Five Big Questions For The College Football Playoff Committee After Chaotic Week 11

It’s ever nan quiet weekends connected insubstantial wherever nan astir chaos tends to occur. 

That communicative arsenic aged arsenic clip successful assemblage shot judge seemed to play retired crossed Week 11 wherever 3 teams that were successful nan College Football Playoff aft nan first action committee rankings mislaid and a fewer others (No. 2 Indiana and No. 9 Oregon) had adjacent calls. As a result, nan committee will person nary shortage of things to talk erstwhile they reconvene a 2nd clip to hash retired a caller Top 25 that should characteristic plentifulness of changes. 

Here are 5 cardinal questions for nan committee aft Week 11:

It was a nary good, very bad, downright atrocious week for nan ACC.

It was already down nan 8 shot Tuesday erstwhile its highest-ranked squad checked successful astatine No. 14. All nan convention did Saturday was reconfirm those perceptions that this was nary much than a one-bid convention for nan convention champion. No. 14 Virginia backmost Chandler Morris was knocked out, and nan Cavaliers mislaid to unranked Wake Forest. No. 15 Louisville mislaid successful overtime to California, and No. 18 Miami messed astir for a fewer quarters earlier taking attraction of business astatine location against Syracuse. Worse, Duke mislaid to UConn successful nonconference play, and nan marquee ACC Network crippled of Clemson–Florida State was conscionable arsenic sloppy arsenic you expected. 

It’s simply not a bully convention and someway nan likes of Pitt (7–2), SMU (7–3) and moreover nan Blue Devils (5–4) are still successful contention to make it to Charlotte for nan convention title game. It’s not inconceivable that 3 aliases much teams could beryllium tied astatine 7–1 aliases moreover a half-dozen astatine 6–2. Good luck to nan committee trying to fig retired what to do.

As for nan Big 12, it sewage what it wanted successful plentifulness of attraction connected Texas Tech’s triumph complete BYU but nan quality of that one-sided matter could costs nan convention successful nan agelong term. The deficiency of nonconference wins intends nan convention already had slim hopes of getting 2 teams into nan field. It astir apt needs BYU to triumph retired and triumph a adjacent rematch pinch nan Red Raiders to make 2 bids possible. How acold nan committee will driblet nan Cougars is thing to support a adjacent oculus on. If it’s down Texas and Oklahoma, commissioner Brett Yormark mightiness person to dream for Notre Dame to beryllium upset to free up a spot for a brace of Big 12 teams.

2. Will Texas A&M overtake Indiana for nan No. 2 seed?

It would astonishment cipher if nan apical six remained successful nan aforesaid bid from nan first group of rankings, but location could beryllium chat complete moving nan Aggies up of nan Hoosiers. Indiana needed a borderline occurrence touchdown arsenic portion of an unthinkable last-minute thrust to triumph astatine Penn State (for nan first clip ever). It was nan 2nd clip this play nan Hoosiers person gone connected nan roadworthy and played a adjacent one. Depending if Illinois moves into nan rankings Tuesday, it’s imaginable Curt Cignetti’s squad winds up pinch only a azygous Top 25 triumph and a caller group of highlights showing a struggle against a programme pinch an interim coaching unit and a backup quarterback.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M handled Missouri and its backup signal-caller handily for a 3rd consecutive roadworthy triumph successful SEC play. The triumph complete Notre Dame continues to property good and Mike Elko’s defense remains salty arsenic tin beryllium connected 3rd down, but nan squad besides whitethorn person conscionable a azygous Top 25 triumph assuming nan Tigers and LSU autumn retired of nan committee’s rankings. 

This whitethorn travel down to a simple, Who do you for illustration more? mobility for nan 12 action committee members voting and, fixed nan past belief of these 2 teams, it wouldn’t beryllium foolish to deliberation nan SEC’s lone undefeated squad slides up a spot.

There’s already a beautiful good established apical 3 successful nan Big Ten that has to for illustration their CFP chances but netting a 4th bid is simply a spot trickier aft Saturday. Iowa seems retired of nan moving aft dropping to 6–3 and apt will beryllium retired of nan rankings. No. 23 Washington promptly went retired connected nan roadworthy and couldn’t move nan shot against a Wisconsin squad that had to very publically spell retired connected a limb to support its embattled caput coach. 

That leaves conscionable Michigan and USC among nan teams successful nan Big Ten pinch 2 losses, some of whom are 5–1 successful convention play going into Week 12. The Wolverines would person a phenomenal lawsuit if they triumph out, meaning they hit Ohio State (again), which whitethorn moreover nonstop them to Indianapolis for a changeable astatine nan title. However, they astir apt suffer immoderate chance of making nan CFP if they decorativeness 9–3 fixed that they mislaid to an SEC squad (Oklahoma) that could beryllium a communal force against respective different at-large candidates. 

Enter USC, which sewage pushed astir a spot by Northwestern connected Friday but is someway 7–2 pinch plentifulness to play for down nan stretch. The Trojans are location against Iowa successful a large test, past spell connected nan roadworthy to Oregon successful 2 weeks. The convention agency astir apt wouldn’t mind if nan Trojans triumph that 1 to solidify 4 bids. This week’s rankings will play a domiciled successful that scenario. It will beryllium very absorbing to spot really precocious Lincoln Riley’s squad mightiness climb successful Tuesday’s rankings. If they’re wrong nan apical 15, they whitethorn person a changeable to beryllium group incorrect astir Los Angeles and beyond.

4. Which teams from nan American will beryllium successful nan Top 25?

There were nary Group of 5 teams classed successful nan committee’s first Top 25, but that shouldn’t beryllium nan lawsuit this coming week. South Florida looked awesome yet again successful moving to 7–2, while Tulane hit Memphis, nan erstwhile G5 bid selection. The Green Wave besides person wins complete Duke and Northwestern. Then there’s nan lawsuit of North Texas sitting astatine 8–1 pinch nan lone nonaccomplishment coming to nan Bulls. 

It becomes a very large woody for nan committee to fig retired if 1 aliases 2 American teams tin make nan Top 25 because neither South Florida nor Tulane play each different and nan Bulls already hit North Texas. That puts a number of tiebreakers into nan ether if location are 3 aliases much teams that decorativeness nan play pinch conscionable 1 loss.

Speaking of Group of 5 teams making nan rankings, it will beryllium very intriguing to spot if nan Dukes upwind up astatine nan bottommost of nan Top 25 connected nan extracurricular chance their 8–1 grounds impresses nan committee. It’s not retired of nan realm of possibilities that there’s a three- aliases four-loss ACC champion classed betwixt Nos. 20 and 25 and that James Madison winning retired (with a close, lone nonaccomplishment connected nan roadworthy to Louisville) would really beryllium capable to vault them into position arsenic nan fifth-highest convention champion. That would miraculously gain them an auto-bid to nan playoff retired of nan Sun Belt and is rather nan nosy script to deliberation astir moreover if Tuesday doesn’t person Bob Chesney’s squad successful nan rankings. 

If they do, however, beryllium prepared for full-blown panic astir nan ACC.

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