College Football Playoff Chase Rankings Top 4
4. TCU Horned Frogs (9-0)
What TCU has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Win out and get in.
It’s all right there for the taking. Win the next three games, win the Big 12 Championship, and 13-0 TCU is in the College Football Playoff. Would 12-1 Big 12 Champion TCU get it done? Yeah, it probably would make it over an 11-1 Tennessee or the Michigan-Ohio State loser, but there would be a big argument if there’s a 12-1 ACC champion also fighting for a spot.
Remaining Schedule: at Texas, at Baylor, Iowa State
Will TCU make the College Football Playoff? No, but TCU is one of the four teams that’s in total control of its playoff destiny.
The Big 12 is the most even top-to-bottom conference in college football, but there aren’t any killers in the league. The resumé might not be good enough if there’s a loss, especially if it comes in the Big 12 title game.
TCU might have to be 13-0. That’s a tall ask.
3. Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
What Michigan has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Just keep rolling right along.
Michigan lost a game last year and still made it in, and this time around it’s unbeaten in early November. Best of all, it doesn’t have to win all of its last three games as long as the loss isn’t to Ohio State.
Okay, maybe losing to Nebraska would be a problem, but go 12-1 with a Big Ten Championship for the second straight year, and it would still make it in. 11-1 with a close-call loss at Ohio State would make it very, very interesting.
Remaining Schedule: Nebraska, Illinois, at Ohio State
Will Michigan make the College Football Playoff? No, and only because of the projected loss to Ohio State in Columbus.
The big problem if the Wolverines can’t get by the Buckeyes in the body of work. Even if it’s a close call, there’s a problem if it comes down to an 11-1 Tennessee team – with a win over Alabama and blowouts over LSU and Kentucky – and 11-1 Michigan with a win over … Penn State? Illinois? Iowa? The Big Ten is out and the SEC gets another team in.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
What Ohio State has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Go 13-0 and get in as at least the No. 2 seed and potentially No. 1.
Like the Michigan question if it loses, would the Buckeyes still have a shot if they drop the big showdown rivalry game in a close classic? On the one hand, it would be a loss at home.
On the other, the team has been so dominant at times, and it has a win over Notre Dame to go along with a victory at Penn State that make it more attractive than what an 11-1 Michigan would bring to the argument.
Remaining Schedule: Indiana, at Maryland, Michigan
Will Ohio State make the College Football Playoff? Yes. Style points don’t matter here. The Buckeyes shouldn’t have a problem with the Hoosiers and Terrapins, the should be able get past Michigan, and whatever comes out of the Big Ten West probably won’t pose too much of a challenge.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)
What Georgia has to do to make the College Football Playoff: Get to the SEC Championship 12-0.
Win it, and the 13-0 Dawgs are the 1 seed in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Lose, and like last year they’re almost certainly in.
12-1 with an SEC Championship gets it done, too, but as long as they can get back to Atlanta there shouldn’t be too much of a debate after what they did to Oregon to start the season and after a 27-13 win over Tennessee
Remaining Schedule: at Mississippi State, at Kentucky, Georgia Tech
Will Georgia make the College Football Playoff? Yes. It might not be the smoothest of rides over the two conference road games, and it certainly won’t be easy against LSU, Ole Miss, or Alabama from the West in the SEC Championship game – if it gets there. But yeah, at this point it would take something stunning to be out.
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