Tag: CFP 2020

College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 10

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Next week it’s really on when the Pac-12 adds its two-cents into the mix.

As always, the ground rules for this are 1) win your Power Five championship and go unbeaten and you’re almost certainly in, or 2) finish with one loss and a Power Five championship and you’re probably in, or 3) lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten or ACC and as long as that’s it, you have a shot.

Everyone else is playing for the joy of college football.

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a chance

With a short season, go 7-0 with a Pac-12 championship and there’s a shot. 6-1 and ehhhhhhh.

Pac-12
Arizona, Cal, Utah, Washington

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

These teams are either Power Five programs with multiple losses or Group of Five programs with one loss. Also being added is any Pac-12 team with a loss – there’s no chance with the league’s short schedule.

Unless something insane happens, these 83 teams are out of the College Football Playoff hunt.

ACC
Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

American Athletic Conference 
East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Navy, SMU, Tulane, Temple, Tulsa, UCF, USF

Big Ten
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers

Big 12
Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia,

Conference USA
Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, WKU, (Old Dominion not playing in 2020)

Independents
Army, (New Mexico State, UConn not playing in 2020. UMass

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio,

Mountain West
Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Pac-12
Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA

SEC
Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Sun Belt
Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy, ULM

– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Group of Five hopefuls

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 9

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Next week it’s really on when the Pac-12 adds its two-cents into the mix.

As always, the ground rules for this are 1) win your Power Five championship and go unbeaten and you’re almost certainly in, or 2) finish with one loss and a Power Five championship and you’re probably in, or 3) lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten or ACC and as long as that’s it, you have a shot.

Everyone else is playing for the joy of college football.

– Teams That Haven’t Played Yet
– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot at the College Football Playoff

No. Just … no.

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a chance

With a short season, go 7-0 with a Pac-12 championship and there’s a shot. 6-1 and ehhhhhhh.

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 8

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

With the Big Ten and Mountain West now a part of the mix, this gets even more interesting.

As always, the ground rules for this are 1) win your Power Five championship and go unbeaten and you’re almost certainly in, or 2) finish with one loss and a Power Five championship and you’re probably in, or 3) lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten or ACC – at least this year, at the moment – the Big 12 – and as long as that’s it, you have a shot.

Everyone else? This year, probably not, so …

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot

All of these teams will be in the hunt for an automatic New Year’s Six bowl slot if one goes unbeaten, but it’ll take something historically weird to get any sort of consideration for the College Football Playoff.

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain West 
Colorado State, New Mexico

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a chance

Some might be longer shots than others, and some might be totally unrealistic, but if any of these teams go unbeaten with a conference championship, they’re almost certainly going to be in.

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 7

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Starting with the unwritten rules of the College Football Playoff …

1) Win your Power Five championship and finish unbeaten, and you’re in. And yes, this will go for the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is a little iffy, though, with a six-game regular season, Go 7-0 with a conference title, and the Pac-12 will at least be on the doorstep.

2) Win your Power Five championship and finish with one loss, and in normal times you’re close to being a mortal lock. This year, the SEC champ is in with one loss no matter what, but it’s not so sure a thing across the board. This will be addressed in a moment.

3) Lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten, or this year, the ACC, with that one loss coming to a conference champion who’s off to the College Football Playoff. That’s how Alabama got in on the way to a title in 2017. Or, be dominant and have one loss that was by crazy circumstances, like Ohio State in 2016 despite losing to Penn State.

4) Win your Group of Five conference championship, go unbeaten, and pray for a whole lot of luck. We have yet to have a season with a slew of two-loss Power Five champions, but that’s what it would take for an unbeaten Group of Fiver to get in.

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot

All of these teams will be in the hunt for an automatic New Year’s Six bowl slot if one goes unbeaten, but it’ll take something historically weird to get any sort of consideration for the College Football Playoff.

Conference USA
Rice

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain West 
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a chance

Some might be longer shots than others, and some might be totally unrealistic, but if any of these teams go unbeaten with a conference championship, they’re almost certainly going to be in.

Big Ten
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 6

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

As always, the unwritten rules of the College Football Playoff have to be taken into account …

1) Win your Power Five championship and finish unbeaten, and you’re in. And yes, this will go for the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is a little iffy, though, with a six-game regular season, Go 7-0 with a conference title, and the Pac-12 will at least be on the doorstep.

2) Win your Power Five championship and finish with one loss, and in normal times you’re close to being a mortal lock. This year, the SEC champ is in with one loss no matter what, but it’s not so sure a thing across the board. This will be addressed in a moment.

3) Lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten, or this year, the ACC, with that one loss coming to a conference champion who’s off to the College Football Playoff. That’s how Alabama got in on the way to a title in 2017. Or, be dominant and have one loss that was by crazy circumstances, like Ohio State in 2016 despite losing to Penn State.

4) Win your Group of Five conference championship, go unbeaten, and pray for a whole lot of luck. We have yet to have a season with a slew of two-loss Power Five champions, but that’s what it would take for an unbeaten Group of Fiver to get in.

With all of that in mind, this is broken down into five categories.

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot

All of these teams will be in the hunt for an automatic New Year’s Six bowl slot if one goes unbeaten, but it’ll take something historically weird to get any sort of consideration for the College Football Playoff.

Conference USA
Rice

Independents
UMass

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain West 
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a chance

Some might be longer shots than others, and some might be totally unrealistic, but if any of these teams go unbeaten with a conference championship, they’re almost certainly going to be in.

Big Ten
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive
– Unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 5

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

It’s all a bit of a guess, but here’s how the unwritten College Football Playoff rules should still work, even in 2020 …

1) Win your Power Five championship and finish unbeaten, and you’re in. And yes, this will go for the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is a little iffy, though, with a six-game regular season, Go 7-0 with a conference title, and the Pac-12 will at least be on the doorstep.

Don’t make this too hard – the CFP committee isn’t going to want to get funky if there’s an unbeaten Power Five champ there to select.

2) Win your Power Five championship and finish with one loss, and in normal times you’re close to being a mortal lock. This year, the SEC champ is in with one loss no matter what, but it’s not so sure a thing across the board. This will be addressed in a moment.

3) Lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten, or this year, the ACC, with that one loss coming to a conference champion who’s off to the College Football Playoff. That’s how Alabama got in on the way to a title in 2017. Or, be dominant and have one loss that was by crazy circumstances, like Ohio State in 2016 despite losing to Penn State.

4) Win your Group of Five conference championship, go unbeaten, and pray for a whole lot of luck. We have yet to have a season with a slew of two-loss Power Five champions, but that’s what it would take for an unbeaten Group of Fiver to get in.

With all of that in mind, this is broken down into five categories.

– Teams that haven’t played yet, but …
– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive … technically
– The unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot

This year, considering the lack of non-conference games, just winning a Group of Five title won’t be enough, no matter what.

All of these teams will be in the hunt for an automatic New Year’s Six bowl slot if one goes unbeaten, but it’ll take something historically weird to get into the College Football Playoff.

American Athletic Conference
Houston, Temple

Conference USA
Rice

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain West 
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a shot

Some might be longer shots than others, and some might be totally unrealistic, but if any of these teams go unbeaten with a conference championship, they’re almost certainly going to be in.

Big Ten
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive … technically
– The unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s Still Alive After Week 4

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff? Where does every college football team stand?

Who’s still alive in the chase to get into the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Even in this craziest of seasons with the wackiest of scenarios, here’s how the unwritten College Football Playoff rules should still work …

1) Win your Power Five championship and finish unbeaten, and you’re in. And yes, this will go for the Big Ten, and this will almost certainly go for a Pac-12 team that wins seven games and then its championship (maybe).

Don’t make this too hard – the CFP committee isn’t going to want to get too funky if there’s an unbeaten Power Five champ there to select.

2) Win your Power Five championship and finish with one loss, and in normal times you’re close to being a mortal lock. This year, the SEC champ is in with one loss no matter what, but it’s not so sure a thing across the board. This will be addressed in a moment.

3) Lose one game in the SEC, Big Ten, or this year, the ACC, with that one loss coming to a conference champion who’s off to the College Football Playoff. That’s how Alabama got in on the way to a title in 2017. Or, be dominant and have one loss that was by crazy circumstances, like Ohio State did to get in despite losing to Penn State in 2016.

4) Win your Group of Five conference championship and go unbeaten, and pray for a whole lot of luck. We have yet to have a season with a slew of two-loss Power Five champions, but that’s what it would take for an unbeaten Group of Fiver to get in.

With all of that in mind, this is broken down into five categories.

– Teams that haven’t played yet, but …
– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive … technically
– The unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

[jwplayer IoO8SIHX]

Teams that haven’t played yet, but really don’t have a shot

This year, considering the lack of non-conference games, just winning a Group of Five title won’t be enough, no matter what.

Let’s not kid ourselves. These teams can go unbeaten, be amazing, and they might be allowed to watch the College Football Playoff on TV. However, all of these teams will be in the hunt for an automatic New Year’s Six bowl slot if one goes unbeaten.

American Athletic Conference
Houston, Temple

Conference USA
Florida Atlantic, Rice

MAC
Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan

Mountain West 
Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Teams that haven’t played yet, but have a shot

Some might be longer shots than others, and some might be totally unrealistic, but if any of these teams go unbeaten with a conference championship, they’re almost certainly going to be in.

Big Ten
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

Pac-12
Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State

– Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam
– The Group of Five hopefuls
– One-loss teams still alive … technically
– The unbeaten College Football Playoff contenders

NEXT: Finished. Done. Let’s go take a steam …

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College football without fans? Thanks, but no thanks

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick went on Finebaum Show to discuss possibility of 2020 CFB season being played with no fans due to coronavirus

On Tuesday, Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick spoke on The Paul Finebaum Show about the effects of COVID-19 on the 2020 college football season. 

Swarbrick said:

“I don’t think you can conduct a season that way, I think spectators are too central to the experience.”

Now, although Swarbrick may have concerns more on the financial side of things, he is still right.

As we college football fans well know, there is nothing quite like a Saturday home game.

The atmosphere is the most electric you will feel across the sports world. 

Think of some of the most exciting games in sports that you look forward to each year. To name a few, the CFP, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Masters, etc…

Compare how it feels watching those events on TV to being in the Classic City for a top-10 matchup on a fall Saturday. 

Picture that moment as Dawg Nation points to the upper-deck southwest corner of Stanford Stadium. 

Goosebumps, right?

Can you imagine a year of college football without those incredible feelings of excitement and loyalty?

Like when the lone trumpeter plays the Battle Hymn of the Republic as 93 thousand people stand silent in respect, while the late Larry Munson narrates the history of UGA football. 

Or when the third quarter buzzer sounds and Sanford is lit up with lights during the Red Coat’s performance of Krypton.

The single greatest sports experience of my life was last fall, when I watched a sell-out crowd raise their hands in unison for the fourth quarter of Georgia vs. Notre Dame.

Would a season with no fans level the playing field? Sure it would. But that’s not the point. The fact is, years and years of tradition and success have earned these bigger programs like Georgia the right to play in front of their hostile fans that make life tough on the opposition.

I’ve been to some crazy road games. The most electric atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed in person was actually in Williams-Brice Stadium when Georgia got blown out by South Carolina in Columbia. The fans 100% won the Gamecocks that game, and though I left feeling angry and fearful that Georgia’s season was over, I would not have traded that experience for anything.

That is what college football is about, unity. Thousands of people coming together, regardless of background, to support their team to victory.

Something that we will miss if football is played without fans in attendance…

I would rather have the season postponed, than have to watch a game without those traditions that I have grown to love. 

Could you accept a football season without fans? 

Can Georgia football go undefeated in 2020?

Does Georgia football have what it takes to go undefeated in the 2020 CFB season?

Yes, it’s a broad question, but now that we all have plenty of time, we can figure out what the Bulldogs would need to do in order to finish next season without a blemish.  

Kirby Smart is entering his fifth season leading UGA. Although the last few seasons have left Georgia fans with broken hearts, there is no denying the reputation that he and the Bulldogs are building in Athens. 

Bleacher Report’s Brad Shepard wrote:

“When you consider just how much talent the Bulldogs have on defense and project to have on offense, it’s not a stretch to think Georgia is a favorite to at least be in the College Football Playoff.”

Georgia has dominated recruiting in the last few years, signing the No. 1 class two out of the last three years, so talent and play-making ability will not be an issue. 

Players like Kelee Ringo, Broderick Jones, Jalen Carter, Mekhail Sherman and Darnell Washington joined the already loaded team. 

Georgia solidified its roster when Smart went fishing in the transfer portal and landed Jamie Newman, a transfer quarterback from Wake Forest. 

Newman has an incredible deep ball and will be aided with a talented run-game and on the outside, one of the highest graded receivers in the country, George Pickens. 

The true hurdle that the Bulldogs will have to navigate is their schedule. 

Georgia will kick off the season in Atlanta against a Virginia team that won the ACC Coastal last season. 

The Dawgs will also have to deal with South Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri on a four-week road trip that starts with Alabama on Sept. 19 in Tuscaloosa. 

Bama on the road in week three will be a major test for the Bulldogs, especially after Nick Saban is stuck in his house right now probably watching 16 hours of film a day. 

After the road trip the Bulldogs come home to Athens for five of the last six games excluding the game against SEC East runner-up Florida in Jacksonville. 

If Georgia can last through the regular season, its quest for perfection would only just be beginning, as it is not the only team that returns a stable of talent.

Clemson, LSU, Alabama and Ohio State always recruit well and return some very good starters in 2020.

However…

If the Dawgs can stay healthy and navigate the tough schedule, Georgia could wind up undefeated or at the very least find itself playing in the CFP in 2020. 

5 College Football Playoff Scenarios: 20 for 2020 Offseason Topics No. 1

Five preseason College Football Playoff scenarios: 20 for 2020 key college football offseason topics.

20 for 2020: 20 key college football offseason topics, No. 1: Five preseason College Football Playoff scenarios

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

20 for 2020 Offseason Topics 
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Top 5 Instant Impact New Head Coaches
15. 2nd Year Coaches Who’ll Be Better
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. Key Transfers You Forgot About
12. Five Big Power 5 Upset Alerts
11. Great Players About To Go Nuclear
10. Group of 5 Teams In New Year’s Six Chase
9. Power 5 Sleeper Teams
8. Most Interesting Quarterback Battles
7. 5 Teams That Might Disappoint
6. 5 Teams That Might Surprise
5. Group of Five Conference Ranking
4. Power 5 Conference Ranking
3. Top Non-Obvious Heisman Candidates
2. 5 Nutty Predictions That Might Be Right

We’ll keep on doing what we do whether or not there’s a season, but all thoughts go out to those suffering and struggling, and to all the health care workers battling above and beyond the call. Please … stay safe.

If there’s a College Football Playoff, who’s going to be in the thing?

There’s nothing fluky about a College Football Playoff national championship. Maybe you can get there with a relatively light schedule and a few big breaks – Utah and Baylor almost did it last year – but if it was so easy, a whole lot of others would be able to do it.

After six years, we sort of know how this all goes.

1. Go unbeaten and win your Power Five conference championship, and you’re in. It would take a historic anomaly – like all five conference champs going 13-0 – to miss out.

2. Go 12-1 with a Power Five conference championship, and realistically, you’re in. 2018 Ohio State is the first and only one to be left out.

3. Be an 11-1 powerhouse Power Five team that lost one tough battle, and  you have a chance. You need help, but you can get there like 2016 Ohio State and 2017 Alabama.

Other than that, be Notre Dame and go 12-0 – and get a little help – and it can be done. The Group of Five programs, though, have yet to crack the code, and there has yet to be a two-loss team in the CFP.

With all that in mind, if we’re able to get a season this year, here are five possible College Football Playoff scenarios.

CFN in 60: 5 Possible College Football Playoff Scenarios
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5. College Football Playoff Scenario: The Chalk

Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma

There are two ways to look at this.

Either you have powerhouse fatigue and you’re bored of seeing the same teams over and over again – even LSU didn’t seem all that new, considering it was the SEC Champion – or you’re geeked out that these four programs are killers and should make for a strong tournament.

Could Oklahoma finally get over the hump and get into the national championship? Is it possible for Alabama to win a third one of these after not getting it done the last two seasons?

Will Clemson be able to come through with a third national title in five years, or could Ohio State get back to the CFP national championship in its fourth trip in seven playoffs?

Even if it’s not these four exact teams, if it’s any SEC champion, maybe a big-time Big Ten champ, and even a second SEC team in to go along with Clemson, it would be a whole lot of fun.

We’ll go into the problem if it’s anything other than a four-team powerhouse chalk CFP in a moment, but first …

NEXT: College Football Playoff Scenario: First Time Teams

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