College Football Playoff: Top 20 Ranking Of Teams With A CFP Path

Ranking the top teams in the College Football Playoff chase. Here’s our ranking of the 20 with a chance, and what has to happen.

Top 10 College Football Playoff Chase Rankings

10. Utah

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +5200
Must Win Game: USC, Oct. 15
Landmine To Sidestep: at Washington State, Oct. 17
Where It Could All Go Wrong: at Arizona State, Sept. 24

Bottom Line: The College Football Playoff is absolutely on the table. Can Utah beat Florida in the season opener on the road? Absolutely. It gets USC at home, but it has to go on the road to deal with Oregon ant UCLA.

After being one of the stars of the Pac-12 over the last few years, going 12-1 with a conference title – it’s not like the Utes are playing an SEC schedule – would be enough to get in.

Will Utah Make the College Football Playoff? Again, it’s very, very possible. The Utes will come up just short – they’ll lose twice – but they’ll be in the mix late in the season.
Utah Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

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9. Oregon

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +8300
Must Win Game: Utah, Nov. 19
Landmine To Sidestep: BYU, Sept. 17
Where It Could All Go Wrong: at Washington State, Sept. 24

Bottom Line: Oregon can lose to Georgia in the season opener and be fine as long as it goes unbeaten the rest of the way. The program lately has a habit of biffing its playoff shot with a stunning loss somewhere, but the talent is there for the new coaching staff to be the best in the Pac-12, there’s no USC on the schedule, Washington and Utah come to Eugene, and going 12-1 with a Power Five championship would be enough to get in.

Will Oregon Make the College Football Playoff? The talent is there and the schedule isn’t too bad after the opener, but it’s Oregon. It’ll stumble twice.
Oregon Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

8. Oklahoma State

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +8700
Must Win Game: at Oklahoma, Nov. 19
Landmine To Sidestep: Arizona State, Sept. 10
Where It Could All Go Wrong: West Virginia, Nov. 26

Bottom Line: Oklahoma State was six inches away from beating Baylor for the Big 12 Championship. Had it done that, there would’ve been a massive debate among the College Football Playoff committee for that fourth spot between an unbeaten Cincinnati and a 12-1 Power Five conference champion. This year’s team loses a ton on defense, but it’ll still be dangerous, the schedule is manageable, and it’s hardly crazy to think it could be back in the Big 12 title game with a CFP spot on the line.

Will Oklahoma State Make the College Football Playoff? Be really, really careful here. It will still be in the hunt in mid-November.
OSU Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

7. Notre Dame

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +4800
Must Win Game: at USC, Nov. 26
Landmine To Sidestep: BYU (in Las Vegas), Oct. 22
Where It Could All Go Wrong: Clemson, Nov. 5

Bottom Line: At Ohio State, Clemson, at USC. Notre Dame can get into the College Football Playoff if it wins two of those three games, and it’s absolutely in if it wins all three and goes 11-1. Beating USC might not be as daunting as it appears to be before the season, and Clemson has to come to South Bend. However, BYU could screw it all up in the date in Las Vegas.

Will Notre Dame Make the College Football Playoff? No, but it might be REALLY close. It will all come down to the Clemson game. The Irish will lose at Ohio State, and if they beat the Tigers, they could be going to USC with a playoff spot on the line.
Notre Dame Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule

6. Oklahoma

Odds To Win the College Football Playoff: +4500
Must Win Game: Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 8
Landmine To Sidestep: at Texas Tech, Nov. 26
Where It Could All Go Wrong: Oklahoma State, Nov. 19

Bottom Line: Is the world dismissing Oklahoma a little too easily after a down 2021 and a coaching transition? The schedule is a nice and breezy walk in the park compared to what most of the other College Football Playoff contenders have to deal with, and it’s still Oklahoma – it’ll be okay.

Can it get by Nebraska on the road? Of course. The other four road games are at TCU, Iowa State, West Virginia, and Texas Tech – those are all more dangerous than they appear – with Baylor and Oklahoma State coming to Norman.

Will Oklahoma Make the College Football Playoff? It will be in the discussion. The talent might not be there to win the whole thing, but 12-1 with a trip to the tournament is a more than reasonable ask for this program and this schedule.
OU Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

NEXT: Top 5 College Football Playoff Chase Rankings