Week 10 of the college football season brought on a lot of excitement and equally impressive performances. Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza flexed their moxie, leading Oregon and Indiana respectively to game-winning drives with less than a minute left. Oregon’s win was particularly crucial, keeping them from falling into the two-loss bucket and keeping them (for now) on the right side of the Playoff bubble.
Vanderbilt needed overtime, but survived a fierce Auburn team hoping to feast on an upset to find some solace in a season that finally saw the end of Hugh Freeze — you know, save for the buyout money they’ll continue to pay him until it’s exhausted. The College Football Playoff rankings will absolutely get a shakeup, but will also have some teams grateful for a win this past weekend.
Here’s a look at some of the College Football Playoff contenders that should be thankful for a big win this weekend and something to be optimistic about next weekend.
Oregon Ducks
This was a big moment for Oregon not just because they got a solid win over a ranked team on the road but also because they avoided a second loss — and a second Big Ten loss at that — and stayed alive in the CFP race. As of now, they’re hanging on by a thread as Indiana and Ohio State will most likely land in the Big Ten title game. That means Oregon’s best hope at getting into the CFP as of now is with an at-large bid, and two losses without a true statement win would be a dicey spot to be in.
We will probably see more two-loss teams get in with the expanded, 12-team CFP field, but this year, it would be a hard sell for the Ducks to get in. Especially with Texas, Oklahoma and Utah all lurking on the outside of the field, Oregon probably has to win out to secure its spot in the CFP. They also needed a good win for the resume, given their lack of ranked opponents outside of the Indiana loss.
Before this weekend, the Ducks' best win was against Penn State, which at the time looked good but has collapsed as the Nittany Lions have lost six straight. Washington and USC would have been their best chances at getting ranked wins, though Washington’s loss to Wisconsin will most likely end their CFP hopes as well.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt is fortunate to have SEC bias on their side, but with a loss to Auburn, not even that would have saved them being axed from the CFP field. Fortunately for them, they’re alive for at least another week. The Commodores already have two losses, but they were on the road to Texas and Alabama. If they want to get into the CFP and continue this miracle run with Diego Pavia, they have to win; plain and simple.
The CFP race is crowded with SEC teams at this point so the CFP would love to have some process of elimination. Vanderbilt is the one team that has nothing else going for it with another loss. Even for an SEC team, I think it’s nearly impossible for a three-loss team to get in. Pavia Mania has the Commodores with a fighting chance, but any more losses and that flame will fizzle out as wins over LSU and Missouri become less impressive over time.
Miami Hurricanes
The ACC is an abominable conference and shouldn’t even be in the same conversation as its fellow Power 4 contenders in the Big 12, SEC and Big Ten. Virginia and Louisville were considered the two best teams in the CFP’s first rankings and that proved to be flawed logic as expected, which is why Miami can just sit back and watch the chaos unfold. The Hurricanes have two horrendous conference losses, but actually have a chance at finding a way into the CFP field anyway.
It’s hard sell for Miami to get in as an at-large team, but it’s not unlikely they sneak into the ACC title game and land in the Playoff with a conference championship. They’re a two-loss team, so they can’t lose anymore, but Georgia Tech, Virginia and Louisville all have at least one conference loss now too.
If each of those teams lose again, it would be a crazy tiebreaker that could work in Miami’s favor. Miami could possibly get in with an at-large spot but it would be very difficult to pull off. They have to hope the rest of the ACC continues to implode and they find a way to get to Charlotte. Two weeks ago, all looked lost for the Hurricanes, but here they are with a chance to finally crash the CFP party.