College Football Playoff: 1 if/then conditional for every national title contender

What will it take for the College Football Playoff contenders to get there?

There are 10 teams who have a realistic shot of making the College Football Playoff this year.

While a Group of 5 team has its best shot to date, there are really only 10 teams or so in the ACC, the Big 12 and the SEC that might have what it takes to get to the playoff and win a national title. Sure, we could add a few other teams to the mix like the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but even making the playoff would be an unbelievable accomplishment for them.

If this happens, then what for these 10 College Football Playoff contenders?

Alabama Crimson Tide: If Mac Jones struggles, then Bryce Young has to save the season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide should have the defense capable of winning a national title, but if they get lackluster play out of starting quarterback Mac Jones, then they will have no choice but to hand the reins over to true freshman Bryce Young. He’s more like Tua Tagovailoa than Jones is like A.J. McCarron. Alabama cannot afford to have bad quarterback play roll the Tide this season.

Auburn Tigers: If the Tigers can win in Athens, then they can win the SEC.

The Auburn Tigers have to play Alabama and the Georgia Bulldogs on the road this year. While they have had some success in Tuscaloosa in this century, Auburn hasn’t won in Athens since 2005. They play at Sanford Stadium every other season. Should Auburn sic the Dawgs Between the Hedges, they can win the SEC and make the playoff for the first time in school history.

Clemson Tigers: If Travis Etienne stays healthy, then the Tigers will go undefeated.

If any Power 5 team can run the gauntlet this season and go undefeated, it has to be the Clemson Tigers. Though they have a tough road date vs. the normally national independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Clemson should be 11-0 when they face whoever they come across in the ACC title bout. They only way the Tigers don’t go undefeated this season is if Travis Etienne gets hurt.

Florida Gators: If the Gators win in Jacksonville, then they will get to Atlanta.

In the last five seasons, whoever wins the SEC East rivalry game down in Jacksonville reaches Atlanta. The last three installments have gone to the Dawgs, but this could be the Florida Gators’ year. Though they may not beat whoever comes out of the SEC West, winning along the Banks of the St. Johns River over Georgia may help the Gators get an at-large bid to the playoff.

Georgia Bulldogs: If Jamie Newman is for real, then Dawg Nation will stop talking about 1980.

Georgia has been so close to winning a national title over the last three years, Dawg Nation can almost taste it. Though the defense and running game have been spectacular, Jake Fromm had a definite ceiling as the starting quarterback. If Wake Forest Demon Deacons graduate transfer Jamie Newman is as good as we think, Georgia can win its first national championship since 1980.

LSU Tigers: If Myles Brennan is Joe Burrow Lite, then LSU has a shot at repeating.

Myles Brennan will not have a season on-par with what Joe Burrow did last year for the LSU Tigers. It’s simply not replicable. However, if he can be Heisman Trophy-caliber in his first year as the starter, then maybe LSU has a better shot of repeating as national champions than we even though possible? Though they are a dark horse, the Bayou Bengals can still get it done.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: If the Irish beat Clemson once, then they may want to be in the ACC.

By joining the ACC for a season, there is a small chance the Irish might like it there. Though having 15 full-time members is certainly wonky, it would be pretty cool to see the Irish beat Clemson either up in South Bend or in Charlotte to win the ACC Championship of all things. They have to recognize playing in a conference helps them achieve future playoff berths.

Oklahoma Sooners: If Spencer Rattler is as advertised, then Sooners may win a playoff game.

The Oklahoma Sooners have dominated the Big 12 for the last half-decade, but that has not translated to winning a national semifinal game just yet. Oklahoma is 0-4 in its four playoff games to date. Assuming redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler is the next star signal-caller at OU, he could be the catalyst to get the Sooners back to playing in national title bouts.

Texas Longhorns: If Longhorns when the Big 12 Championship, then Texas will be back.

We have been waiting for years for the Texas Longhorns to be back. They faded back in 2010 after playing for the national title the year prior. After a down decade, Texas has the head coach in Tom Herman and the quarterback in Sam Ehlinger to finally be back. What it will take to be back is win the Big 12 Championship and reach the College Football Playoff. It’s in play for them in 2020.

Texas A&M Aggies: If Aggies can win a game that matters, then we’ll take them seriously.

The Texas A&M Aggies edge out Oklahoma State as the 10th team that could win it all. Though they have a national title-winning coach in Jimbo Fisher and an excellent quarterback in Kellen Mond, nobody will take them seriously until the Aggies beat two of the three teams ahead of them in the SEC in Alabama, Auburn and LSU. You win two of them, maybe you get to Atlanta?

Ultimately, we should expect four of these 10 teams to reach the College Football Playoff. Three will be Power 5 champions, while the fourth will get in as an at-large team. Everybody’s path to getting there will be different, but for these 10 teams, the pathway is clear. If they can achieve these conditionals, they could be in for a magical season in the strangest year ever.

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