College Football Playoff Chase Rankings Top 4
4. TCU Horned Frogs (10-0)
What TCU has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Win three more games, get into the College Football Playoff.
It gets asked over and over again so this needs to be repeated: no way, no how, NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER is a 13-0 Big 12 Champion TCU left out.
Not for 11-1 Tennessee, not for 12-2 SEC Champion LSU, not for a 12-1 Pac-12 Champion USC or a 12-1 ACC Champion Clemson or North Carolina. Go 3-0 and get in.
Go 2-1, and as long as that loss isn’t a blowout and it isn’t in the Big 12 Championship, TCU will need some help. 12-1 USC would be in over TCU, but the ACC Champion is a different argument.
Remaining Schedule: at Baylor, Iowa State, Big 12 Championship
Will TCU make the College Football Playoff? The path is crystal clear, but the call is no, TCU won’t make it into the College Football Playoff.
It’s a projection, but Kansas State will win the Big 12 Championship game and/or TCU will drop one of the last two regular season games. Again, though, win three more and get in.
3. Michigan Wolverines (10-0)
What Michigan has to do to make the College Football Playoff: This all goes for Ohio State, too. Beat the other side in that Buckeye-Wolverine showdown, win the Big Ten Championship, and in.
That means the Illinois game this week doesn’t matter as long as it’s not a 44-0 drubbing or something like that. The overall schedule isn’t good enough, but whatever – the 12-1 Big Ten Champion is absolutely in, and Michigan might just win three straight to be no worse than the 2 seed.
Remaining Schedule: Illinois, at Ohio State
Will Michigan make the College Football Playoff? No, because the call is that it’ll lose to Ohio State. And no, 11-1 Michigan doesn’t get the same consideration that 11-1 Tennessee will – the schedule isn’t even remotely close to being as good.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0)
What Ohio State has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Again, everything said about Michigan applies here.
As long as it’s not a brutally ugly loss, the Maryland game this week doesn’t matter. Beat Michigan, win the Big Ten Championship, and get in as the 2 or 3 seed. Go unbeaten, and get in as no worse than the 2.
Remaining Schedule: at Maryland, Michigan
Will Ohio State make the College Football Playoff? Yup. It doesn’t matter how it looks, it doesn’t matter if the Buckeyes win the next three games 2-0, they’re in if they beat Michigan and win the Big Ten Championship. They’ll do that.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (10-0)
What Georgia has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Win one of the next two games against Kentucky and Georgia Tech, win the SEC Championship, and in no matter what.
Of course, going 13-0 and winning the SEC title would guarantee the 1 seed, but 12-1 in this case should work, too. As long as it’s not an annihilation against LSU, the committee almost certainly would take 12-1 SEC Championship loser Georgia over a 12-1 ACC Champion and would definitely take it over 11-1 Tennessee.
Remaining Schedule: at Kentucky, Georgia Tech, SEC Championship vs LSU
Will Georgia make the College Football Playoff? Yeah. Georgia did what it needed to do and punched its ticket to the SEC Championship. Win the next two games, and it’s almost certainly in no matter what.
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