5. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-0)
Forget Cincinnati. THIS would be the best story to come out of the 2021 college football season if the Demon Deacons were able to make their way into the College Football Playoff.
Yeah, it would be nice, and it would happen by winning out, taking the ACC Championship, and going 13-0 – in, no questions asked. 12-1 would be trickier, but it would still likely be in, or be very, very close, and then there’s this …
At North Carolina, NC State, at Clemson, at Boston College.
There’s a loss there somewhere, probably three, but the path is clear as one of just four remaining unbeaten Power Five teams.
To be a tad more realistic on who is still in control of their College Football Playoff lives, here are the …
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
There’s zero margin for error here … maybe.
There can’t be another loss before the SEC Championship – that’s an almost certain deathblow to the chances to get in and repeat. However, the path is easy, free, and clear …
LSU, New Mexico State, Arkansas, at Auburn. Win those four games, beat Georgia in the SEC Championship, and in.
But what if Bama loses to Georgia in a classic thriller? That didn’t work for Georgia in the past – like when it lost the all-timer of a 2018 SEC Championship to Alabama and didn’t get let into the part – but Alabama is Alabama. It would be a fantastic debate, especially if it comes down to the Tide or a 13-0 Cincinnati.
3. Oklahoma Sooners (9-0)
The only question here is whether or not Oklahoma is in with one loss and a Big 12 Championship.
If it takes down at Baylor, Iowa State, and at Oklahoma State, and then beats – almost certainly – either Baylor or Oklahoma State again in the Big 12 Championship, it’s in and no worse than the 2 or 3 – it doesn’t matter between those two – seed. However …
If it drops a game, where do the 12-1 Big 12 Champion Sooners fall in the pecking order?
If everything goes to form, they would almost certainly be behind 1) Unbeaten or one-loss SEC champion, 2) Georgia if it’s 12-1 and Alabama if it’s the 12-1 SEC champion, 3) unbeaten or one-loss Big Ten champion, 4) unbeaten Wake Forest, 5) 12-1 Pac-12 champion Oregon.
And then would come the Cincinnati debate, and it wouldn’t be pretty.
The Sooners can avoid all of that by winning out.
2. Michigan State Spartans (8-0)
The Spartans just bought themselves a little breathing room with that 37-33 win over Michigan.
They can drop one of the dates against Penn State, Purdue, or Maryland and be just fine, but they probably can’t lose at Ohio State.
Forgetting for a moment that Michigan might lose again to someone other than Ohio State, in just about every realistic scenario – including a possible three-way tie on top of the East if Michigan beats Ohio State – the Spartans are in trouble if they lose in Columbus.
(Okay, so if you’re really wondering, in the three-way tie scenario it would likely come down to Big Ten records of all three’s West opponents. If things play out as expected, Michigan’s win over Wisconsin or Ohio State’s win over Minnesota would be a huge deal.)
11-1 Michigan State would have a big, big problem.
12-1 Big Ten Champion Michigan State is realistically in.
13-0 Big Ten Champion Michigan State – beating at Purdue, Maryland, at Ohio State, Penn State, and whatever comes out of the West in the Big Ten Championship – is the No. 2 seed, at worst.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (8-0)
Here’s what this 8-0 start bought Georgia.
Missouri, at Tennessee, Charleston Southern, at Georgia Tech. Win those four games, and it’s in no matter what happens in the SEC Championship.
Lose one of those games, win the SEC Championship, and in.
Win out, be the No. 1 seed, go take a national title already for the first time since 1980.
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