We're still pretty far from the third edition of the College Football Playoff, but now that everyone has a better idea of what teams are legit, playoff predictions are starting to become a bit more educated. It's pretty safe to assume that any undefeated team from a Power Five conference will earn a playoff berth, and all five of those conferences feature at least one unbeaten squad. The ACC has Clemson and the Pac 12 has Washington. The Big 12 has two undefeated teams in Baylor and West Virginia, with neither team cracking the top 10 (Baylor No. 11 and West Virginia No. 20).
Things get really interesting regarding the four-team playoff when we take a look at the BIG 10 and the SEC. The SEC has two teams left that have yet to suffer a loss: No. 1 Alabama (surprise, surprise) and No. 6 Texas A&M. And although the Aggies took down Tennessee last week, the Vols still sit within the top ten at the No. 9 spot. Things seem even more interesting as Tennessee seeks to dish 'Bama their first loss this Saturday in Knoxville. Personally, I don't think the Crimson Tide will fall short of a win in this one. Saban and the boys are 13 point favorites heading into Saturday. So assuming that Alabama remains at the top spot in the rankings after their trip to Knoxville, they'll enter next week in preparation for the only other undefeated SEC team, Texas A&M. Luckily for the Aggies, they have a bye this week and will be plenty rested compared to the Tide, who might be a little banged up after a top 10 conference matchup. We'll look deeper into that game when the time comes, but I've learned over the years to never doubt Alabama. Year in and year out, 'Bama is the most reliable team regarding success, so I tend to just stick with them until they prove me wrong.
The discussion of having two teams from the same conference in the playoff is a difficult one, and a lot of things need to fall into place such as other conferences crumbling among themselves. But let's talk about some hypothetical scenarios here. If 'Bama does top Tennessee and Texas A&M in back to back weeks, the only remaining challenge would be the Iron Bowl against No. 23 Auburn. I don't think Auburn would take down 'Bama this year, but then again we've seen some crazy stuff in the Iron Bowl. After playing Alabama, the Aggies' biggest remaining challenge will come when they host No. 12 Ole Miss on Nov. 12. That'd be a great win late in the season for A&M, and I think that if they finished the regular season with only one loss to the unbeaten, No. 1 team in the country, it would warrant a playoff berth. But again, that would also be reliant on the Pac 12 and Big 12 not having any undefeated squads by the end of the regular season.
The current state of the BIG 10 is very similar to the SEC, except it's a bit deeper for now. The BIG 10 has three unbeaten teams as of right now, and four teams in the top ten. The conference boasts No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin, and No. 10 Nebraska. The Badgers are the only one of those four that has a digit greater than zero in the loss column, which came in a 14-7 loss to Michigan at the Big House. The Badgers will be heavily tested again this Saturday as they host the No. 2 Buckeyes. Wisconsin is an eleven point underdog against Ohio State, which is the same spread that Sconnie covered against Michigan. The Badgers were also 13.5 point underdogs when they took down LSU at Lambeau. So don't let that double digit spread fool you, Wisconsin is capable of beating Ohio State. It's just a matter of if they, and their fans, bring their A-game.
The only regular season matchup between these four teams that we won't get to see is Nebraska vs. Michigan, but that could happen for the BIG 10 Championship Game. I think the only way that we could see two BIG 10 teams in the College Football Playoff this year is if Wisconsin beats Ohio State this weekend while failing to lose for the remainder of the season, and if Michigan wins out. However, the likeliness of Michigan finishing the season undefeated is obviously dependent on the outcome of their rivalry game with Ohio State at the end of the regular season. And Wisconsin's likeliness of winning out is challenged by the Buckeyes this week, along with their game against Nebraska on Oct. 29. There even could be a scenario where we see Wisconsin face off against Michigan in the BIG 10 Championship. If they took down Michigan in that game, could we see the both of them in the playoff? If they lose to Michigan again, how would two losses to a playoff team compare to just one (like the hypothetical A&M/'Bama situation)? All of these hypotheticals are making my head spin, but that's why the College Football Playoff is great.
If there were to be two BIG 10 playoff teams, I think it'd have to be Michigan and Wisconsin. Even if Ohio State's only loss was to Michigan, that's too late of a loss in the season. I feel like that would be too fresh of a loss for the playoff committee to grant them a spot. And if Ohio State beats Michigan, Wisconsin's loss to the Wolverines wouldn't be as valuable. But if Wisconsin beats Ohio State, and then Ohio State beats Michigan...well...I'm lost on that situation. For the Corn Huskers, they'll have to go unbeaten the rest of the season in order to get in, which would probably leave them as the sole BIG 10 representative in the playoff.
So after all of that rambling, to answer my question: the BIG 10 currently has the more intriguing landscape in comparison to the SEC. There are just so many different situations that could play out, all of which we as spectators have zero control over.
While we're chatting about a potential playoff picture that would feature two teams from the same conference, if the other conferences chew themselves up, the ACC could possibly have Clemson and Louisville. Louisville's remaining schedule is not that strong, with the exception of their Nov. 17 battle at No. 13 Houston. If the Cardinals do pull of that win, it won't be quite as valuable as once thought after Houston dropped their first loss to Navy. But if Louisville ends the regular season with only one loss to a potentially undefeated Clemson team and a potential Heisman winner, they could certainly earn a playoff spot.
Alright, my brain is officially mush after all of those "potentials" and "hypotheticals." If there's one thing you can take away from my ramblings, it's that the College Football Playoff is just simply the best.
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