21. SMU Mustangs (6-0)
SMU is in the College Football Playoff if … it rolls through the rest of its schedule and everyone sees it beat Cincinnati twice. The world is fawning all over the Bearcats, but the Mustangs get to show what they can do on November 20th. They go to Houston and Memphis, too.
Throw in the win at TCU, and while there’s not a road win over Notre Dame like UC has, all of a sudden, the Group of Five In Playoff love would move to Dallas.
It’s all going to go wrong against … at Cincinnati, and/or at Houston, and/or at Memphis, and/or against Cincinnati or Houston if things go well and SMU gets to the American Athletic Conference championship game.
Will SMU get into the College Football Playoff? No way, but it’s the one Group of Five program other than Cincinnati that really could get into the discussion by going 13-0. For good and bad, the rest of the schedule is a bear. On the plus side, the Mustangs have an opportunity to prove what it can do.
Ranking the teams alive for the College Football Playoff
UTSA | San Diego State | Coastal Carolina
SMU | Texas A&M | Auburn | Ole Miss
Notre Dame | Kentucky | Cincinnati
Baylor | Pitt | NC State | Wake Forest
Ohio State | Oregon | Penn State | Iowa
Michigan State | Oklahoma St | Michigan
Alabama | Oklahoma | Georgia
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings