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Michigan climbed to fourth place in college football standings Tuesday night, behind Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame.
Georgia was next at five, followed by Oklahoma.
The photo of the playoffs is thinned after a weekend where several contenders have asserted themselves. The top four teams in the final standings on December 2 will play in the semi-finals.
The Crimson Tide easily sent LSU among the top four, beating the 29-0 Tigers. LSU, however, fell to seventh after his second loss to Washington, West Virginia and Ohio – all with one loss.
Selection Committee Chair Rob Mullens highlighted LSU's three wins against the teams this committee ranked this week (Mississippi State, Auburn and Georgia).
"Their defense is extremely strong," said Mullens, sports director of Oregon. "Their two losses are against No. 1 Alabama, on the road to Florida."
Undefeated, Notre Dame earned a 3rd place finish and Michigan won a spot after a 42-7 win over Penn State.
At four weeks of the season, nine of the top ten teams are serious contenders. LSU is basically out because the Tigers have no chance of winning a conference title.
Assuming that the first three unbeaten teams win, here are the ways to go for the playoffs.
No. 1 Alabama (9-0)
The tide is already well underway in the SEC championship game and has accumulated enough equity so that even a defeat against Mississippi State or Auburn in the regular season does not keep Tua Tagovailoa and Co. in the playoffs. Now, if they lost twice … yeah, that probably will not happen. The only plot involving Alabama is whether Tide could lose the league match of the SEC, finish 12-1 and continue to enter. Chances are probably decent.
N ° 2 Clemson (9-0)
As in Alabama, the Tigers have room for a faux-pas of the regular season, but their position is not as strong as that of the Tide. After a loss to Boston College, his rival of the Atlantic, Saturday, Clemson could be out of the title game of the conference. Ohio State and Alabama have both qualified for the playoffs at 11-1, without even having a championship title in the past two seasons. The Tigers could too, but it's not at all a slam dunk.
No 3 Notre Dame (9-0)
The Irish end up with three win games, but no locks. The fans of Notre Dame believe that their team has an advantage against Michigan, with this opening win at South Bend. This could protect the Irish against a defeat in their last three games, but in the absence of title at the conference and some renowned troubled teams such as Virginia Tech and Stanford, Notre Dame is not a lock if she launches into a competition with another losing teams. Even a beat.
No. 4 Michigan (8-1)
The Wolverines must be comfortable to control their way to the playoffs. Winning, including at Ohio State, places Jim Harbaugh's team at 12-1 with a Big Ten title. It's a summary of wins against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State and a seven-point road loss to Notre Dame. A loss and Michigan is out, right? Not so fast. Take a look at the rankings and note how many well-ranked teams still have to contend. It will not take more than one or two minor inconveniences for the selection committee to consider a group of two-game teams to finish last in the playoffs. Figure those with the conference championships will have the edge.
No. 5 Georgia (8-1)
Simple: Win, enter. Oh, and beat Alabama. The good news for the Bulldogs is to beat Alabama to win the SEC championship, which would certainly make up for a second loss in the regular season. Georgia has a little leeway against Auburn and Georgia Tech.
Oklahoma No. 6 (8-1)
UCLA has done no favors to the Sooners by being terrible and depriving Oklahoma of a quality win without a conference. Nevertheless, the Sooners are probably the best choice of Big 12 to win a fight against a Big Ten champion to a defeat or Notre Dame with a defeat. May be.
No. 8 Washington State (8-1)
The Cougars could be 12-1 to the weakest Power Five conference champions and not win any notable non-conference wins. The most realistic scenario for placing Mike Leach's team in Washington State in the playoffs involves the Big Ten and Big 12 implants.
No. 9 West Virginia (7-1)
The weather had no favor for mountaineers in forcing the cancellation of the West Virginia match at North Carolina State in September. The Mountaineers have a win against Tennessee on neutral ground. Not terrible. Reaching 11-1 and a Big 12 title could mean two wins over Oklahoma on consecutive weekends.
No. 10 Ohio State (8-1)
The Buckeyes learned last season that being pummeled by a team that finished the regular season 7 to 5 is a pact for the committee when it comes to making a tough choice. The state of Ohio could win – and beat the Michigan and Michigan states along the way – and enter. But it's far from certain, knowing that the Buckeyes are the team of less than a defeat.
N ° 12 UCF (8-0)
The Knights stayed at No. 12 after beating Temple 52-40 last week.
"Strong attack, fighting for defense," said Mullens.
Sports director Danny White and Knights fans certainly do not want to hear that, but another perfect season will probably not even allow UCF to be seriously considered for a semifinal spot – unless things do not really get weird.
So it's odd: Northwestern wins the Big Ten, Arizona State wins the Pac-12, Iowa State wins the Big 12, Pitt wins the ACC, Notre Dame loses two of his last three games and Georgia against Auburn and Alabama. It's extreme, but if three of these six things happen, UCF will probably have a look.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo on https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen on https://www.podcastone.com/AP-Top-25-College-Football-Podcast
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