Playoff Objectives for the Top 10 Super Teams
Entering Week 12 of the college football season with just 3 weeks before conference champions are crowned, many of the Top 25 look to set goals for making the 12-team College Football Playoff. So what does each team need to do to hope the selection committee calls their name come December 20th?
1. Oregon: Reach the Big Ten title game
This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the top-ranked Ducks. With games against 5-4 Wisconsin and 5-5 Washington remaining for their first Big Ten regular season, the only way Oregon could possibly mess things up would be from back-to-back upsets in both those games. And that just doesn’t randomly happen to a 10-0 team. If the Ducks go full-on 12-0 entering the Playoff, which would be just their 2nd season in program history to finish unbeaten, they might as well go all the way.
2. Ohio State: Win out the remaining schedule
A team that is no stranger to the Playoff, actually beating the aforementioned Ducks for the 2014 title in the tournament’s first rendition, the Buckeyes only need to win against 4-5 Northwestern, 5-5 defending champs Michigan in The Game, and 8th ranked 10-0 Indiana, who could get in their way. Ohio State can take one more loss on their Playoff path, but lose 2 more, especially to retribution-seeking Michigan, and things get complicated. Again, shouldn’t be too hard for the 2nd ranked Buckeyes, who are also most likely to meet Oregon in this year’s Big Ten title game.
But if you’ve watched college football consistently in the last few years, you know there can always be major upsets brewing out of nowhere. It’s just one reason why this game is so great.
3. Texas: Win Out, But Do So Efficiently
The Longhorns may be the biggest question mark to make the Playoff field, because even though they have the same task as Ohio State to get there, the Buckeyes can take 1 loss before the Big Ten title game. Texas doesn’t have that same luxury, however. On top of that, they don’t have as many big wins as Ohio State has picked up in the last couple weeks, so they are skating on some seriously thin ice. Remember the phrase “Texas is back”? If it’s Horns down the next week or so, that legendary meme may make a shocking return.
4. Penn State: Win Out But with No Extra Risk
The Nittany Lions may have that one single loss to Ohio State, but they’ve since shed that close defeat by continuing their overall dominance of the 2024 season. With 3 turkey shoot contests against 6-4 Minnesota (ok, maybe that’s not as easy) and bottom-feeding 1-8 Purdue plus 4-5 Maryland, who Oregon thoroughly spanked last week, Penn State doesn’t have too much to worry about when it comes to making the Playoff. They could even lose the Big Ten title game and still get in on record alone.
5. Indiana: Make Your Case to the Committee
The undisputed Cinderella story of the 2024 season. 10-0 Indiana. Ranked 8th in the Top 25 after steadily working their way up. Do they have an impressive schedule? No. But can they possibly be ignored? Absolutely not. Never in any amount of years would the committee pass on a team that’s as good as Penn State on paper. There’s a reason this team deserves to have its long-awaited Playoff spot- no team has ever turned this much around after years of mediocrity. The Hoosiers’ SOS isn’t the best, but that’s almost nothing compared to what most Playoff teams have admission considered for.
6. BYU: Reach the Big 12 title game Without Faltering Through Remaining Schedule
Of the top 10 playoff hopefuls, BYU has the toughest remaining schedule ahead of them in the perennial Big 12 gauntlet. 3-6 Kansas and 4-5 Houston doesn’t offer much of a challenge for these Latter Day Saints, but surprise 7-2 Arizona State could throw a small wrench in those plans. But even with one loss and a solid effort in the Big 12 title game, one could expect BYU to make the 1st round anyway. Like Ohio State, they’re a low-risk Playoff misser, but stranger things could happen.
7. Tennessee: Beat Georgia and You’re In. But…
Tennessee faces a seemingly struggling but still on-paper record Georgia juggernaut in one of the SEC’s premier rivalries, and their remaining schedule only gets a little easier from there. The Vols will easily sweep aside mid major UTEP, but then there’s tricky Vanderbilt, looking to nearly knock off another big conference contender this season. And worst-case scenario- if Tennessee goes 11-2 but doesn’t win a trip to Atlanta 3 weeks from now, they’re in serious trouble.
The remainder of the top 10 teams in 8-1 Notre Dame, 9-1 Miami, and 7-2 Alabama have goals of their own to make the 12-team Playoff. The Irish cannot lose another game- their early season upset against Northern Illinois at home severely damaged their chances for the rest of the season. Miami has to reach the ACC title game and most likely win or it may be the sneaky Syracuse Orange at 6-3 that takes their spot. And as for Alabama (oh, boo hoo, you’re ranked all the way in 10th, how sad!), they also cannot lose one more game. Even a 10-2 finish with an SEC title game loss will get them, just another exception for the Crimson Slide.
See also: Once Playoff Hopeful Utah’s Bad Week Continues With Bigger News After 5-Game Skid
