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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 11

The door crept a little more open for the Cincinnati Bearcats, who didn’t move in this week’s College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings but had the enjoyment of watching Oklahoma lose to Baylor, seemingly cracking the Big XII’s chance’s of hopping the Bearcats. The Big Ten continued to impress at the top, as Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State all won.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the national landscape:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: A two-loss Power Five team that finds itself playing for a conference championship can also be playing for a CFP spot. There are few scenarios in which that happens after Texas A&M’s loss to Ole Miss, but the door is open.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: One-loss is enough to eliminate a Group of Five team from playoff contention. However, we will keep around the teams that can still finish the season undefeated or as a one-loss conference champion – which could be enough to get them into a New Years’ Six (NY6) bowl.

3. Strength of schedule issues: The longer the season goes on, the clearer the picture gets as far as a team’s strength of schedule is concerned. Cincinnati continues to cling onto that win over Notre Dame, and the Irish keep winning and look better each week.

CONTROLLING THEIR OWN DESTINY (4 TEAMS)

#1 Georgia (10-0)

Georgia ran away from Tennessee in the second half and get matchups with Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech to close the year before the SEC Championship. At this point, the Bulldogs and their defense can afford a blemish before the CFP.

#2 Alabama (9-1): lost to Texas A&M, 41-38 (Week 6)

QB Bryce Young (21/23, 270 yards, 5 TD) is still putting together a strong Heisman campaign after the Tide’s beatdown of New Mexico State. Alabama still has to get through Arkansas and Auburn before they can clinch a berth against Georgia for the SEC title.

#3 Oregon (9-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

Oregon will finally get their chance against a ranked conference opponent in No. 23 Utah this weekend, who they will likely see again in the Pac-12 title game. One loss would doom the Ducks, but winning out will surely keep them in the top four.

#4 Ohio State (9-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 6)

Ohio State throttled Purdue, 59-31, behind QB CJ Stroud (31/38, 361 yards, 5 TD), RB TreVeyon Henderson (98 yards, 2 TD), and the WR trio of Jaxon Smith-Njigba (139 yards, 1 TD), Garrett Wilson (177 total yards, 4 total TD), and Chris Olave (85 yards, 1 TD). This offense is clearly the best in the country from top to bottom and they’ll get to show it against the worst passing defense in the country – Michigan State.

WILL NEED SOME HELP IF THEY WIN OUT (3 TEAMS)

#7 Michigan State (9-1): lost to Purdue, 40-29 (Week 10)

RB Kenneth Walker (143 yards, 2 TD) went off again in a win versus Maryland. Winning out would surely propel the Spartans into the CFP race if they can get through a trip to Columbus and a home rivalry game against Penn State.

#5 Cincinnati (10-0)

Cincinnati will have their toughest conference test yet against SMU on Saturday before closing the season against East Carolina. The good news for the Bearcats is that the Houston Cougars are finally ranked and could stay there before the AAC Championship.

#6 Michigan (9-1): lost to Michigan State, 37-33 (Week 9)

The Wolverines took care of business in Happy Valley against Penn State. They have Maryland before taking on Ohio State to close the year, but unfortunately for Michigan, they don’t control their own conference destiny. If Michigan State loses this weekend in Columbus, it will come down to the rivalry game against the Buckeyes to play for a Big Ten Championship.

CHAOS WOULD HAVE TO OCCUR (4 TEAMS)

#9 Oklahoma State (9-1): lost to Iowa State, 24-21 (Week 8)

The Cowboys smoked TCU behind RBs Dominic Richardson (134 yards, 2 TD) and Jaylen Warren (113 yards, 3 TD). They take on Texas Tech before a matchup with Oklahoma, which could be played again in the conference championship game.

#13 Oklahoma (9-1)

Oklahoma struggled heavily against Baylor in a 27-14 loss on the road. With Iowa State and Oklahoma State on deck, it doesn’t get much better for a Sooners squad that can’t decide on who to put under center.

#10 Wake Forest (9-1)

Wake had another shootout but this time came out victorious at home against NC State with QB Sam Hartman throwing three interceptions and dampening his Heisman hopes. Road games against Clemson and Boston College are their two remaining games before an ACC Championship game which will likely be against Pitt – another high-profile conference offense.

#8 Notre Dame (9-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

The Irish quietly continue to win and watch teams ahead of them face much tougher opponents. Georgia Tech and Stanford are not impressive matchups to close the regular season, but many of the teams in front of them still have to face one another. It wouldn’t be shocking if Notre Dame is in the mix on selection day.

WOULD NEED TO BE A TWO-LOSS CONFERENCE CHAMP (4 TEAMS)

#11 Baylor (8-2): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5) & TCU, 30-28 (Week 10)

Baylor took care of Oklahoma at home but will still need some help if they want to play for a Big XII title. An Oklahoma loss to Iowa State this weekend would certainly help, giving the Bears the inside track on a rematch with Oklahoma State.

#12 Ole Miss (8-2): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5) & Auburn, 31-20 (Week 9)

It’s not quite over for the Ole Miss Rebels, who will need a pair of Alabama losses to Arkansas and Auburn in order to play for the SEC Championship. QB Matt Corral (24/37, 247 yards, 1 TD) led the upset bid against Texas A&M and will have to focus on Vanderbilt and Mississippi State to close out what has been a surprisingly good season in Oxford.

#21 Pittsburgh (8-2): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3) & Miami, 38-34 (Week 9)

Pitt is squarely in the driver’s seat following last Thursday’s overtime win against UNC. QB Kenny Pickett (25/43, 346 yards, 3 TD / 1 INT) is seen as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks heading down the stretch. With Virginia and Syracuse coming up, the Panthers are in prime position to be playing for a conference championship.

#17 Iowa (8-2): lost to Purdue, 24-7 (Week 7) & Wisconsin, 27-7 (Week 9)

The Hawkeyes took down Minnesota in a crucial Big Ten West matchup. They have Illinois and Nebraska to close the year and will need Wisconsin to drop one of their two remaining games (home against Nebraska, on the road against Minnesota) in order to be playing for a Big Ten title that is well within reach.

G5 & INDEPENDENTS WITH AN OUTSIDE SHOT AT A NY6 (5 TEAMS)

#14 BYU (8-2): lost to Boise State, 26-17 (Week 6) & Baylor, 38-24 (Week 7)

BYU has stayed stagnant in the rankings thus far as they get to travel to Georgia Southern and USC to finish off the year. There is a very realistic chance that the Cougars will be playing in a NY6 bowl come the postseason.

#24 Houston (9-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

Houston remains electric on offense as they took down Temple, 37-8, for their ninth straight win. They have Memphis on Friday night before their final game at UConn. This is a Cougars team that matches up well with Cincinnati, which should be a ranked AAC Championship.

#22 UTSA (10-0)

UTSA continues to roll through their schedule after taking down Southern Miss behind QB Frank Harris (17/30, 227 yards, 2 TD / 2 INT) and RB Sincere McCormick (90 yards, 1 TD). UAB (7-3) comes to town this weekend to decide the West Division before a finale against North Texas.

Louisiana (9-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

The Ragin’ Cajuns are still unranked, but they’ll have a chance to prove themselves at Liberty this weekend. They clinched a spot in the Sun Belt title game and can still make it to a NY6 bowl if their nine-game win streak continues.

#19 San Diego State (9-1): lost to Fresno State, 30-20 (Week 9)

SDSU is a strong competitor for a NY6 spot. They have UNLV and Boise State to close out the year and will likely play Utah State for the Mountain West Championship. If they run the table, they’ll certainly be one of the highest ranked Group of Five teams.

HONORABLE MENTION – TEAMS HAVING GOOD SEASONS

Appalachian State (8-2), Utah State (8-2)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 11 (3 TEAMS)

Coastal Carolina: eliminated with loss to Georgia State, 42-40 (Week 11)

NC State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 45-42 (Week 11)

Texas A&M: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 29-19 (Week 11)

WEEK 10 (4 TEAMS)

Auburn: eliminated with loss to Texas A&M, 20-3 (Week 10)

Liberty: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 27-14 (Week 10)

Minnesota: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 14-6 (Week 10)

SMU: eliminated with loss to Memphis, 28-25 (Week 10)

WEEK 9 (7 TEAMS)

Arizona State: eliminated with loss to Washington State, 34-21 (Week 9)

Iowa State: eliminated with loss to West Virginia (Week 9)

Kentucky: eliminated with Georgia clinching the SEC East (Week 9)

Oregon State: eliminated with loss to California, 39-25 (Week 9)

Penn State: eliminated with loss to Ohio State, 33-24 (Week 9)

UTEP: eliminated with loss to Florida Atlantic, 28-25 (Week 9)

Virginia: eliminated with loss to BYU, 66-49 (Week 9)

WEEK 8 (10 TEAMS)

Air Force: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 20-14 (Week 8)

Army: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 70-56 (Week 8)

Boston College: eliminated with loss to Louisville, 28-14 (Week 8)

Clemson: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 27-7 (Week 8)

Maryland: eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 34-16 (Week 8)

Nevada: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 34-31 (Week 8)

Purdue: eliminated with loss to Wisconsin, 30-13 (Week 8)

Texas Tech: eliminated with loss to Kansas State, 25-24 (Week 8)

UCLA: eliminated with loss to Oregon, 34-3 (Week 8)

Utah: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 42-34 (Week 8)

WEEK 7 (10 TEAMS)

Appalachian State: eliminated with loss to Louisiana, 41-13 (Week 7)

Arkansas: eliminated with loss to Auburn, 38-23 (Week 7)

Florida: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-42 (Week 7)

Kansas State: eliminated with loss to Iowa State, 33-20 (Week 7)

Mississippi State: eliminated with loss to Alabama, 49-9 (Week 7)

TCU: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma, 52-31 (Week 7)

Tennessee: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 31-26 (Week 7)

Texas: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 32-24 (Week 7)

Virginia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 28-7 (Week 7)

Wyoming: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 17-0 (Week 7)

WEEK 6 (11 TEAMS)

Duke: eliminated with loss to Georgia Tech, 31-27 (Week 6)

Louisville: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 34-33 (Week 6)

LSU: eliminated with loss to Kentucky, 42-21 (Week 6)

Rutgers: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 31-13 (Week 6)

South Alabama: eliminated with loss to Texas State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 6)

South Carolina: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 45-20 (Week 6)

Stanford: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 28-10 (Week 6)

Syracuse: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 40-37 (OT) (Week 6)

UNC: eliminated with loss to Florida State, 35-25 (Week 6)

USC: eliminated with loss to Utah, 42-26 (Week 6)

Western Michigan: eliminated with loss to Ball State, 45-20 (Week 6)

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 10

An upset-minded Purdue took down another top-five team in Michigan State; they’ll get Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday. In a week where nobody in the thick of the playoff race – outside of Georgia – looked like they wanted a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP), it looks as if the postseason race has dropped a lot of contenders out. Boise State’s clobbering of Fresno State probably eliminated them completely from New Years’ Six contention.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the national landscape:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: A two-loss Power Five team that finds itself playing for a conference championship can also be playing for a CFP spot. Texas A&M, who eliminated Auburn this past week, still has some control in SEC play.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: One-loss is enough to eliminate a Group of Five team from playoff contention. However, we will keep around the teams that can still finish the season undefeated or as a one-loss conference champion – which could be enough to get them into a New Years’ Six (NY6) bowl.

3. Strength of schedule issues: The longer the season goes on, the clearer the picture gets as far as a team’s strength of schedule is concerned. Cincinnati continues to cling onto that win over Notre Dame, but the Irish keep winning and bolstering the Bearcat’s resume.

CONTROLLING THEIR OWN DESTINY (4 TEAMS)

#1 Georgia (9-0)

Georgia is the strongest team in college football right now. Not that they will, but if they were to lose, they would still find themselves in the CFP conversation. For the sixth time this year, their defense allowed seven points or fewer in dominating fashion over Missouri, 43-6. Tennessee and Georgia Tech are the only remaining threats on the schedule for the Bulldogs, but they have the SEC East locked up.

#2 Alabama (8-1): lost to Texas A&M, 41-38 (Week 6)

Bama’s six-point win over LSU was just one of the many close calls that teams in the playoff hunt experienced in Week 10.  QB Bryce Young (24/37, 302 yards, 2 TD) didn’t hurt his Heisman chances, but it is clear that there are some struggles that Arkansas and Auburn can take advantage of down the stretch.

#3 Oregon (8-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

The Michigan State loss certainly helped the Ducks, who took down Washington 26-16. The remaining opponents for Oregon all have winning records – Washington State, Utah, and Oregon State. The Pac-12 Championship doesn’t look like it’ll be a ranked opponent as Oregon’s only ranked win right now is Ohio State, which should keep them above the Buckeyes until further notice.

#4 Ohio State (8-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 6)

Ohio State escaped a Nebraska team that has one-possession losses to three top-ten teams in Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Michigan. QB CJ Stroud (36/54, 405 yards, 2 TD / 2 INT) struggled against the Cornhusker’s defense but was able to pull away for the win. With Purdue, Michigan State, and Michigan still on schedule, the Buckeyes will have multiple opportunities to impress the committee. It’s simply – win out and you’re in.

WILL NEED SOME HELP IF THEY WIN OUT (6 TEAMS)

#7 Michigan State (8-1): lost to Purdue, 40-29 (Week 10)

Purdue’s thumping of Michigan State pushed them out of controlling their own destiny in the CFP race. With Ohio State and Penn State still on slate, there are still opportunities to impress the committee. RB Kenneth Walker III (146 yards, 1 TD) played well, but a classic Boilermaker upset consisted of the Spartans playing catch-up all game.

#5 Cincinnati (9-0)

Cincinnati escaped Tulsa on Homecoming with College GameDay in town. QB Desmond Ridder (3 total TD) almost gave the game away in the fourth quarter by fumbling in his own five-yard line. The Bearcat defense played tough down the stretch, but CFP hopes were greatly diminished with SMU losing to Memphis.

#8 Oklahoma (9-0)

Oklahoma had a bye last week and has to get through Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State before a rematch with one of those teams in the Big XII Championship. It’ll be interesting to see how the committee views an undefeated Sooners squad compared to a Cincinnati or one-loss champion in another conference.

#6 Michigan (8-1): lost to Michigan State, 37-33 (Week 9)

Michigan clobbered Indiana before their noon matchup with Penn State on Saturday. With Ohio State to close the season, there is still an outside shot that the Wolverines can be playing for the Big Ten Championship. RB Hassan Haskins (168 yards, 1 TD) leads a run-heavy offense into the final stretch of the season and a shot at the postseason.

#10 Oklahoma State (8-1): lost to Iowa State, 24-21 (Week 8)

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are still on a collision course to close the season; they can potentially meet in two straight weeks if the Cowboys can get by TCU and Texas Tech. The defense has looked impressive all season, never allowing more than 24 points in a game this year. By winning out, there is a legitimate shot that the Big XII can sneak into the playoff, but they will need some help.

#12 Wake Forest (8-1)

Wake lost to UNC in a shootout, 58-55. QB Sam Hartman (25/51, 398 yards, 5 TD (2 rush) / 2 INT) pushed his Heisman chances. This week’s game against NC State should decide the Atlantic Division, where they’ll likely meet Pitt for a NY6 bowl bid. A playoff spot is not out of reach, but it isn’t looking likely.

CHAOS WOULD HAVE TO OCCUR (1 TEAM)

#9 Notre Dame (8-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

The Irish handled Navy, 34-6, behind an efficient game from QB Jack Coan (23/29, 269 yards, 1 TD). The Irish will continue to move up but be subjected to a lower ranking thanks to their home loss to Cincinnati. Right now, the shaky conference play from top-ten teams is what Notre Dame needs to root for ahead of their final three games against Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Stanford.

WOULD NEED TO BE A TWO-LOSS CONFERENCE CHAMP (6 TEAMS)

#11 Texas A&M (7-2): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4) & Mississippi State, 26-22 (Week 5)

It’s not over yet and as far as two-loss conference champions go, Texas A&M would have the best case out of any team if they can win-out and Alabama can find a loss (either to Arkansas or Auburn). With Ole Miss and LSU still on schedule, the Aggies will have to take care of business first.

#13 Baylor (7-2): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5) & TCU, 30-28 (Week 10)

Baylor has had a good season so far, and the Big XII title is still not out of reach if they can continue to rely on the ground game of RB Abram Smith (1,055 yards, 11 TD). A CFP spot is extremely out of reach, but chaos could still occur as the November slate is destined for losses in other conferences.

#15 Ole Miss (7-2): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5) & Auburn, 31-20 (Week 9)

The win over Liberty helped and QB Matt Corral (20/27, 324 yards, 1 TD) played a clean game. Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State are still on schedule, but the Rebels will need additional assistance to make the conference championship game. Alabama and Auburn both claim tiebreaker in a competitive SEC West.

#16 NC State (7-2): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2) & Miami, 31-30 (Week 8)

Wake Forest, Syracuse, and UNC stand in the way of the Wolfpack making the ACC Championship game. That schedule will be tough enough to make them one of the better two-loss teams heading into championship weekend. Right now, they would probably meet want to meet a ranked Pitt team in that game.

#21 Pittsburgh (7-2): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3) & Miami, 38-34 (Week 9)

Pitt’s losses are questionable for a Panthers squad that has looked like a top-15 team at times. A big win at Duke behind QB Kenny Pickett (28/43, 416 yards, 4 total TD) keeps them in the lead of the Coastal. UNC, Virginia, and Syracuse stand in the way of a shot at the ACC Championship.

#20 Iowa (7-2): lost to Purdue, 24-7 (Week 7) & Wisconsin, 27-7 (Week 9)

Iowa doesn’t control their own destiny in the Big Ten West – that honor belongs to the Badgers of Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes are unimpressive, dull, and prone to random close-games and losses. Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska are three of the most frustrating teams to play in the Big Ten to close the year.

G5 & INDEPENDENTS WITH AN OUTSIDE SHOT AT A NY6 (6 TEAMS)

#14 BYU (8-2): lost to Boise State, 26-17 (Week 6) & Baylor, 38-24 (Week 7)

BYU plays Georgia Southern and USC on the road to finish out a strong season, but a playoff spot is pretty much out of reach. Two losses and no conference championship to play for won’t be enough for a CFP bid, but the committee hasn’t ruled out a NY6 spot thanks to the Cougars’ surprising ranking.

#23 UTSA (9-0)

It’s been a historic season for the Roadrunners, who took down 6-3 UTEP behind QB Frank Harris’ four touchdowns. They are undefeated and have an outside shot at a NY6 if they can beat UAB (the last remaining opponent with a winning record) to take the C-USA West Division.

(NR) Houston (8-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

Houston’s offense is electric (39 PPG) and they are the last remaining hope for Cincinnati to play a ranked team in the American if both reach the conference championship game. Winners of eight straight, the future Big XII-member Cougars can still make it to a NY6 bowl if they win out.

(NR) Louisiana (8-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

The Ragin’ Cajuns dismantled Appalachian State in mid-October; that is by far their best win of the year. With Liberty still on the schedule and the possibility of facing App State or Coastal Caroline for the Sun Belt title, this is a team that can make a case for themselves in the NY6 bidding.

#22 San Diego State (8-1): lost to Fresno State, 30-20 (Week 9)

SDSU remains atop the Mountain West… um… West Division…. This weekend’s game against Nevada (7-2) will decide that division. A 17-10 victory of Hawai’i keeps the Aztecs ranked as one of the highest Group of Five teams, and Fresno State’s blowout loss to Boise only helped their NY6 chances.

(NR) Coastal Carolina (8-1): lost to App State, 30-27 (Week 8)

The Chanticleers are without star QB Grayson McCall, but a balanced triple-option attack was good enough to beatdown Georgia Southern, 28-8. They need App State to drop a game to South Alabama, Troy, or Georgia Southern to get back in the conference championship mix.

HONORABLE MENTION – TEAMS HAVING GOOD SEASONS

Appalachian State (7-2), Utah State (7-2)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 10 (4 TEAMS)

Auburn: eliminated with loss to Texas A&M, 20-3 (Week 10)

Liberty: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 27-14 (Week 10)

Minnesota: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 14-6 (Week 10)

SMU: eliminated with loss to Memphis, 28-25 (Week 10)

WEEK 9 (7 TEAMS)

Arizona State: eliminated with loss to Washington State, 34-21 (Week 9)

Iowa State: eliminated with loss to West Virginia (Week 9)

Kentucky: eliminated with Georgia clinching the SEC East (Week 9)

Oregon State: eliminated with loss to California, 39-25 (Week 9)

Penn State: eliminated with loss to Ohio State, 33-24 (Week 9)

UTEP: eliminated with loss to Florida Atlantic, 28-25 (Week 9)

Virginia: eliminated with loss to BYU, 66-49 (Week 9)

WEEK 8 (10 TEAMS)

Air Force: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 20-14 (Week 8)

Army: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 70-56 (Week 8)

Boston College: eliminated with loss to Louisville, 28-14 (Week 8)

Clemson: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 27-7 (Week 8)

Maryland: eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 34-16 (Week 8)

Nevada: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 34-31 (Week 8)

Purdue: eliminated with loss to Wisconsin, 30-13 (Week 8)

Texas Tech: eliminated with loss to Kansas State, 25-24 (Week 8)

UCLA: eliminated with loss to Oregon, 34-3 (Week 8)

Utah: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 42-34 (Week 8)

WEEK 7 (10 TEAMS)

Appalachian State: eliminated with loss to Louisiana, 41-13 (Week 7)

Arkansas: eliminated with loss to Auburn, 38-23 (Week 7)

Florida: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-42 (Week 7)

Kansas State: eliminated with loss to Iowa State, 33-20 (Week 7)

Mississippi State: eliminated with loss to Alabama, 49-9 (Week 7)

TCU: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma, 52-31 (Week 7)

Tennessee: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 31-26 (Week 7)

Texas: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 32-24 (Week 7)

Virginia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 28-7 (Week 7)

Wyoming: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 17-0 (Week 7)

WEEK 6 (11 TEAMS)

Duke: eliminated with loss to Georgia Tech, 31-27 (Week 6)

Louisville: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 34-33 (Week 6)

LSU: eliminated with loss to Kentucky, 42-21 (Week 6)

Rutgers: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 31-13 (Week 6)

South Alabama: eliminated with loss to Texas State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 6)

South Carolina: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 45-20 (Week 6)

Stanford: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 28-10 (Week 6)

Syracuse: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 40-37 (OT) (Week 6)

UNC: eliminated with loss to Florida State, 35-25 (Week 6)

USC: eliminated with loss to Utah, 42-26 (Week 6)

Western Michigan: eliminated with loss to Ball State, 45-20 (Week 6)

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 8

Penn State’s 9-OT loss to Illinois removed them from high playoff contenders to the brink of elimination. A loss to Ohio State this weekend will eliminate them completely. Michigan and Michigan State also play in a battle of ranked Big Ten East teams with huge conference championship indications in mind. Coastal Carolina lost to App State during the week, so bouncing back would require another conference loss from the Mountaineers. Finally, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State while Oklahoma and new QB Caleb Williams struggled with Kansas in what is shaking up to be a highly competitive Big XII race.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the conferences:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: Penn State is now a two-loss team. However, they still have the loaded Big Ten East in front of them.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: Coastal Carolina’s loss to Appalachian State took them out of control of their conference destiny. The Chanticleers can still make a New Years Six (NY6) bowl as the highest Group of Five team, especially if they can win their conference and if Cincinnati can sneak into the playoff.

3. Strength of schedule issues: Some teams have such a weak schedule that they might not be able to make up for it by December’s conference championship weekend – see Pitt, who is playing well in a weak ACC but has the sting of a Western Michigan loss.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

Cincinnati struggled to beat a pesky Navy team this weekend, only winning by a touchdown; other than that, the Bearcats have been living up to the hype. Games against Tulane, Tulsa, and South Florida should be prime opportunities for them to get ready for undefeated SMU, who has been steamrolling through the conference so far. Houston is still in the conference playoff picture after an overtime scare versus East Carolina and will host SMU on Saturday night.

Moving on up (2 teams):

#2 Cincinnati (7-0)

#19 SMU (7-0)

Need to make a statement (1 team):

Houston (6-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

ACC (4 TEAMS)

Clemson is officially out after losing to Pitt this past weekend, 27-17; The Panthers have sole control of the ACC Coastal Division. Virginia is behind them with two conference losses; they will travel to Pittsburgh in late November. Wake Forest remained undefeated by taking down Army 70-56 in an offensive showcase by QB Sam Hartman (23/29, 458 yards, 5 TD). NC State is still in the hunt as well after a one-point loss at Miami; The Wolfpack will need a lot of help going forward. Boston College was eliminated with a third straight loss, this time to Louisville.

Running the show (1 team):

#13 Wake Forest (7-0)

Need to continue to impress (1 team):

#17 Pittsburgh (6-1): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3)

Current bubble (2 teams):

NC State (5-2): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2) & Miami, 31-30 (Week 8)

Virginia (6-2): lost to UNC, 59-39 (Week 3) & Wake Forest, 37-17 (Week 4)

BIG XII CONFERENCE (4 TEAMS)

Oklahoma looked ugly against Kansas, who is one of the worst teams in college football. Oklahoma State suffered their first loss to Iowa State, who remains in contention for the Big XII Championship. Baylor is also still in the hunt as Texas Tech fall to the eliminator after a one-point loss to Kansas State.

Alone at the top (1 team):

#4 Oklahoma (8-0)

Still in conference control (2 teams):

#15 Oklahoma State (6-1): lost to Iowa State, 24-21 (Week 8)

#16 Baylor (6-1): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5)

Getting back in form (1 team):

#22 Iowa State (5-2): lost to Iowa, 27-17 (Week 2) & Baylor, 31-29 (Week 4)

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (6 TEAMS)

Penn State’s 9-OT loss to Illinois was the longest game in FBS history and one that could prove pivotal if the Nittany Lions bounce back and compete in the East. Michigan and Michigan State meet this week in a top ten matchup as Ohio State hosts Penn State in a big weekend for conference championship indications. Maryland and Purdue are eliminated after losses to Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively.

Controlling their destiny (3 teams):

#6 Michigan (7-0)

#8 Michigan State (7-0)

#5 Ohio State (6-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 6)

Back in conference control (1 team):

#9 Iowa (6-1): lost to Purdue, 24-7 (Week 7)

Rough road ahead (2 teams):

#20 Penn State (5-2): lost to Iowa, 23-20 (Week 6) & Illinois, 20-18 (9OT) (Week 8)

Minnesota (5-2): lost to Ohio State, 45-31 (Week 1) & Bowling Green, 14-10 (Week 4)

CONFERENCE USA (2 TEAMS)

UTSA is still undefeated after blowing out Louisiana Tech, 45-16. The Roadrunners get UTEP after their bye this week; the winner will be in control of the West. The Miners travel to Boca Raton to take on Florida Atlantic this Saturday.

Meep meep (1 team):

#23 UTSA (8-0)

Don’t mind the Miners (1 team):

UTEP (6-1): lost to Boise State, 54-13 (Week 2)

INDEPENDENTS (FBS) (3 TEAMS)

Army was eliminated by Wake Forest in an offensive showdown. BYU escaped Washington State, 21-19, with Virginia coming into Provo this week. Liberty should have no problems against UMass this week before taking on No. 10 Ole Miss in an interesting matchup for the Flames. Notre Dame keeps rolling after beating USC, 31-16. The remaining schedule for the Irish is winnable and can get them back in the top ten.

Will need all of the help (1 team):

#11 Notre Dame (6-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

Outside shot at NY6 (2 teams):

Liberty (6-2): lost to Syracuse, 24-21 (Week 4) & Louisiana-Monroe, 31-28 (Week 7)

#25 BYU (6-2): lost to Boise State, 26-17 (Week 6) & Baylor, 38-24 (Week 7)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (0 TEAMS)

Fun fact: MAC West frontrunner Northern Illinois (6-2) won their six games by an average of 7.7 points.

One week until MACtion.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (1 TEAM)

Nevada was eliminated by Fresno State as San Diego State eliminated the Falcons of Air Force. Ranked No. 21, the Aztecs continue to show why they are the class of the Mountain West. A matchup with Fresno State on Saturday’s backdoor slate (10:30pm) will be a huge test that has divisional impacts.

Just keep winning and see what happens (1 team):

#21 San Diego State (7-0)

PAC-12 CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

Oregon continues to scrape by against lackluster competition, this time defeating and eliminating UCLA, 34-31. The Ducks’ loss to Stanford is being held against them in the AP Poll, but their win against Ohio State might keep them above the Buckeyes in CFP contention for the time being. Utah was eliminated by Oregon State, who may be the only team to challenge Oregon in the North.

The conference isn’t doing them any favors (1 team):

#7 Oregon (6-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

Will need to look like they want to win (2 teams):

Oregon State (5-2): lost to Purdue, 30-21 (Week 1) & Washington State, 31-24 (Week 6)

Arizona State (5-2): lost to BYU, 27-17 (Week 3) & Utah, 35-21 (Week 7)

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (6 TEAMS)

Georgia is still the nation’s top dawg, but Alabama is the clear leader in the SEC West. The Crimson Tide just have to win and they’re in, regardless of what the other conferences do. An Alabama loss in the SEC Championship will most likely open the door for another team. Ole Miss and Kentucky are still one-loss teams that can sneak in if more chaos occurs. Auburn still controls part of their conference destiny, even with two losses overall, while Texas A&M will need some help and a conference championship to get the nod.

Controlling their destiny (2 teams):

#1 Georgia (7-0)

#3 Alabama (7-1): lost to Texas A&M, 41-38 (Week 6)

Backdoor sleepers (2 teams):

#10 Ole Miss (6-1): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5)

#12 Kentucky (6-1): lost to Georgia, 30-13 (Week 7)

Controlling their (division) destiny (1 team):

#18 Auburn (5-2): lost to Penn State, 28-20 (Week 3) & Georgia, 34-10 (Week 6)

It’ll take some chaos (1 team):

#14 Texas A&M (5-2): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4) & Mississippi State, 26-22 (Week 5)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (2 TEAMS)

Coastal Carolina’s Cinderella story has come to an end. Their NY6 hopes are still alive, but App State is in control of Group A after last week’s win. Louisiana is still the team to beat in Group B and the winner of this conference has an outside shot of playing in a bigger bowl game.

Far, far outside shot (2 teams):

Louisiana (6-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

#24 Coastal Carolina (6-1): lost to App State, 30-27 (Week 8)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 8 (10 TEAMS)

Air Force: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 20-14 (Week 8)

Army: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 70-56 (Week 8)

Boston College: eliminated with loss to Louisville, 28-14 (Week 8)

Clemson: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 27-7 (Week 8)

Maryland: eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 34-16 (Week 8)

Nevada: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 34-31 (Week 8)

Purdue: eliminated with loss to Wisconsin, 30-13 (Week 8)

Texas Tech: eliminated with loss to Kansas State, 25-24 (Week 8)

UCLA: eliminated with loss to Oregon, 34-3 (Week 8)

Utah: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 42-34 (Week 8)

WEEK 7 (10 TEAMS)

Appalachian State: eliminated with loss to Louisiana, 41-13 (Week 7)

Arkansas: eliminated with loss to Auburn, 38-23 (Week 7)

Florida: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-42 (Week 7)

Kansas State: eliminated with loss to Iowa State, 33-20 (Week 7)

Mississippi State: eliminated with loss to Alabama, 49-9 (Week 7)

TCU: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma, 52-31 (Week 7)

Tennessee: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 31-26 (Week 7)

Texas: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 32-24 (Week 7)

Virginia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 28-7 (Week 7)

Wyoming: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 17-0 (Week 7)

WEEK 6 (11 TEAMS)

Duke: eliminated with loss to Georgia Tech, 31-27 (Week 6)

Louisville: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 34-33 (Week 6)

LSU: eliminated with loss to Kentucky, 42-21 (Week 6)

Rutgers: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 31-13 (Week 6)

South Alabama: eliminated with loss to Texas State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 6)

South Carolina: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 45-20 (Week 6)

Stanford: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 28-10 (Week 6)

Syracuse: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 40-37 (OT) (Week 6)

UNC: eliminated with loss to Florida State, 35-25 (Week 6)

USC: eliminated with loss to Utah, 42-26 (Week 6)

Western Michigan: eliminated with loss to Ball State, 45-20 (Week 6)

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 7

Iowa’s 24-7 home loss to Purdue added an extra element to the Big Ten West race, but the East is still the most competitive division in football. The SEC is a clear-cut two-way race between Alabama and Georgia, even with the remaining schedule. The questions remain on who can run the table in the Big Ten, what will happen to Oregon in the Pac-12, the quarterback situation at Oklahoma, and what will happen if Cincinnati continues to dominant their opponents.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the conferences:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: Two-loss Power Five champions will be able to make a case this year. If the SEC or Big Ten has a two-loss champion, they can absolutely make a case for being a top-four team by season’s end.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: One-loss Group of Five teams can still make a run at a New Years’ Six (NY6) bowl, but a College Football Playoff (CFP) bid rides on chaos and an unblemished schedule.

3. Strength of schedule issues: It’ll be tough for two-loss Army, BYU, and Liberty to make a case as Independents without a conference slate. A NY6 bid is not out of reach, but it will take some serious chaos.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

After smacking around UCF 56-21 behind four Jerome Ford touchdowns, Cincinnati has established the expectation of beating up on their conference to further their playoff hopes as they reach their highest AP ranking in program history (No. 2). SMU continues to stay unbeaten but has allowed their weaker opponents to stick around late in games. Houston has washed all of their opponents after a Week 1 loss to Texas Tech, and they’ll take on SMU in two weeks for an opportunity to play for a conference title.

Moving on up (2 teams):

#2 Cincinnati (6-0)

#21 SMU (6-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Houston (5-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

ACC (6 TEAMS)

Wake Forest is the ACC’s only unbeaten; but even then, they haven’t looked as dominant as some of the other undefeated teams in the country. Pitt joined NC State in the AP Poll after QB Kenny Pickett’s three touchdown performance eliminating Virginia Tech. Clemson is still in contention and has a huge matchup at Pitt on Saturday. Virginia, despite their two losses in conference play, has the toughest remaining schedule as they play BYU, Notre Dame, Pitt, and Virginia Tech at the close of their season.

Will need some help (1 team):

#16 Wake Forest (6-0)

Need to continue to impress (2 teams):

#18 NC State (5-1): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2)

#23 Pittsburgh (5-1): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3)

Current bubble (3 teams):

Clemson (4-2): lost to Georgia, 10-3 (Week 1) & NC State, 27-21 (OT) (Week 4)

Virginia (5-2): lost to UNC, 59-39 (Week 3) & Wake Forest, 37-17 (Week 4)

Boston College (4-2): lost to Clemson, 19-13 (Week 5) & NC State, 33-7 (Week 7)

BIG XII CONFERENCE (5 TEAMS)

Oklahoma eliminated TCU behind new QB Caleb Williams (18/25 for 295 yards, 4 TD) and Oklahoma State eliminated Texas with a strong rushing attack (220 yards on the ground). Those two sit atop of the conference and can meet in back-to-back weeks if they run the table together. Kansas State was also eliminated at the hands of Iowa State.

On a collision course (2 teams):

#3 Oklahoma (7-0)

#8 Oklahoma State (6-0)

Still in conference control (1 team):

#20 Baylor (6-1): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5)

Not much love (2 teams):

Iowa State (4-2): lost to Iowa, 27-17 (Week 2) & Baylor, 31-29 (Week 4)

Texas Tech (5-2): lost to Texas, 70-35 (Week 4) & TCU, 52-31 (Week 6)

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (8 TEAMS)

Iowa’s loss to Purdue opened the door for other teams in the West Division. The Big Ten East now has four AP Top 10 teams, all of which control their own playoff destiny based on the strength of the division. No teams were eliminated this week, but division play looms large over the conference.

Controlling their destiny (4 teams):

#6 Michigan (6-0)

#9 Michigan State (7-0)

#7 Penn State (5-1): lost to Iowa, 23-20 (Week 6)

#5 Ohio State (5-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 6)

Hurting Hawkeyes (1 team):

#11 Iowa (6-1): lost to Purdue, 24-7 (Week 7)

Rough road ahead (3 teams):

Minnesota (4-2): lost to Ohio State, 45-31 (Week 1) & Bowling Green, 14-10 (Week 4)

#25 Purdue (4-2): lost to Notre Dame, 27-13 (Week 3) & Minnesota, 20-13 (Week 5)

Maryland (4-2): lost to Iowa, 51-14 (Week 5) & Ohio State, 66-17 (Week 6)

CONFERENCE USA (2 TEAMS)

UTSA is ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in program history. Louisiana Tech is a tricky opponent for the Roadrunners before they travel to El Paso to face UTEP in a midseason game that can decide the West Division. A NY6 bid is absolutely in play for both of these programs if one of them can run the table.

Running the road (1 team):

#24 UTSA (7-0)

Don’t mind the Miners (1 team):

UTEP (6-1): lost to Boise State, 54-13 (Week 2)

INDEPENDENTS (FBS) (4 TEAMS)

An abundance of chaos in the Independent market as Army, Liberty, and BYU all suffered their second losses of the year. Liberty faces Ole Miss and Army takes on unbeaten Wake Forest this weekend, but the November 27^th matchup between the Flames and Black Knights was heavily diminished in Week 7. BYU’s second straight loss at the hands of Baylor took them out of the AP Poll. Their schedule is stronger than a lot of other teams still in NY6 contention.

Will need all of the help (1 team):

#13 Notre Dame (5-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

Outside shot at NY6 (3 teams):

Liberty (5-2): lost to Syracuse, 24-21 (Week 4) & Louisiana-Monroe, 31-28 (Week 7)

Army (4-2): lost to Ball State, 28-16 (Week 5) & Wisconsin, 20-14 (Week 7)

BYU (5-2): lost to Boise State, 26-17 (Week 6) & Baylor, 38-24 (Week 7)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (0 TEAMS)

MACtion starts in two weeks.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

San Diego State takes on Air Force while Nevada visits Fresno State on Saturday. The Mountain West’s best chance is with the Aztecs as Wyoming suffered their second loss of the year and is finally eliminated.

Just keep winning and see what happens (1 team):

#22 San Diego State (6-0)

A conference championship could keep them in NY6 play (2 teams):

Nevada (5-1): lost to Kansas State, 38-17 (Week 3)

Air Force (6-1): lost to Utah State, 49-45 (Week 3)

PAC-12 CONFERENCE (5 TEAMS)

It’ll be extremely difficult for anyone from the Pac-12 to make the playoff. Oregon is still the best bet, but even then, Cincinnati has been more impressive. Arizona State suffered their second loss, this time at the hands of Utah in a heated South Division race. Oregon and UCLA will be a huge test for both programs this weekend as College GameDay comes to town.

The conference isn’t doing them any favors (1 team):

#10 Oregon (5-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

Will need to look like they want to win (4 teams):

Utah (4-2): lost to BYU, 26-17 (Week 2) & San Diego State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 3)

Oregon State (4-2): lost to Purdue, 30-21 (Week 1) & Washington State, 31-24 (Week 6)

Arizona State (5-2): lost to BYU, 27-17 (Week 3) & Utah, 35-21 (Week 7)

UCLA (5-2): lost to Fresno State, 40-37 (Week 3) & Arizona State, 42-23 (Week 5)

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (6 TEAMS)

Georgia took care of business against Kentucky, a team that can get jumped as the season goes on because they don’t control their conference destiny. Ole Miss is in a similar spot, as Alabama holds firm control of the SEC West, despite their elimination of Tennessee this past weekend. The Crimson Tide eliminated Mississippi State, LSU eliminated Florida, and Auburn eliminated Arkansas (who lost three straight games).

Controlling their destiny (2 teams):

#1 Georgia (7-0)

#4 Alabama (6-1): lost to Texas A&M, 41-38 (Week 6)

Not in control of their division destiny, but is that such a bad thing? (2 teams):

#12 Ole Miss (5-1): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5)

#15 Kentucky (6-1): lost to Georgia, 30-13 (Week 7)

Controlling their (division) destiny (1 team):

#19 Auburn (5-2): lost to Penn State, 28-20 (Week 3) & Georgia, 34-10 (Week 6)

It’ll take some chaos (1 team):

#21 Texas A&M (5-2): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4) & Mississippi State, 26-22 (Week 5)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (2 TEAMS)

Coastal Carolina gets two-loss Appalachian State Wednesday night in their last true test of the season. An impressive win on the road could go a long way for their NY6 chances and an outside playoff shot. Louisiana is 5-1 with their lone loss being to Texas in Week 1. If the Ragin Cajuns run the table and can get through out-of-conference Liberty, this will be a ranked conference championship game matchup.

Still soaring (1 team):

#14 Coastal Carolina (6-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Louisiana (5-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 7 (10 TEAMS)

Appalachian State: eliminated with loss to Louisiana, 41-13 (Week 7)

Arkansas: eliminated with loss to Auburn, 38-23 (Week 7)

Florida: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-42 (Week 7)

Kansas State: eliminated with loss to Iowa State, 33-20 (Week 7)

Mississippi State: eliminated with loss to Alabama, 49-9 (Week 7)

TCU: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma, 52-31 (Week 7)

Tennessee: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 31-26 (Week 7)

Texas: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 32-24 (Week 7)

Virginia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 28-7 (Week 7)

Wyoming: eliminated with loss to Fresno State, 17-0 (Week 7)

WEEK 6 (11 TEAMS)

Duke: eliminated with loss to Georgia Tech, 31-27 (Week 6)

Louisville: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 34-33 (Week 6)

LSU: eliminated with loss to Kentucky, 42-21 (Week 6)

Rutgers: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 31-13 (Week 6)

South Alabama: eliminated with loss to Texas State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 6)

South Carolina: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 45-20 (Week 6)

Stanford: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 28-10 (Week 6)

Syracuse: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 40-37 (OT) (Week 6)

UNC: eliminated with loss to Florida State, 35-25 (Week 6)

USC: eliminated with loss to Utah, 42-26 (Week 6)

Western Michigan: eliminated with loss to Ball State, 45-20 (Week 6)

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 6

Halfway. Through. The. Season.

An Alabama loss, a Big Ten flexing show, and a lack of faith in the rest of the Power Five has pushed the national college football scene so far this year. Cincinnati continues to impress and two-loss teams are saying “It’s not over until it’s over.” More teams head to the eliminator this week as MACtion and the Fun Belt Sun Belt will provide virtually nonstop football for the remainder of the season.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the conferences:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: Two-loss teams are still in contention, especially in a season like this. The Power Five may have multiple conference champions with two or more losses, especially as the heat of conference play is right around the corner.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: It’ll take one loss for a Group of Five team to lose their playoff hopes, but we’ll keep the one-loss teams on the board for now as New Years’ Six (NY6) bowl bids are still on the table.

3. Strength of schedule issues: BYU’s loss to Boise State was huge, as their schedule was tough enough to get them into the AP Top 10 in the first place. However, those Pac-12 wins are looking weaker by the game.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

Cincinnati has a favorable schedule ahead of them. Good news for them is that SMU is ranked and still unbeaten while Houston, who avoids the Bearcats in the regular season, can provide a great championship game matchup if they continue to play well on offense (37 PPG).

The stars of the season (2 teams):

#3 Cincinnati (5-0)

#23 SMU (6-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Houston (5-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

ACC (7 TEAMS)

An overtime thriller against Syracuse kept Wake Forest undefeated. NC State still controls their own destiny in the Atlantic as Clemson is on the outside looking in. Pitt gets Virginia Tech and Clemson back-to-back in crucial games for all three programs. Massive carnage took out Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, and UNC – all taking their third loss of the year.

Still trotting along (1 team):

#16 Wake Forest (6-0)

Need to make a move (3 teams):

#22 NC State (4-1): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2)

Pittsburgh (4-1): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3)

Boston College (4-1): lost to Clemson, 19-13 (Week 5)

Current bubble (3 teams):

Virginia Tech (3-2): lost to West Virginia, 27-21 (Week 3) & Notre Dame, 32-29 (Week 6)

Virginia (4-2): lost to UNC, 59-39 (Week 3) & Wake Forest, 37-17 (Week 4)

Clemson (3-2): lost to Georgia, 10-3 (Week 1) & NC State, 27-21 (OT) (Week 4)

BIG XII CONFERENCE (8 TEAMS)

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State remain unbeaten, which could be great for their late-season showdown if both could start to beat teams rather than just scrape by. Texas fell a tad after blowing a huge lead against the Sooners in Dallas as the eliminator claims nobody in this week’s edition.

On a collision course (2 teams):

#4 Oklahoma (6-0)

#12 Oklahoma State (5-0)

Time to bounce back (1 team):

Baylor (5-1): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5)

Will need some massive help (5 teams):

#25 Texas (4-2): lost to Arkansas, 40-21 (Week 2) & Oklahoma, 55-48 (Week 6)

TCU (3-2): lost to SMU, 42-34 (Week 4) & Texas 32-27 (Week 5)

Iowa State (3-2): lost to Iowa, 27-17 (Week 2) & Baylor, 31-29 (Week 4)

Kansas State (3-2): lost to Oklahoma State, 31-20 (Week 4) & Oklahoma, 37-31 (Week 5)

Texas Tech (4-2): lost to Texas, 70-35 (Week 4) & TCU, 52-31 (Week 6)

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (8 TEAMS)

Iowa’s signature win is Penn State, and that will remain the same as they play in an abysmal Big Ten West. The Big Ten East will sort itself out as #10 Michigan State, #8 Michigan, #7 Penn State, and #6 Ohio State all get to play each other. This is a conference that will surely send at least one team to the playoff this year, and both the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes control their own destiny until further notice. Rutgers ran through a buzz saw of Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State to drop three straight and head to the gauntlet.

Controlling their destiny (5 teams):

#2 Iowa (6-0)

#8 Michigan (6-0)

#10 Michigan State (6-0)

#7 Penn State (5-1): lost to Iowa, 23-20 (Week 6)

#6 Ohio State (5-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 6)

Doesn’t get easier ahead (3 teams):

Minnesota (3-2): lost to Ohio State, 45-31 (Week 1) & Bowling Green, 14-10 (Week 4)

Purdue (3-2): lost to Notre Dame, 27-13 (Week 3) & Minnesota, 20-13 (Week 5)

Maryland (4-2): lost to Iowa, 51-14 (Week 5) & Ohio State, 66-17 (Week 6)

CONFERENCE USA (2 TEAMS)

UTSA remains unbeaten after a shootout with Western Kentucky. UTEP also stayed within reach in C-USA with a 13-point win over Southern Miss. Those two teams will meet in early November.

Miracle workers (1 team):

UTSA (6-0)

Don’t mind the Miners (1 team):

UTEP (5-1): lost to Boise State, 54-13 (Week 2)

INDEPENDENTS (FBS) (4 TEAMS)

BYU’s loss to Boise State was troubling after the Cougars’ strong start to the season. They play Baylor this Saturday and would need the teams they already beat to make a little more noise. Notre Dame, Liberty, and Army would all need additional assistance. The Fighting Irish’s remaining opponents are USC, UNC, Navy, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Stanford. The Flames still have Ole Miss on the schedule and Army still has Wake Forest before the two meet towards the end of the year, giving those two teams a greater current upside than BYU – for the time being.

Um . . .  Let’s keep playing (4 teams):

#14 Notre Dame (5-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

Liberty (5-1): lost to Syracuse, 24-21 (Week 4)

Army (5-1): lost to Ball State, 28-16 (Week 5)

#19 BYU (5-1): lost to Boise State, 26-17 (Week 6)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (0 TEAMS)

Everyone in the MAC has two or more losses after Ball State’s beatdown of Western Michigan, 45-20. This conference’s NY6 hopes are officially dead, but I’ll be enjoying their games on weekday nights.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (4 TEAMS)

San Diego State keeps winning and even though the schedule isn’t strong, they still have one-loss Air Force and one-loss Nevada on slate. Wyoming’s first loss came on the road against Air Force, pushing them out of controlling their own destiny in the Mountain Division.

Just keep winning and see what happens (1 team):

#24 San Diego State (5-0)

A conference championship could keep them in NY6 play (3 teams):

Nevada (4-1): lost to Kansas State, 38-17 (Week 3)

Air Force (5-1): lost to Utah State, 49-45 (Week 3)

Wyoming (4-1): lost to Air Force, 24-14 (Week 6)

PAC-12 CONFERENCE (5 TEAMS)

Arizona State is catching stride behind QB Jayden Daniels and the elimination of Stanford this past weekend, but this is still Oregon’s conference to lose. The Sun Devil’s schedule is favorable, but this is the current bottom of Power Five conferences and the winner may still be behind Cincinnati. USC’s loss to Utah eliminates the Trojans and propels the Utes to continue to stay in control of their conference destiny.

Can start to make a case (2 teams):

#18 Arizona State (5-1): lost to BYU, 27-17 (Week 3)

#8 Oregon (4-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

Out-the-door (3 teams):

Utah (3-2): lost to BYU, 26-17 (Week 2) & San Diego State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 3)

Oregon State (4-2): lost to Purdue, 30-21 (Week 1) & Washington State, 31-24 (Week 6)

UCLA (4-2): lost to Fresno State, 40-37 (Week 3) & Arizona State, 42-23 (Week 5)

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (10 TEAMS)

Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M still keeps the Crimson Tide in contention, but Georgia remains the belle of the ball. The Bulldogs meet undefeated Kentucky, who eliminated LSU last week, on Saturday for control of the SEC East. Ole Miss moved back up after beating Arkansas, but they’ll remain behind Alabama all season which won’t help their case. South Carolina is 0-3 in SEC play and has left the realm of possible contention.

Still in the thick of it (3 teams):

#1 Georgia (6-0)

#5 Alabama (5-1): lost to Texas A&M, 41-38 (Week 6)

#11 Kentucky (6-0)

Bounced back (1 team):

#13 Ole Miss (4-1): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5)

It will take some chaos (6 teams):

Tennessee (4-2): lost to Pitt, 41-34 (Week 2) & Florida, 38-14 (Week 4)

Auburn (4-2): lost to Penn State, 28-20 (Week 3) & Georgia, 34-10 (Week 6)

Mississippi State (3-2): lost to Memphis, 31-29 (Week 3) & LSU, 28-25 (Week 4)

#20 Florida (4-2): lost to Alabama, 31-29 (Week 3) & Kentucky, 20-13 (Week 5)

#17 Arkansas (4-2): lost to Georgia, 37-0 (Week 5) & Ole Miss, 52-51 (Week 6)

#21 Texas A&M (4-2): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4) & Mississippi State, 26-22 (Week 5)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (2 TEAMS)

Coastal Carolina continues to rip through opponents. They get App State, who will be coming off an elimination loss to Louisiana (Week 7 Tuesday night game). South Alabama also suffered their second loss of their season, leaving it between Louisiana and Coastal. The Chanticleer’s schedule is mighty favorable, so it’ll have to be the eye test that pushes them to a higher ranking. Louisiana continuing to win (and a matchup with independent Liberty on their schedule) will push the Ragin’ Cajuns to a ranking ahead of a possible Sun Belt Championship Game matchup.

Still soaring (1 team):

#15 Coastal Carolina (6-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Louisiana (5-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 7 (1 TEAM SO FAR***)

Appalachian State: eliminated with loss to Louisiana, 41-13 (Week 7)

WEEK 6 (11 TEAMS)

Duke: eliminated with loss to Georgia Tech, 31-27 (Week 6)

Louisville: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 34-33 (Week 6)

LSU: eliminated with loss to Kentucky, 42-21 (Week 6)

Rutgers: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 31-13 (Week 6)

South Alabama: eliminated with loss to Texas State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 6)

South Carolina: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 45-20 (Week 6)

Stanford: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 28-10 (Week 6)

Syracuse: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 40-37 (OT) (Week 6)

UNC: eliminated with loss to Florida State, 35-25 (Week 6)

USC: eliminated with loss to Utah, 42-26 (Week 6)

Western Michigan: eliminated with loss to Ball State, 45-20 (Week 6)

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 5

Week 5 is over and most conferences are heading into the thick of league play. The Big Ten has put themselves in great positions to make College Football Playoff runs (CFP) as the top begins to separate from the rest. The SEC remains a two-team race after Alabama and Georgia’s beatdowns of Ole Miss and Arkansas, respectfully. Cincinnati’s win over Notre Dame should not go unnoticed, as the Bearcats are in firm control going into a weaker-than-usual American Athletic Conference schedule. There also remains undefeated teams across the board that are still making their case for their New Years’ 6 (NY6) bowl bids: BYU, Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, SMU, UTSA, and Wyoming.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the conferences:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: A two-loss Power Five team can absolutely make the CFP at the end of the season: see LSU, whose two losses in 2007 didn’t stop them from winning a BCS National Championship. Clemson’s two-loss resume is not stellar by any means as their offense continues to struggle, but they aren’t eliminated just yet.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: Even though undefeated Group of Five teams have always been on the outside looking in (UCF in 2017 and 2018), I’d like to keep talking about the teams that are in the running for a NY6 bid before eliminating them completely. One loss is pretty much enough to eliminate them from the CFP, but we’ll talk about the teams at the top who can still finish the season ranked. This guideline could also be used for the FBS Independents, as BYU’s schedule is not a laughing matter through five weeks.

3. Strength of schedule issues: Outside of a few teams going undefeated, pretty much every program in the country needs additional assistance getting into the playoff. Cincinnati is still the Group of Five favorite after their Notre Dame win, but Coastal Carolina has been dominating their opponents so far this year as well.

Now that we’ve established the guidelines, let’s look at where we stand on a conference by conference basis:

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (3 TEAMS)

The American Athletic Conference took the wrong year to only have three teams with one loss or less through five weeks. Cincinnati and SMU remain unbeaten as Houston has been in an offensive groove since their Week 1 loss to Texas Tech. We say goodbye to Memphis and UCF, two teams who the Bearcats would have loved to have ranked at this point in the season.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#5 Cincinnati (4-0)

#24 SMU (5-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Houston (4-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

ACC (11 TEAMS)

The ACC has one remaining undefeated team left – Wake Forest. Clemson has struggled offensively, while Coastal Division Pitt has been an offensive rocket behind the arm of QB Kenny Pickett; but Pitt lost to Western Michigan, which pretty much sums up the ACC as a whole. Miami is finally eliminated and we can stop talking about them as being anywhere near relevant, along with Georgia Tech after their loss to Pitt.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

#19 Wake Forest (5-0)

Early tumblers (4 teams):

#23 NC State (4-1): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2)

Virginia Tech (3-1): lost to West Virginia, 27-21 (Week 3)

Pittsburgh (4-1): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3)

Boston College (4-1): lost to Clemson, 19-13 (Week 5)

Current bubble (6 teams):

#25 Clemson (3-2): lost to Georgia, 10-3 (Week 1) & NC State, 27-21 (OT) (Week 4)

Louisville (3-2): lost to Ole Miss, 43-24 (Week 1) & Wake Forest, 37-34 (Week 5)

Syracuse (3-2): lost to Rutgers, 17-7 (Week 2) & Florida State, 33-30 (Week 5)

UNC (3-2): lost to Virginia Tech, 17-10 (Week 1) & Georgia Tech, 45-22 (Week 4)

Duke (3-2): lost to Charlotte, 31-28 (Week 1) & UNC, 38-7 (Week 5)

Virginia (3-2): lost to UNC, 59-39 (Week 3) & Wake Forest, 37-17 (Week 4)

BIG XII CONFERENCE (8 TEAMS)

The parity of the Big XII has given it an interesting storyline. Both Oklahoma teams remain unbeaten, Texas is back (in the top 25 rankings, that is), and there are still numerous teams in position to make a run at the conference. West Virginia took their third loss of the year (all have come by six points or fewer); even though they’ve been eliminated, they can cause problems for the rest of the league this season.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#6 Oklahoma (5-0)

#12 Oklahoma State (5-0)

Early tumblers (3 teams):

#21 Texas (4-1): lost to Arkansas, 40-21 (Week 2)

Baylor (4-1): lost to Oklahoma State, 24-14 (Week 5)

Texas Tech (4-1): lost to Texas, 70-35 (Week 4)

Current bubble (3 teams):

TCU (2-2): lost to SMU, 42-34 (Week 4) & Texas 32-27 (Week 5)

Kansas State (3-2): lost to Oklahoma State, 31-20 (Week 4) & Oklahoma, 37-31 (Week 5)

Iowa State (3-2): lost to Iowa, 27-17 (Week 2) & Baylor, 31-29 (Week 4)

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (9 TEAMS)

The Big Ten East has four teams in the top 11. Whether one of them can run the table is yet to be seen, but Penn State has to play Iowa from the West this weekend and could give us a lot more information as to how the conference picture will play out. Indiana, Northwestern, and Wisconsin (!) are all out of contention.

Still in the hunt (4 teams):

#3 Iowa (5-0)

#4 Penn State (5-0)

#9 Michigan (5-0)

#11 Michigan State (5-0)

Early tumblers (2 teams):

#7 Ohio State (4-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 2)

Maryland (4-1): lost to Iowa, 51-14 (Week 5)

Current bubble (3 teams):

Purdue (3-2): lost to Notre Dame, 27-13 (Week 3) & Minnesota, 20-13 (Week 5)

Rutgers (3-2): lost to Michigan, 20-13 (Week 4) & Ohio State, 52-13 (Week 5)

Minnesota (3-2): lost to Ohio State, 45-31 (Week 1) & Bowling Green, 14-10 (Week 4)

CONFERENCE USA (2 TEAMS)

UTSA scraped by again after beating UNLV, 24-17. Their balanced rushing and passing attack behind QB Frank Harris and RB Sincere McCormick have slowly been putting away teams this year. UTEP is the only other team with one loss or less, as Charlotte and UAB head to the eliminator.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

UTSA (5-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

UTEP (4-1): lost to Boise State, 54-13 (Week 2)

INDEPENDENTS (FBS) (4 TEAMS)

BYU is handling business this year and gets a beatable Boise State squad this weekend. Baylor and Virginia are also two teams that can boost the Cougars’ resume if they can stay above .500 before then. Liberty and Army both have one loss, but the Flames still have Ole Miss and Army still plays Wisconsin and Wake Forest before the two teams meet each other near the end of the season. Notre Dame’s home loss to Cincinnati was a massive hit, as they don’t control any part of their destiny.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

#10 BYU (5-0)

Current bubble (3 teams):

#14 Notre Dame (4-1): lost to Cincinnati, 24-13 (Week 5)

Liberty (4-1): lost to Syracuse, 24-21 (Week 4)

Army (4-1): lost to Ball State, 28-16 (Week 5)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (1 TEAM)

Western Michigan is still holding onto that win against Pitt, which is holding up nicely as the Panthers keep winning in the ACC. Their MAC opponents are weak but winning a few more games in a season like this will push them into the AP Poll. Eastern Michigan took their second loss and has been eliminated.

Current bubble (1 teams):

Western Michigan (4-1): lost to Michigan, 47-14 (Week 1)

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (4 TEAMS)

San Diego State and Wyoming both had byes and remain at 4-0. A heartbreaking loss to Hawai’i for Fresno State ends any outside shot they had at a playoff bid; their seven-point loss to Oregon and three-point win over UCLA both lost some clout after the Ducks’ and Bruins’ conference losses this weekend. They are still receiving votes to be ranked and have a great shot at the Mountain West title. Air Force’s shootout loss to Utah State is the only blemish on a schedule that has been dominated by the Falcons. Utah State’s loss to BYU puts them in the eliminator.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#25 San Diego State (4-0)

Wyoming (4-0)

Current bubble (2 teams):

Nevada (3-1): lost to Kansas State, 38-17 (Week 3)

Air Force (4-1): lost to Utah State, 49-45 (Week 3)

PAC-12 CONFERENCE (7 TEAMS)

Oregon’s loss to Stanford was a big hit, but their Ohio State win continues to keep them ranked. This is a conference that has bleak hopes, and any conference carnage will remove the Pac-12 from a CFP spot yet again. Washington is done after their road loss to a surging Oregon State squad.

Early tumblers (3 teams):

#22 Arizona State (4-1): lost to BYU, 27-17 (Week 3)

Oregon State (4-1): lost to Purdue, 30-21 (Week 1)

#8 Oregon (4-1): lost to Stanford, 31-24 (OT) (Week 5)

Current bubble (4 teams):

Utah (2-2): lost to BYU, 26-17 (Week 2) and San Diego State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 3)

UCLA (3-2): lost to Fresno State, 40-37 (Week 3) & Arizona State, 42-23 (Week 5)

Stanford (3-2): lost to Kansas State, 24-7 (Week 1) & UCLA, 35-24 (Week 4)

USC (3-2): lost to Stanford, 42-28 (Week 2) & Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 4)

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (12 TEAMS)

It has become a clear, two-team race in the SEC. Ole Miss and Arkansas may be good and deserve to be ranked, but they showed they aren’t anywhere near the level of the top two teams in the country in Alabama and Georgia. Kentucky made a statement against Florida and Auburn continues to win as well. The conference will sort itself out in time, but only Missouri joins Vanderbilt amongst the SEC eliminated.

Still in the hunt (3 teams):

#1 Alabama (5-0)

#2 Georgia (5-0)

#16 Kentucky (5-0)

Early tumblers (3 teams):

#13 Arkansas (4-1): lost to Georgia, 37-0 (Week 5)

#17 Ole Miss (3-1): lost to Alabama, 42-21 (Week 5)

#18 Auburn (4-1): lost to Penn State, 28-20 (Week 3)

Current bubble (6 teams):

#20 Florida (3-2): lost to Alabama, 31-29 (Week 3) & Kentucky, 20-13 (Week 5)

Tennessee (3-2): lost to Pitt, 41-34 (Week 2) & Florida, 38-14 (Week 4)

Mississippi State (3-2): lost to Memphis, 31-29 (Week 3) & LSU, 28-25 (Week 4)

LSU (3-2): lost to UCLA, 38-27 (Week 1) & Auburn, 24-19 (Week 5)

South Carolina (3-2): lost to Georgia, 40-13 (Week 3) & Kentucky, 16-10 (Week 4)

Texas A&M (3-2): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4) & Mississippi State, 26-22 (Week 5)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (4 TEAMS)

Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall has been the most accurate QB in the country through five weeks, as the Chanticleers have been ripping through their opponents and eliminated Louisiana-Monroe with a 59-6 win. App State, who is receiving votes to be ranked, and Louisiana, whose only loss is to Texas, get to play this weekend. Either outcome is a positive for Coastal as an App State win could give them a ranked opponent in two weeks whereas a Louisiana win could give more importance to a Sun Belt Championship game at season’s end.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

#15 Coastal Carolina (5-0)

Current bubble (3 teams):

Appalachian State (4-1): lost to Miami, 25-23 (Week 2)

Louisiana (4-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

South Alabama (3-1): lost to Louisiana, 20-18 (Week 5)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 5 (16 TEAMS)

Charlotte: eliminated with loss to Illinois, 24-14 (Week 5)

Eastern Michigan: eliminated with loss to Northern Illinois (Week 5)

Fresno State: eliminated with loss to Hawai’i, 27-24 (Week 5)

Georgia Tech: eliminated with loss to Pitt, 52-21 (Week 5)

Indiana: eliminated with loss to Penn State, 24-0 (Week 5)

Louisiana-Monroe: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 59-6 (Week 5)

Memphis: eliminated with loss to Temple, 34-31 (Week 5)

Miami: eliminated with loss to Virginia, 30-28 (Week 5)

Missouri: eliminated with loss to Tennessee, 62-24 (Week 5)

Northwestern: eliminated with loss to Nebraska, 56-7 (Week 5)

UAB: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 36-12 (Week 5)

UCF: eliminated with loss to Navy, 34-30 (Week 5)

Utah State: eliminated with loss to BYU, 34-20 (Week 5)

Washington: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 27-24 (Week 5)

West Virginia: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 23-20 (Week 5)

Wisconsin: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 38-17 (Week 5)

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR – WEEK 4

As we move past Week 4, the SEC has been establishing themselves as the dominant conference in college football. Arkansas and Georgia meet this week as well as Ole Miss and Alabama; those two games will be massive indicators for the College Football Playoff (CFP). Cincinnati and Notre Dame will be a top-10 matchup that can have a huge impact on the Group of Five and Independent window to reach the postseason. The Big Ten East continues to impress as well, with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State all on late-season collision courses.

Let’s run through the CFP Eliminator criteria before breaking down the conferences:

1. Three-loss Power Five teams: A two-loss Power Five team can absolutely make the CFP at the end of the season: see LSU, whose two losses in 2007 didn’t stop them from winning a BCS National Championship. Clemson’s second loss to NC State proved that the Tigers still have a lot of work to do on offense, but they are not eliminated from contention by any means.

2. Two-loss Group of Five teams: Even though undefeated Group of Five teams have always been on the outside looking in (UCF in 2017 and 2018), I’d like to keep talking about the teams that are in the running for a New Years’ Six bid before eliminating them completely. One loss is pretty much enough to eliminate them from the CFP, but we’ll talk about the teams at the top who can still finish the season ranked. This guideline could also be used for the FBS Independents, although undefeated BYU and Notre Dame are still very much in contention.

3. Strength of schedule issues: Outside of a few teams going undefeated, pretty much every program in the country needs additional assistance getting into the playoff. Cincinnati is still the Group of Five favorite, but BYU is putting together an independent resume that can stack up with just about anybody this far into the season.

Now that we’ve established the guidelines, let’s look at where we stand on a conference by conference basis:

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (5 TEAMS)

Memphis lost a 31-28 bout with UTSA, which is significant for the American as a whole. SMU escaped another close one as they took down TCU, 42-34. Cincinnati had the benefit of a bye before they travel to South Bend to take on an undefeated Notre Dame squad. Any way you slice it, this is the Bearcat’s conference to lose.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#7 Cincinnati (3-0)

SMU (4-0)

Current bubble (3 teams):

UCF (2-1): lost to Louisville, 42-35 (Week 3)

Houston (3-1): lost to Texas Tech, 38-21 (Week 1)

Memphis (3-1): lost to UTSA, 31-28 (Week 4)

ACC (13 TEAMS)

The ACC is on the outside looking in as far as Power Five playoff contenders go. Clemson’s loss to NC State propelled the Wolfpack into the AP Poll and Wake Forest remains undefeated in an extremely confusing Atlantic Division. The good news for the ACC is that many of the early tumblers came out with a win in Week 4.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#24 Wake Forest (4-0)

Boston College (4-0)

Early tumblers (6 teams):

#23 NC State (3-1): lost to Mississippi State, 24-10 (Week 2)

Virginia Tech (3-1): lost to West Virginia, 27-21 (Week 3)

Louisville (3-1): lost to Ole Miss, 43-24 (Week 1)

Syracuse (3-1): lost to Rutgers, 17-7 (Week 2)

Pittsburgh (3-1): lost to Western Michigan, 44-41 (Week 3)

Duke (3-1): lost to Charlotte, 31-28 (Week 1)

Current bubble (5 teams):

#25 Clemson (2-2): lost to Georgia, 10-3 (Week 1) & NC State, 27-21 (OT) (Week 4)

Miami (2-2): lost to Alabama, 44-13 (Week 1) and Michigan State, 38-17 (Week 3)

Georgia Tech (2-2): lost to Northern Illinois, 22-21 (Week 1) and Clemson, 14-8 (Week 3)

UNC (2-2): lost to Virginia Tech, 17-10 (Week 1) & Georgia Tech, 45-22 (Week 4)

Virginia (2-2): lost to UNC, 59-39 (Week 3) & Wake Forest, 37-17 (Week 4)

BIG XII CONFERENCE (9 TEAMS)

Baylor has looked good in recent weeks, as they send Iowa State to the bubble after a two-point victory. The Bears get an undefeated Oklahoma State on Saturday, which will inevitably result in only two ranked teams heading into Week 6 (Oklahoma, being the other). Baylor also has BYU on the schedule, who has ripped through the Pac-12 South to start 4-0. West Virginia gave Oklahoma a scare this weekend as holes continue to open up for the SEC and Big Ten to send multiple teams to the CFP.

Still in the hunt (3 teams):

#6 Oklahoma (4-0)

#19 Oklahoma State (4-0)

#21 Baylor (4-0)

Early tumblers (4 teams):

Texas (3-1): lost to Arkansas, 40-21 (Week 2)

Kansas State (3-1): lost to Oklahoma State, 31-20 (Week 4)

Texas Tech (3-1): lost to Texas, 70-35 (Week 4)

TCU (2-1): lost to SMU, 42-34 (Week 4)

Current bubble (2 team):

West Virginia (2-2): lost to Maryland, 30-24 (Week 1) & Oklahoma, 16-13 (Week 4)

Iowa State (2-2): lost to Iowa, 27-17 (Week 2) & Baylor, 31-29 (Week 4)

BIG TEN CONFERENCE (12 TEAMS)

The Big Ten East (24-4 overall) is in for a massive late-season collision between the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State. Rutgers has also been surprisingly competitive, as they gave Michigan all they could handle in a 20-13 loss. Iowa is still the class of the West, as Wisconsin ran out of gas against Notre Dame.

Still in the hunt (5 teams):

#4 Penn State (4-0)

#5 Iowa (4-0)

#14 Michigan (4-0)

#17 Michigan State (4-0)

Maryland (4-0)

Early tumblers (3 teams):

#11 Ohio State (3-1): lost to Oregon, 35-28 (Week 2)

Purdue (3-1): lost to Notre Dame, 27-13 (Week 3)

Rutgers (3-1): lost to Michigan, 20-13 (Week 4)

Current bubble (4 teams):

Wisconsin (1-2): lost to Penn State, 16-10 (Week 1) & Notre Dame, 41-13 (Week 4)

Indiana (2-2): lost to Iowa, 34-6 (Week 1) and Cincinnati, 38-24 (Week 3)

Northwestern (2-2): lost to Michigan State, 38-21 (Week 1) and Duke, 30-23 (Week 3)

Minnesota (2-2): lost to Ohio State, 45-31 (Week 1) & Bowling Green, 14-10 (Week 4)

CONFERENCE USA (4 TEAMS)

UTSA beating Memphis was huge for the Roadrunners as they head into a matchup with a winless UNLV squad. They’re receiving votes to be ranked, but their fellow C-USA opponents have been all but eliminated.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

UTSA (4-0)

Current bubble (3 teams):

UAB (3-1): lost to Georgia, 56-7 (Week 2)

Charlotte (3-1): lost to Georgia State, 20-9 (Week 3)

UTEP (3-1): lost to Boise State, 54-13 (Week 2)

INDEPENDENTS (FBS) (4 TEAMS)

Army has started a silent 4-0 this year; Wisconsin, Wake Forest, and Liberty can all be potential opportunities for the Black Knights’ stock to rise. BYU’s schedule has pushed them to a No. 13 ranking with Utah State, Boise, and an undefeated Baylor coming up this October. Liberty lost a close one to Syracuse on Friday night, but they still have Ole Miss and Army on the schedule. Among all the Independents, Notre Dame has the most likely path to the playoff as they welcome No. 7 Cincinnati to South Bend this weekend.

Still in the hunt (3 teams):

#9 Notre Dame (4-0)

#13 BYU (4-0)

Army (4-0)

Current bubble (1 team):

Liberty (3-1): lost to Syracuse, 24-21 (Week 4)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (2 TEAMS)

Eastern and Western Michigan remain the only two MAC teams with only one loss. Western Michigan’s upset of Pitt and win against San Jose State make them the conference’s best as MACtion begins.

Current bubble (2 teams):

Western Michigan (3-1): lost to Michigan, 47-14 (Week 1)

Eastern Michigan (3-1): lost to Wisconsin, 34-7 (Week 2)

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (6 TEAMS)

Fresno State continues to rise in the AP Poll thanks to their win over UCLA. QB Jake Haener (30/42, 378 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT against UNLV) is a legit Heisman contender for a Mountain West Conference that still has San Diego State and Wyoming sitting at 4-0.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

San Diego State (4-0)

Wyoming (4-0)

Current bubble (4 teams):

#18 Fresno State (4-1): lost to Oregon, 31-24 (Week 1)

Nevada (2-1): lost to Kansas State, 38-17 (Week 3)

Utah State (3-1): lost to Boise State, 27-3 (Week 4)

Air Force (3-1): lost to Utah State, 49-45 (Week 3)

PAC-12 CONFERENCE (8 TEAMS)

Oregon continues to be the class of the league, sitting at 4-0 and the only undefeated Pac-12 team. Oregon State’s stock is rising following a win over USC. UCLA bounced back after a loss to Fresno State by beating Stanford; the Bruins will have a hard time jumping the Bulldogs, however, based on head-to-head and the weakness of the conference overall.

Still in the hunt (1 team):

#3 Oregon (4-0)

Early tumblers (3 teams):

Arizona State (3-1): lost to BYU, 27-17 (Week 3)

#20 UCLA (3-1): lost to Fresno State, 40-37 (Week 3)

Oregon State (3-1): lost to Purdue, 30-21 (Week 1)

Current bubble (4 teams):

Stanford (2-2): lost to Kansas State, 24-7 (Week 1) & UCLA, 35-24 (Week 4)

Utah (2-2): lost to BYU, 26-17 (Week 2) and San Diego State, 33-31 (OT) (Week 3)

USC (2-2): lost to Stanford, 42-28 (Week 2) & Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 4)

Washington (2-2): lost to Montana, 13-7 (Week 1) & Michigan, 31-10 (Week 2)

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (13 TEAMS)

Much like the Big Ten East, the SEC West has been outstanding so far this season. Ole Miss and QB Matt Corral have been lightning, and the true test comes in Tuscaloosa as they take on Alabama this Saturday afternoon. Arkansas has been on the constant rise and was able to bounce Texas A&M out of the top ten – they get Georgia and College GameDay this weekend.

Still in the hunt (5 teams):

#1 Alabama (4-0)

#2 Georgia (4-0)

#8 Arkansas (4-0)

#12 Ole Miss (4-0)

Kentucky (4-0)

Early tumblers (4 teams):

#10 Florida (3-1): lost to Alabama, 31-29 (Week 3)

#22 Auburn (3-1): lost to Penn State, 28-20 (Week 3)

LSU (3-1): lost to UCLA, 38-27 (Week 1)

#15 Texas A&M (3-1): lost to Arkansas, 20-10 (Week 4)

Current bubble (4 teams):

Tennessee (2-2): lost to Pitt, 41-34 (Week 2) & Florida, 38-14 (Week 4)

Mississippi State (2-2): lost to Memphis, 31-29 (Week 3) & LSU, 28-25 (Week 4)

Missouri (2-2): lost to Kentucky, 35-28 (Week 2) & Boston College, 41-34 (OT) (Week 4)

South Carolina (2-2): lost to Georgia, 40-13 (Week 3) & Kentucky, 16-10 (Week 4)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE (5 TEAMS)

Coastal dismantled UMass to stay unbeaten while App State’s one-point victory over Conference USA’s Marshall keeps the Sun Belt’s Group A afloat. South Alabama is undefeated from Group B; they close the season with Tennessee and Coastal in November.

Still in the hunt (2 teams):

#16 Coastal Carolina (4-0)

South Alabama (3-0)

Current bubble (3 teams):

Appalachian State (3-1): lost to Miami, 25-23 (Week 2)

Louisiana (3-1): lost to Texas, 38-18 (Week 1)

Louisiana-Monroe (2-1): lost to Kentucky, 45-10 (Week 1)

THE ELIMINATED

WEEK 4 (12 TEAMS)

California: eliminated with loss to Washington, 31-24 (OT) (Week 4)

Colorado: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 35-13 (Week 4)

Florida Atlantic: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 31-7 (Week 4)

Kansas: eliminated with loss to Duke, 52-33 (Week 4)

Marshall: Eliminated with loss to Appalachian State, 31-30 (Week 4)

Nebraska: eliminated with loss to Michigan State, 23-20 (Week 4)

New Mexico: eliminated with loss to UTEP, 20-13 (Week 4)

San Jose State: eliminated with loss to Western Michigan (Week 4)

Troy: eliminated with loss to Louisiana-Monroe, 29-16 (Week 4)

Vanderbilt: eliminated with loss to Georgia, 62-0 (Week 4)

Washington State: eliminated with loss to Utah, 24-13 (Week 4)

Western Kentucky: eliminated with loss to Indiana, 33-31 (Week 4)

WEEK 3 (21 TEAMS)

Arizona: eliminated with loss to Northern Arizona, 21-19 (Week 3)

Arkansas State: eliminated with loss to Washington, 52-3 (Week 3)

Ball State: eliminated with loss to Wyoming, 45-12 (Week 3)

Boise State: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 21-20 (Week 3)

Buffalo: eliminated with loss to Coastal Carolina, 28-25 (Week 3)

Central Michigan: eliminated with loss to LSU, 49-21 (Week 3)

FIU: eliminated with loss to Texas Tech, 54-21 (Week 3)

Florida State: eliminated with loss to Wake Forest, 35-14 (Week 3)

Georgia Southern: eliminated with loss to Arkansas, 45-10 (Week 3)

Illinois: eliminated with loss to Maryland, 20-17 (Week 3)

Kent State: eliminated with loss to Iowa, 30-7 (Week 3)

Louisiana Tech: eliminated with loss to SMU, 39-37 (Week 3)

Middle Tennessee: eliminated with loss to UTSA, 27-13 (Week 3)

Northern Illinois: eliminated with loss to Michigan, 63-10 (Week 3)

North Texas: eliminated with loss to UAB, 40-6 (Week 3)

Old Dominion: eliminated with loss to Liberty, 45-17 (Week 3)

Southern Miss: eliminated with loss to Troy, 21-9 (Week 3)

Temple: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 28-3 (Week 3)

Texas State: eliminated with loss to Incarnate Word, 42-34 (Week 3)

Toledo: eliminated with loss to Colorado State, 22-6 (Week 3)

Tulane: eliminated with loss to Ole Miss, 61-21 (Week 3)

WEEK 2 (15 TEAMS)

Akron: eliminated with loss to Temple, 45-24 (Week 2)

Bowling Green: eliminated with loss to South Alabama, 22-19 (Week 2)

Colorado State: eliminated with loss to Vanderbilt, 24-21 (Week 2)

East Carolina: eliminated with loss to South Carolina, 20-17 (Week 2)

Georgia State: eliminated with loss to UNC, 59-17 (Week 2)

Hawai’i: eliminated with loss to Oregon State, 45-27 (Week 2)

Miami (OH): eliminated with loss to Minnesota, 31-26 (Week 2)

Navy: eliminated with loss to Air Force, 23-3 (Week 2)

Ohio: eliminated with loss to Duquesne, 28-26 (Week 2)

Rice: eliminated with loss to Houston, 44-7 (Week 2)

Tulsa: eliminated with loss to Oklahoma State, 28-23 (Week 2)

UConn: eliminated with loss to Holy Cross, 38-28 (Week 2)

UMass: eliminated with loss to Boston College, 45-28 (Week 2)

UNLV: eliminated with loss to Arizona State, 37-10 (Week 2)

USF: eliminated with loss to Florida, 42-20 (Week 2)

WEEK 1 (1 TEAM)

New Mexico State: eliminated with loss to San Diego State, 28-10 (Week 1)