Case for, Case Against College Football Playoff Hopefuls

What are the cases for and against each of the College Football Playoff hopefuls?

The third College Football Playoff Rankings will be released Tuesday night following something of a shakeup over the weekend. Auburn and Notre Dame were virtually eliminated with losses, but the list of hopefuls to be part of college football’s playoff is still rather large. Here’s the case for and against each of them:

Mississippi State

Record: 9-0, 5-0 SEC
Human Rankings: 1st in AP/1st in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: at Alabama (11/15), at Ole Miss (11/29)
Case For: In the nation’s premier division, the SEC West, the Bulldogs remain unblemished. Mississippi State is one of just three undefeated teams nationally and has three victories over top 10 teams.
Case Against: Right now, there really isn’t one. Mississippi State’s biggest road tests however, lie ahead in trips to Tuscaloosa and Oxford.

Florida State

Record: 9-0, 6-0 ACC
Human Rankings: 2nd in AP/2nd in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: at Miami (11/15), Florida (11/29)
Case For: Florida State rides the nation’s longest winning streak at 25 games and is college football’s defending national champion. On the season, the Seminoles have defeated three ranked teams.
Case Against: Florida State has not been nearly as dominant as it was a season ago, but FSU continues to win. Until the Seminoles suffer a defeat, the road to the first college football playoff is wide open.

Oregon

Record: 9-1, 6-1 Pac-12
Human Rankings: 3rd in AP/4th in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: None
Case For: Led by Heisman Trophy frontrunner Marcus Mariota, the Ducks continue to be one of college football’s most prolific offenses. Two of Oregon’s three victories over ranked teams have come on the road and only one of Oregon’s nine wins have come by single digits.
Case Against: The biggest case against Oregon is its loss to Arizona. Arizona is 7-2 on the season, but defeated the Ducks in Eugene. Prior to defeating Oregon, Arizona had struggled against UT-San Antonio, Nevada and California.

Alabama

Record: 8-1, 5-1 SEC
Human Rankings: 4th in AP/3rd in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: Mississippi State (11/15), Auburn (11/29)
Case For: The Crimson Tide have lost just once this season in the nation’s best conference and with Blake Sims, Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon, Alabama looks as good as it has in years on offense. Alabama has been unbeatable at home and owns victories over West Virginia and LSU away from Tuscaloosa.
Case Against: Saturday’s nail-biting victory over LSU is Alabama’s only win over a current top 25 team. Alabama has not defeated a team with currently fewer than three losses and struggled against an Arkansas team that presently owns a losing record.

TCU

Nov 8, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin (2) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 8-1, 5-1 Big XII
Human Rankings: 5th in AP/5th in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: at Texas (11/27)
Case For: Led by quarterback Trevone Boykin, the Horned Frogs have joined Mississippi State as one of the biggest surprises in college football. TCU has four victories over ranked teams and its only loss came on the road to a current top 10 team. TCU also owns what is shaping up to be a very impressive non-conference victory over Minnesota.
Case Against: TCU’s biggest obstacle between it and the playoff may be the only team it lost to — Baylor. The Horned Frogs let a three-touchdown lead slip away in the final quarter. If it comes down to one playoff berth for a Big XII school, the loss to the Bears could loom large.

Baylor

Record: 8-1, 5-1
Human Rankings: 6th in AP/6th in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: Oklahoma State (11/22), Kansas State (12/6)
Case For: Led by quarterback Bryce Petty, Baylor possesses the nation’s top scoring offense and is coming off of one of its better wins ever, beating Oklahoma by 34 in Norman. Baylor is also the only team to beat TCU as the Bears control their own destiny in the Big XII.
Case Against: The cases against Baylor are its lackluster non-conference schedule and its loss at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are a team that currently has four losses, but defeated Baylor by two scores. Baylor’s two non-conference FBS opponents are a combined 3-14.

Arizona State

Record: 8-1, 5-1 Pac-12
Human Rankings: 7th in AP/8th in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: at Arizona (11/28)
Case For: Arizona State has four victories over ranked opponents including an impressive non-conference win over Notre Dame this past weekend. The Sun Devils have also shown the ability to win the close games beating Utah and USC by a combined seven points. If Arizona State can win out and defeat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, it’ll be hard to say no to the Sun Devils.
Case Against: The loss for Arizona State came at home and by five touchdowns to UCLA. At 8-2, the Bruins are a very good team, but have struggled just to beat the likes of Virginia, Memphis and Colorado. Justifying that performance isn’t easy.

Ohio State

Record: 8-1, 5-0 Big Ten
Human Rankings: 8th in AP/7th in Coaches
Notable Games Remaining: at Minnesota (11/15)
Case For: Without its best player in Braxton Miller, Ohio State has made great strides since the early parts of the season. Ohio State is outscoring its opponents by an average of 24 points-per-game and its recent victory in East Lansing was beyond impressive. Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett has matured since the start of the season and seven of Ohio State’s eight wins have come by double digits.
Case Against: The biggest knock on Ohio State is a 14-point home loss to Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes have come a long way since, but Virginia Tech is just 4-5 on the season and in last place in the maligned ACC’s Coastal division. Ohio State also has just one win over a ranked team.

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