Bowl projections: Is College Football Playoff chaos ahead with six major unbeatens left?

2024-12-24 03:13:11 source: category:My

It's time to take stock of the College Football Playoff race after another weekend where the teams in the projected field remain the same.

With just one week left in October, there's nine unbeaten teams remaining in college football's Bowl Subdivision. Six of them play in the Power Five with Michigan and Ohio State the only two in the same conference. So it remains possible that each conference could have an unbeaten team after the final weekend and one would be left behind when the four-team playoff is announced. That would be fitting finish before the 12-team system comes into play next season.

For those hoping for or rooting against this chaotic finish, be assured that it still remains unlikely. This past weekend saw Washington struggled to get past Arizona State at home and Oklahoma do likewise with Central Florida in two of the perceived easier games left on their schedule. Georgia has looked vulnerable and that was before Brock Bowers was injured. Florida State already survived close games against Boston College and Clemson.

The Huskies still have road games at Southern California and Oregon State plus home contests against Utah and Washington before even a possible rematch with Oregon. The Sooners are facing a stretch of three road games against Kansas, Oklahoma State and Brigham Young. The Bulldogs still have their rivalry game against Florida, matchups with Missouri and Tennessee and a possible game against Alabama. The Seminoles probably have the easiest finish but the run-in does include their two biggest rival - Miami and Florida - which would both love to spoil their season.

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So while this season has been relatively short on drama and somewhat predictable, November always seems to bring unexpected results and we should expect the unexpected.

As for the other three unbeatens, only two (sorry, James Madison) are eligible for the playoff and unlikely to have a path. However, Air Force and Liberty could reach the New Year's Six, though that race among the Group of Five is also up for grabs.

Reminder: Some conferences may not fulfill their bowl allotment. Asterisks denote a replacement pick. James Madison is eligible for a bowl if there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the spots.

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