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4 college football pretenders most likely to fall out of the CFP field

These four CFP teams are in the field for now, but they could very well be pretenders and end up wondering how they ended outside the playoff bubble at the end of the year.
ByWynston Wilcox
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These four CFP teams are in the field for now, but they could very well be pretenders and end up wondering how they ended outside the playoff bubble at the end of the year.
These four CFP teams are in the field for now, but they could very well be pretenders and end up wondering how they ended outside the playoff bubble at the end of the year. | Winslow Townson/GettyImages

The first College Football Playoff rankings gave us insight into how the CFP selection committee values teams’ records up to this point, but more importantly, the confidence they have in them to finish the year strong. For teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame and even Ole Miss, they’re challenging them to finish the year strong and prove they deserve to be in the CFP field. The ones that fall short were pretenders all along. Here are the teams that will ultimately fail the CFP selection committee’s end of season test and slip out of contention.

No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I want to preface this by saying I am pretty high on Kentucky. They’ve passed every test to this point and truthfully should have you questioning any confidence in them. That said, it is the SEC and parity is more prevalent than ever. The Wildcats have games against No. 13 Tennessee, No. 24 Florida and No. 18 Missouri. They could win all of those, split them or even lose all of them (the least likely scenario). Technically Kentucky is the higher ranked team so all of these qualify as trap games. 

That’s the type of late season stretch that looks manageable on paper and then the game happens and an inspired team pulls off the upset. I hate calling Kentucky pretenders because they’ve proven they’re one of the best teams in college football, but I’m just not entirely convinced they can win out and reach the SEC title game. They can get away with one loss in that stretch, but two losses and they’ll be outside the CFP field just as quickly as they were knocking on the top 5.

No. 9 BYU Cougars

Bear Bachmeier
Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

BYU is one of the least convincing teams in the College Football Playoff in the selection committee’s first rankings. BYU did beat Notre Dame, then they turned around and lost to UCF the following week and just haven’t really looked like a team that deserves to be a high-ranked team. They nearly beat Arizona State, which isn’t having a great season, they struggled against TCU earlier this year and haven’t really dominated in conference play. 

The Cougars have to play Utah this week in what will be another tough challenge for them. The way Utah torched Cincinnati last week, the Utes could run away with this one. Utah did allow UC to get back into the game so if BYU hangs around, they could make it interesting. This game is what will determine if they’re legit or not. I don’t think they’ll win and that’s why I call them pretenders. This game will pretty much determine if they get into the CFP or not.

No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels

Trinidad Chambliss
Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss has its toughest game of the season against Georgia this week. The Rebels are a good team, I just don’t know if the selection committee will admit them in as a three-loss team. This is obviously assuming they fall to Georgia this week. It might be a bit harsh to call them pretenders because they have managed a tough slate, but again it just feels like they’ll come up short of a second-straight CFP appearance. As it stands, Ole Miss is behind Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky in the SEC standings. 

If Ole Miss wants to get in as a three-loss team, they’ll need help and they’ll need to get to the SEC title game. If they beat Georgia, that strengthens their case. If they lose, it will essentially push them outside of the CFP field. 

No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

CJ Carr
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Notre Dame threw a fit and backed out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl game last year after feeling snubbed by the CFP selection committee. This is what happens when you refuse to join a conference. This is also what happens when you have a weak schedule and lose to ranked opponents. Notre Dame already lost to BYU and with No. 1 Miami this week, if Notre Dame loses that game too, there’s no way they can get into the CFP this year. 

Miami has been one of the strongest teams in college football. While they haven’t been tested yet this year, they’re stronger than Notre Dame in my opinion. This game will be the ultimate Darian Mensah Heisman case game. Malachi Toney is out for at least the next month and possibly two. If Mensah is as good as he’s hyped up to be, he’ll simultaneously boost his Heisman case and end Notre Dame’s CFP hopes. 

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