The parity this season is what makes college football so fun and makes the College Football Playoff committee’s decisions that much harder. The argument that has dominated the conversation around the seedings is which teams with multiple losses deserve to get in.
And that has been amplified as the pool of one-loss teams shrink and the list of two-loss teams grows. So with another action-packed weekend of college football, what teams need to keep winning? Well there’s a handful of them for sure.
Let’s take a look at teams that will be eliminated from the College Football Playoff with a loss this weekend.
4 teams effectively eliminated from College Football Playoff with loss in Week 13
4) Army Black Knights (9-0)
Army’s been disrespected by the College Football Playoff selection committee the last few weeks since the first rankings were released. The committee has made it clear that remaining undefeated and locking in a spot in the AAC title game still isn’t enough to inch closer to the field.
So a loss to No. 6 ranked Notre Dame would be all the committee needs to say the Black Knights don’t deserve a higher ranking. Even if Boise State loses too, and both win their respective conference championships, the committee is going to favor Boise State.
The Black Knights have had one of the weakest schedules in college football this season which is ultimately hurting them. And with the best team on their schedule due up this week, they have to prove to the committee they deserve a real chance at getting in.
Army, unfortunately, isn’t at the mercy of being in a strong conference so a loss to Notre Dame justifies why the committee didn’t have them ranked higher and it proves what the committee has (not so) discreetly been saying about teams in much stronger conferences.
3) Ole Miss Rebels (8-2)
While there will be arguments for a three-loss team sneaking into the College Football Playoff, Ole Miss won’t be one of the teams to get the fortunate stroke of luck to get in with three losses. The Rebels’ win over Georgia was impressive. But it’s their only good win this season. And they have two losses to unranked opponents.
The CFP selection committee would love nothing more than to have a team eliminate themselves to make their job easier. And with a loss, Ole Miss’s hopes of adding a loaded SEC participation in the playoff will be shattered.
Florida spoiled LSU’s chance at playing for a national championship and they could do the same this week. Since the administration has doubled down on Billy Napier and DJ Lagway has gotten healthy, the Gators have new life within the team.
Trying to get a win at Florida won’t be easy, but it’s the only thing that will keep Ole Miss’s playoff hopes alive.
2) BYU Cougars (9-1)
BYU was handed its first loss of the season to Kansas and a second loss would pretty much end their chance of playing in the CFP this season. They’d have two losses, one to an unranked team.
A loss to No. 21 ranked Arizona State would also knock the Cougars out of the Big 12 championship game too if Colorado wins. The CFP committee has made it clear the Big 12 is the odd conference out. The only Big 12 team getting in will be the conference champion. An at-large spot seems to be reserved for a two-or-three-loss SEC team.
1) Colorado Buffaloes (8-2)
Colorado has looked like the best team in the Big 12 in recent weeks. And after BYU’s loss to Kansas, they further solidified their spot in the conference championship game. They control their own fate of if they can get into the CFP or not.
But that involves winning every game the rest of the way, including the Big 12 title game. Colorado, like the rest of the conference, won’t be fortunate enough to get in with a loss in the title game. They would end up with three losses and the CFP committee’s favoritism toward the SEC wouldn’t allow it.
Because Kansas is fresh of an upset, there’s reason to have Colorado on upset alert, though Colorado is better than BYU. I’d be shocked if Colorado lost to Kansas and more shocked if the Jayhawks had back-to-back upset wins.
But if they do pull it off, Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes dream season will come up just short of a College Football Playoff appearance.