3. The known unknown is …
What does the committee really think about the Pac-12?
It’s the part of the puzzle we’re missing.
We know that the SEC and Big Ten will almost certainly get a team in, and we know that the ACC will get Clemson in as long as it wins out. We also know that the Big 12 will need a whole lot of luck to get a team in.
When it comes to the Pac-12, we know that the committee has Oregon at 6 and Utah at 7.
And that’s about it. It’s as if the committee doesn’t quite want to commit to the league’s two top teams quite yet.
It helps to have USC in at 23, but that’s a wee bit shaky. It’s not like the league is being given the credit of the SEC or Big Ten up top, and at the end of the season, the big wins will be lacking off of the resume for both of them.
But what happens if Utah or Oregon takes the Pac-12 title going 12-1? Will the win over the other be enough to move past Alabama and into the top four? Will the committee value a Power Five conference championship at 12-1 over a powerhouse 11-1 team whose one loss came to the likely No. 1 team, LSU?
Oregon goes to Arizona State this week and closes up with Oregon State. Utah goes to Arizona, and finishes up against Colorado.
It would be a huge help for the overall profile for both of them to win out. It’s up to these two to put the pressure on the committee to take a harder, longer look.
– Rapid Fire Reactions
– If Alabama wins out …
– What’s a big win? Top 25 wins
– What it all really means