The first College Football Playoff rankings are just a few days away, and it’s clear these four teams will be in the discussion. Not because they’re all bubble teams, but because the last four weeks of the season will determine their fate. In fact, the teams on this list face brutal ends to their seasons that might knock them off the College Football Playoff bubble.
Kentucky Wildcats
Will Stein has turned Kentucky football around in one year and had the Wildcats leading the SEC in the second half of the season. Is that momentum short-lived? Three of Kentucky’s final four games are against ranked opponents. The Wildcats have proven they can hang with the good teams in the conference, but a slate like that might be too much for them to overcome. They’ll either prove they're the best team in the SEC or show they aren’t quite ready to contend in the CFP. Here are Kentucky’s toughest remaining opponents:
- at No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers
- vs. No. 17 Florida Gators
- at No. 23 Missouri Tigers
They’d need to win at least two of these games to get into the CFP and would probably need to win all three to get to the SEC championship game. The good thing is, if they do win two of them, they won’t need to reach the SEC title game to get into the CFP.
LSU Tigers
Don’t count LSU out of the CFP conversation just yet. They have the toughest remaining schedule in college football, per ESPN, and though the SEC title game feels like a long shot, Lane Kiffin could still have a path to a national championship this year. Here’s LSU’s toughest remaining opponents:
- vs. No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide
- vs. No. 11 Texas Longhorns
- at No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers
Fortunately for Kiffin and Co., the Tigers get their two toughest opponents in Death Valley. Alabama’s season is hanging by a thread after two-straight losses have the Crimson Tide outside the SEC title race. Texas is in the same boat, but a resilient win over Ole Miss this past weekend might have rejuvenated them for a strong finish.
We could see a three-loss team get into the College Football Playoff for the first time. LSU could have a strong argument to be one of those teams – if that third loss comes at Tennessee. Because the other two games are in Baton Rouge, the committee will probably expect them to win them.
Missouri Tigers
Missouri’s loss to Ole Miss was humbling and it put their CFP hopes in jeopardy. That said, with two top 10 teams and the No. 11 team left on their schedule, they could very sneak into the CFP with a good stroke of luck. Here are Missouri’s toughest remaining opponents:
- vs. No. 11 Texas Longhorns
- at No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs
- vs. No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats
The Tigers will probably need to win all three games to make the CFP. It’s hard to think they can lose even one and still get in. The Kentucky game will probably decide which has the advantage for bubble teams and the Georgia and Texas games are simply resume-builders. Missouri’s best win is Florida right now. They’ll need more than that to convince the CFP selection committee to put them in.
USC Trojans
Right now, USC has a mountain to climb if it wants to even be a CFP bubble team. The Trojans were trounced by Wisconsin last week and now have to win out to even be ranked again, let alone considered for the CFP. Here are USC’s toughest remaining opponents:
- vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
- at No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers
- at No. 7 UCLA Bruins
This couldn’t be a tougher schedule for Lincoln Riley as he tries to save face with the USC faithful. Three of their final four games are against top-10 teams and two are in the top four. The only home game among those three is this week against Ohio State. I’m not going to say it’s impossible, but the Trojans need to win all three if they want to make their College Football Playoff debut.
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