s in the hunt for the 2022 Heisman Trophy? Are there any other candidates than Caleb Williams now?

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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates, Championship Week

Week 13 Roundup
Rankings CFN 1-131 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible Teams | Week 13 Scoreboard
Championship Week opening lines | CFP Top 25 Prediction
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions | CFP Chase: 6 Teams Alive
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Last year at this time we still didn’t really know who the Heisman finalists were, much less the possible winner.

Alabama QB Bryce Young put together a drive for the ages to get by Auburn, but whatever – his candidacy was about to run into a hard wall with Georgia coming up next.

And then he threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-24 SEC Championship win. That made it easy, and it’s simple this year, too, unless Caleb Williams has a disastrous day against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship.

Full disclosure, I’m a Heisman voter and can’t reveal my vote, preferences, or potential ideas for my ballot under penalty of death, or something far, far worse – like being forced to watch some sort of country music holiday special. With that said …

Can anyone provide any sort of a challenge to Williams?

The USC star did what he had to against Notre Dame, taking the Carson Palmer 2002 Heisman playbook and stepping up when the world was watching. However, Palmer didn’t have to play in a Pac-12 Championship with a College Football Playoff spot on the line.

There might be an opportunity for someone other than Williams to take the cheese with one monster performance this weekend.

Here are the five top realistic candidates for the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

Player(s) of Week 13

RB Donovan Edwards & QB JJ McCarthy, Michigan
But … but … Blake Corum?

After a week of speculation about whether or not Corum could play against Ohio State, he only ran twice for six yards. Edwards stepped up behind a great day from the Michigan offensive line, running 22 times for 216 yards and two scores. McCarthy ran six times for 27 yard and a score, and he hit half his passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in the shocking 45-23 win.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

Reality check – if you’re not playing this weekend in one of the conference championship games, you’re not winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

You might be a finalist, but it’s going to take something amazing just to be close to the pin if you’re not doing something Heismaney with everyone paying attention.

Next week will be the list of finalists, and again, a few of these guys could be on it. None of them will win the trophy, though.

In alphabetical order …

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB Bo Nix, Oregon
RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
QB Bryce Young, Alabama

5. RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Unstoppable throughout the regular season, he wasn’t needed much in the first three games – he still managed to crank up five touchdown runs against UConn. Once the lights came on, he was fantastic averaging close to six yards per carry with 18 scores before suffering a knee injury late in the year against Illinois. He ran for 108 yards against the Illini as part of a run of eight straight 100-yard days.

Why Blake Corum Will Win the Heisman: He was the signature star for what’s turning into the signature team of the college football regular season. Seriously, Georgia was fun and all, but does it have wins as good as Michigan has over Ohio State and Penn State?

Why Blake Corum Won’t Win the Heisman: Shhhhhhh. You’re not supposed to say this out loud, but … 1) Blake Corum isn’t the best running back in college football – Bijan Robinson probably is. 2) Blake Corum isn’t the best running back in the Big Ten. He’s not even in the top two – Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim and Chase Brown of Illinois had better seasons.

All that, and he – TOTALLY unfair, but it’s part of the Heisman deal – didn’t do much against Ohio State, and he’s hardly a lock to be a big factor in the Big Ten Championship with his knee injury still a concern.

NEXT: 2022 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

College Football Odds Championship Week Opening Early Lines: Where Are The Potential Values?

Opening lines and best values for Championship Week of the college football season. Here’s the first best guess along with the actual lines.

The early college football lines and odds are out for Championship Week. Where are the values and what are the early predictions?

College Football Championship Week Opening Lines

We’re here. It’s Championship Week, and it’s when all the work and speculation all come to a head as college football crowns its champions before figuring out the bowl bids and College Football Playoff.

The opening lines are out – so where are the possible values? As I do during the season, I take a cut at what the lines are going to be without looking, and then add in the actual early line after.

What does it all mean? Not sure, but it’s always interesting to figure out where perception might meet reality.

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College Football Championship Week Lines, December 2

Akron at Buffalo
Fiu Early Guess: Buffalo -15.5
Actual Line: Buffalo -13.5

Conference USA Championship

North Texas at UTSA
Fiu Early Guess: UTSA -13
Actual Line: UTSA -8

Pac-12 Championship

Utah vs USC
Fiu Early Guess: USC -6
Actual Line: USC -2.5

College Football Championship Week Lines, December 3

Big 12 Championship

Kansas State vs TCU
Fiu Early Guess: TCU -4
Actual Line: TCU -2.5

MAC Championship

Toledo vs Ohio
Fiu Early Guess: Toledo -5
Actual Line: Toledo -2.5

Sun Belt Championship

Coastal Carolina at Troy
Fiu Early Guess: Troy -9.5
Actual Line: Troy -10

American Athletic Conference Championship

UCF at Tulane
Fiu Early Guess: Tulane -4.5
Actual Line: Tulane -3

SEC Championship

LSU vs Georgia
Fiu Early Guess: Georgia -18
Actual Line: Georgia -17

Mountain West Championship

Fresno State at Boise State
Fiu Early Guess:Boise State -4
Actual Line: Boise State -3.5

ACC Championship

Clemson vs North Carolina
Fiu Early Guess: Clemson -10
Actual Line: Clemson -8

Big Ten Championship

Purdue vs Michigan
Fiu Early Guess: Michigan -16
Actual Line: Michigan -16

– Bowl Projections | Rankings

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Heisman Trophy Watch Top Candidates After Week 7: The Race Is On

2022 Heisman Trophy race: Who are the top candidates now that the race is on?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.

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Heisman Trophy Watch: Top Candidates, Week 7

College Football Week 7 Roundup
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Week 7 Scoreboard
Week 8 Early Lines | AP Rankings | Coaches Poll
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Top 10 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

And now it’s on.

The race for the Heisman Trophy hadn’t really kicked in yet.

Bryce Young was banged up, no one who goes to bed at a reasonable hour had seen Caleb Williams play a full game, CJ Stroud was rolling with too much ease – there wasn’t any intrigue.

That all changed up in a big way last weekend, and now the Heisman Trophy chase is in high gear.

Who are the five most realistic candidates in the hunt? As a Heisman voter, I’m not allowed to reveal my thoughts or ballot under penalty of death – or worse, be forced to watch the Iowa offense – but here’s the best guess at how the voting would go if the season were to end now.

Before getting going, remember the reality of this thing. To be in the hunt, you have to 1) be on a team in the mix for the national title, or at least the College Football Playoff, 2) be a quarterback, or 3) be having an otherworldly season if you’re at another position.

And you have to do stuff when everyone is watching.

To me, it’s about who the signature player is in a given season – a combination of MVP and MOP – but again, this list isn’t necessarily what I would do with my ballot.

The top five players in the Heisman Trophy race after Week 7 are …

Player of Week 7

WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
There were a few other guys out there who had pretty good days, too, but Hyatt came up with something otherworldly in the 52-49 win over Alabama. He only made six grabs, but they were all big with 207 yard and a school-record five touchdowns.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

These five are in the waiting room with the potential to make it on to the set, but they all need to rise up and rock over the next several weeks, and they need the top five to stumble.

In alphabetical order …

QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia
QB Max Duggan, TCU
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson

5. RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Why Blake Corum Will Win the Heisman: It’s been totally forgotten about now, but if Bryce Young doesn’t lead Alabama to that amazing game-winning drive against Auburn last year – and if Tank Bigsby had stayed in bounds – we’re talking about Michigan trying to get its second Heisman in a row.

Aidan Hutchinson proved Michigan players really can be in the mix for this thing, and now Corum is starting to build up his own Heisman resumé.

He hit the 120-yard mark in each of the four Big Ten games – and didn’t in the first three games of the season because the team didn’t need him. The 901 yards are great, the 13 touchdowns are strong, and running for 166 yards and two scores against Penn State was huge.

Rock against Michigan State, keep on winning, and then roll up Ohio State, and then look out.

Why Blake Corum Won’t Win the Heisman: It’s not wrong to think he’s not even the best back in the Big Ten, or even second.

Chase Brown of Illinois is having a monster season, but the name recognition isn’t there to be in the Heisman mix. Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim is right there in the discussion of best backs in the Big Ten, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen has to be in the mix, and the Ohio State backs are …

Corum is the star of an unbeaten Michigan team that keeps on rolling. To be in the hunt for the Heisman, though, the stats and performances have been great, but it all has to go up several notches in this beauty contest.

NEXT: 2022 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

College Football Playoff: Top 20 Ranking Of Teams With A CFP Path

Ranking the top teams in the College Football Playoff chase. Here’s our ranking of the 20 with a chance, and what has to happen.

Going into the 2022 season, which teams have the most realistic shot of making the College Football Playoff? Here’s our ranking of the 20 teams with a path to the playoff and what has to happen for each.

CFN Predictions of Every Game
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It’s really hard to make the College Football Playoff.

Just winning your conference championship isn’t enough, and if you’re a Group of Five program, going undefeated doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything.

What have we learned since the start of the CFP experience in the 2014 season? You win your Power Five conference and finish with one loss, you’re a mortal lock to get in. You go 11-1 with that one loss to the eventual powerhouse conference champ, and you’ve got a shot.

You lose two games, and there’s a fun bowl game somewhere with a delightful array of goods, services, and prizes waiting before your glorified exhibition, but you’re not going to the show.

What’s the path to the College Football Playoff for all of the top contenders? Below are the key games that matter for each team that can reasonably dream about being among the top four, along with whether or not they’ll make it in.

Before diving in, some ground rules …

– Again, one loss and a Power Five championship, or unbeaten and a Group of Five title. Outside of a few special circumstances – SEC Championship loser, Notre Dame – two losses ends the run.

– Schedules mean almost everything. Take just about anyone in the SEC West and put it just about anywhere else but the Big Ten East, and it would be a contender to get into the CFP. Oklahoma’s path is a whole lot different than Texas A&M’s.

– Getting into the College Football Playoff and winning it require two very, very, very different skill sets. A team might have the schedule and magical formula to be one of the top four, only to find a two-piece of Alabama reality waiting behind the door.

The consensus odds to win the College Football Playoff are listed, but the goal is to find the teams that can get there. Here’s our ranking from the least likely among the top realistic options to make the College Football Playoff to the most likely.

This isn’t based on how good the teams are. This is about who controls their destiny, what has to happen, and the pecking order of 20 teams with the most realistic chances, starting with …

20. Cincinnati

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +20000
Must Win Game: at Arkansas, Sept. 3
Landmine To Sidestep: at SMU, Oct. 22
Where It Could All Go Wrong: at UCF, Oct. 29

Bottom Line: The College Football Playoff repeat appearance dream could be over right away with a trip to Arkansas. However, win that, and it’s Game On. Going to SMU and UCF in late October is a bear, but everything else – including the home date against Indiana – is doable. One loss, though, and the CFP is out. There will likely be more than one loss.

Will Cincinnati Make the College Football Playoff? No. The Bearcats will be great, but they’re not recreating the 2021 magic.
UC Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

19. Tennessee

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +10000
Must Win Game: at Georgia, Nov. 5
Landmine To Sidestep: at South Carolina, Nov. 19
Where It Could All Go Wrong: at Pitt, Sept. 10

Bottom Line: It’s a HEAVY lift, but if the Vols somehow go 11-1 and get into the SEC Championship, the respect given to the schedule might be enough to keep them in the playoff hunt even with another loss. They’ll be good, but at Pitt, Florida, at LSU, Alabama, at Georgia, Kentucky, at South Carolina … that’s too nasty.

Will Tennessee Make the College Football Playoff? No, but they’re going to screw up someone’s CFP hopes.
UT Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

18. Florida

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +9020
Must Win Game: Georgia (in Jacksonville), Oct. 29
Landmine To Sidestep: South Carolina, Nov. 12
Where It Could All Go Wrong: Utah, Sept. 3

Bottom Line: Florida will be much, much better under new head coach Billy Napier, but it’s not beating Utah, and Kentucky, and LSU, and South Carolina, and getting by Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Florida State away from Gainesville. The College Football Playoff is too tough a goal, however, beat Georgia and the SEC East race gets interesting.

Will Florida Make the College Football Playoff? Ehhhhhhhh, Florida will be better than everyone thinks, but no. The schedule is too tough.
Florida Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

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17. Penn State

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +9100
Must Win Game: Ohio State, Oct. 29
Landmine To Sidestep: Minnesota, Oct. 22
Where It Could All Go Wrong: at Purdue, Sept. 1

Bottom Line: Considering the Big Ten East is much tougher than the West, if the Nittany Lions can get by Auburn on the road early on and split the dates against Michigan and Ohio State, they’ll be favored in the Big Ten Championship. It’s all too daunting for an elite Penn State team, but this version doesn’t appear to be close to that. However, if Michigan could do it last year …

Will Penn State Make the College Football Playoff? No. The team isn’t strong enough to go 12-1 and win the Big Ten title.
Penn State Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

16. LSU

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +7520
Must Win Game: Alabama, Nov. 5
Landmine To Sidestep: Tennessee, Oct. 8
Where It Could All Go Wrong: Mississippi State, Sept. 17

Bottom Line: Welcome to the SEC, Brian Kelly. Yeah, LSU might be able to stun Alabama if everything goes right, but can it go at least 12-1 with road games at Auburn, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas A&M, and home dates against Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State? No, and all of that – and Alabama, too – comes with a season-opener against Florida State and whatever happens in the SEC Championship if everything goes right.

Will LSU Make the College Football Playoff? No. Kelly will have a good first year, and the team is good, but the schedule is too tough.
LSU Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Top 15 College Football Playoff Chase Rankings

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian Prediction, Game Preview: WAC Championship

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday in the WAC Championship.

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, March 12

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian Game Preview, WAC Championship How To Watch

Date: Saturday, March 12
Game Time:10:00 pm ET
Venue: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: ESPNU
Record: New Mexico State (25-6), Abilene Christian (23-9)
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