Welcome to the final edition of this year’s Eliminator. I explain the process behind eliminating teams in my Week 1 post. In short, I ask myself a simple question: “If this team wins out, will they have a chance at the Playoff?” I don’t assume that teams will lose–there’s no need to. The losses will come when they come; and when they do, I’ll eliminate those teams. Until then, they’re not eliminated. It’s that simple. I also track every eliminated team on this Twitter thread.
Now that we are at the end of the season, though, there are no questions about winning out. Now the question is if four teams have superior resumes to everyone else. Some years, we are left with a bubble after the conference championship games. This year, we don’t have one. Our four Playoff teams are very clear. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, and Oklahoma will be in the Playoff.
Week 14 Eliminations:
| Team: | Notes: |
| Baylor | The Bears lost a second game and the Big 12 Championship, which will keep them out of the Playoff. The Sugar Bowl is a good consolation though. |
| Georgia | A blowout loss to LSU ends the Playoff dreams. |
| Oregon | The Ducks were eliminated before the week started. The gap to the top contenders was just too much to overcome. |
| Utah | The Utes are 0-2 against ranked teams now, which won’t get a Playoff bid. |
| Wisconsin | The Badgers fought hard and impressed against Ohio State, which likely earned a Rose Bowl berth. Not enough to get into the Playoff, though. |