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By entering the last weekend of the regular season, with its tantalizing range of traditional rivalry games, does it seem like there were an unusual number of contenders at the four-round playoffs?
This is probably because there are more undefeated contenders or losers at this point of the season than in the last four years of playoffs.
After Saturday's games, eight teams of the so-called Power Five conferences (including the independent Notre Dame) suffered no defeat or a single defeat. (Among the second-tier conferences, known as the Group of Five, central Florida remains undefeated, with 23 wins in a row, and Utah State is 10-1, but the selection committee ignored such teams. in the past.) 2014 and 2015 – when North Carolina, at 10-1, was not considered a serious contender. There were six last year and only four in 2016. The selection committee had the easy task!
That could easily have been nine teams, but West Virginia lost unexpectedly to Oklahoma State (6-5) on Saturday, dropping to 9-2 and 12th in the Associated Press poll. .
Here are the eight finalists: No. 1 Alabama (11-0), No. 2 Clemson (11-0), No. 3 Notre Dame (11-0), No. 4 Michigan (10-1), No. 5 Georgia (10-1), Oklahoma No. 6 (10-1), Washington State No. 7 (10-1) and Ohio State No. 10 (10-1).
The last week of the 2018 season therefore announces it as the most decisive of recent years – and decisions regarding these four places in the category could be the most controversial so far.
Of these eight contenders, four compete against traditional opponents in relatively easy games. two play against strong and well-ranked competition; and the last two face off in perhaps the biggest rivalry game of all: Michigan-Ohio State, the last Saturday of the regular season, at noon (as always).
The Buckeyes have helped neither themselves nor the Wolverines needing extra time on Saturday to defeat Maryland (5-6). Last week, the selection committee and APP voters ranked the state of Louisiana to two losses over Ohio, and it seems likely that this week the committee will will join the AP to place the center of Florida on top of them.
And yet, salvation can wait. If Ohio State wins on Saturday against Michigan and his first-place defense, this will immediately become the most impressive victory on his resume.
The Ohio State-Michigan winner will play No. 20 Northwestern (7-4) next weekend in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship game. If the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes and end up with one loss (at Notre Dame in September), could the committee leave them out of the playoffs?
It would be unlikely in a normal year, but it's not a normal year.
Alabama will try to avenge its loss against Iron Bowl last year against Auburn (7-4) in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The halftime score of 10-10 was high this weekend when Alabama hosted the Citadel of the lower level football subdivision, but left the record showing that the final score was 50-17. .
Clemson hosts South Carolina (6-4) in the north of the state a week after demolishing Duke, 35-6.
Our Lady, fresh out of The big victory over Syracuse goes to Los Angeles to face Southern California (5-6), which gave U.C.L.A. and Chip Kelly, their third win of the year.
And Georgia will host Georgia Tech (7-4).
Take a break here for a moment. These four teams – all heavily favored to win – will be extremely well placed for the playoffs if they win. As some have already noted, the inclusion of these teams in the playoffs would block three Power Five conferences – which could be a problem for the four-team playoffs just five years after the start of his 12-year contract.
After next Saturday, Notre Dame has no more scheduled matches. Clemson faces No. 24 Pittsburgh (7-4) for the title of Atlantic Coast Conference champion in Charlotte, N.C., and Alabama and Georgia will play the title of the Southeast Conference in Atlanta. Would the committee be defeated by any of the teams, especially with the only defeat of Georgia so far on the road at No. 7 L.S.U. (9-2)?
Now consider the other four candidates, who are subjected to much more difficult tests.
It starts Friday night as Oklahoma faces the fearsome West Virginia.
Also that night, Washington State, which will host Washington No. 16 (8-3) at the 112th Apple Cup. The winner will play Utah No. 18 (8-3) in the Pacific-12 title game a week later.
And then Saturday brings Michigan-Ohio State.
So, let the committee leave it? An Alabama team that lost only once and did not win the conference? Or Oklahoma, 12-1 with a Big 12 championship? Or a 12-1 team from the state of Washington with a Pac-12 title?
There is no good solution and the most likely outcome is bad for someone.
One of the highlights of the weekend of rivalry is that the passion that games generate invariably causes some setbacks. Tip for the committee: Go to bed for a lot.
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