College Football Playoff: 5 most critical regular-season games to determine Top 4
By John Buhler
With two weeks left in the regular season, these games carry more College Football Playoff significance than you probably even expected.
At this time, there are roughly nine teams who are still very much alive to make the College Football Playoff heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
For those keeping track at home, here are the nine teams with fantastic to semi-realistic shots at making the four-team field: Georgia, LSU and Tennessee out of the SEC, Michigan and Ohio State out of the Big Ten, Clemson and North Carolina out of the ACC, TCU out of the Big 12 and USC out of the Pac-12. All but LSU have one or fewer losses on the season against Power Five competition.
While all nine still have a pair of regular-season games left to be played, these five do mean more.
College Football Playoff: 5 most important regular-season games to decide Top 4
5. LSU Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies: Week 13
It may not ever happen under its current format, but the LSU Tigers have an outside shot of being the first two-loss team into the big dance. The Bayou Bengals have already clinched an SEC West crown in Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge. While they still have to beat UAB out of the Group of Five on Saturday, their regular-season finale at Texas A&M does carry a ton of weight.
Yes, the Aggies are an utterly putrid football team. However, a win over Gig Em in College Station sets up LSU for its David vs. Goliath matchup vs. top Dawg Georgia in the SEC Championship. If the Dawgs are an undefeated 12-0, LSU will absolutely make the College Football Playoff as a two-loss Power Five champion. Of course, none of that will matter if they get to Atlanta at 9-3, or 8-4…
Texas A&M and LSU tend to play crazy games against each other in their regular-season finale.