Nebraska, UCLA and the 5 College Football Playoff dark horses lurking menacingly

There will be no shortage of teams on the College Football Playoff bubble this season. This isn’t including the teams that are already ranked in the top 15, this is the teams that haven’t quite gotten on the CFP radar just yet. Nebraska and UCLA lead the way, but they’re far from the only teams that aren’t getting CFP recognition yet. Here’s a look at the dark horse teams that could sneak their way into the conversation later in the season.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska is off to a 4-0 start this year and has some semblance of excitement this season. Nebraska has been synonymous with mediocrity and in a season where Matt Rhule has to inch closer to contending for the College Football Playoff, he finally has the Cornhuskers looking like a CFP dark horse. Now, Nebraska still has work to do with Indiana and Oregon left to play on the schedule plus Iowa and Ohio State at the end of the season. Nebraska has had an easy schedule to this point, but a lot of room to build their resume. 

There’s reason to believe Nebraska isn’t the same ol’ Nebraska it’s always been. That depends on how well they play against the better teams in the conference. The Oregon games looks more winnable than it did earlier this season, but there’s three more ranked teams Nebraska has to prove themselves against. If they get at least two wins, maybe they can convince the CFP selection committee to get them in.

UCLA Bruins

Bob Chesney knows what it will take to convince the CFP selection committee to get one of his teams into the 12-team playoff after Chesney led James Madison to the CFP last year. He’s amidst the next program he’s rebuilding as UCLA has gone from an afterthought in the Big Ten, to one of the better teams. The first real test for the Bruins will be in two weeks when they play Oregon. That’s the game that will either validate them as legitimate CFP dark horses or prove they’re frauds. 

The only other ranked opponent on their roster is USC in the final game of the year. Between those two games, the Bruins can’t have any slip ups. More importantly, they have to prove they’re one of the 12 best teams in college football. For now, UCLA is still on the bubble of the CFP conversations. A win in two weeks will show the college football world they’re a more serious team than they’re getting credit for.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State is ranked in the AP top 25 poll for the first time this season. Look past the first game of the season, a terrible loss to Tulsa, this Oklahoma State team looks like a legitimate contender. They beat Oregon at home and have now won three-straight games in the Eric Morris era. The Big 12 is wide open which works in Oklahoma State’s favor. Texas Tech, Utah and BYU are all on the bubble of the CFP conversation. 

Houston is a fringe CFP team as well. The Big 12 has quite a few teams in contention for the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma State just has to separate themselves from the pack. The Cowboys have just two ranked teams on their conference slate, making it easier for Oklahoma State to get in. At this point, the Cowboys can win out and prove they’ve grown from Week 1.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa restored equilibrium in the college football world, beating Michigan in the Big House on the final play of the game last week. With it, they proved they should be in the CFP conversation this year. Their toughest game will be against Ohio State next week. They might not even need to win that game to prove they deserve to get into the CFP. Iowa has always been a team that struggles against the heavyweights. 

This season, they took down Michigan on the road. If they beat Ohio State at home, they’ll be in the driver seat of getting into the CFP. Not only would they gain control in the CFP race, they most likely take Ohio State’s bid in the process.

Kentucky Wildcats

Will Stein has breathed a lot of life into Kentucky football in his first couple of games in Lexington. So much so, the Wildcats are already ranked in the AP top 25 poll this season. They gave Alabama a scare early and then stunned Texas A&M in Week 3. Now they look like a dark horse SEC team that could stir up some drama in the conference and College Football Playoff race. Kentucky’s schedule is backloaded with games against Tennessee, Florida and Missouri in consecutive weeks. 

Kentucky is still a longshot to get in, but it’s not impossible. They’re ranked, which is half the battle. The other half is winning the games they need to win to prove to the CFP selection committee they deserve a shot.

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