The eye test might be the most important factor for the College Football Playoff selection committee as they decide which seven teams get the at-large bids in the 12-team field. The problem is, the eye test is subjective, ambiguous and frankly, a flawed way to evaluate a team. That said, it will come to light on Tuesday, which teams passed the eye test for another week.
This isn’t about the teams that are already in, though, we’re going to dive into the teams that are still on the bubble. Teams like Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Miami and even SMU. Here’s a look at how the CFP bubble teams did in Week 13 and what it means ahead of the committee’s next meeting.
Oklahoma cruises past Missouri to add another ranked win to resume
John Mateer and the Sooners passed the eye test this week after a comfortable win over Missouri. When trying to define what the eye test is and how it could hold up in an argument, it’s less about how badly they won and more how they looked when they won. Mateer didn’t look his best, but it was a win over an SEC team, which looks really good.
The selection committee is going to find every excuse it can to fill the playoff field with as many SEC teams as justifiably possible. Oklahoma essentially eliminated one out of contention, opening the door for a few others on the cusp of getting into the field. The Sooners have a balanced conference and non-conference resume, so truthfully, their ability to win both in the SEC and abroad gives them a leg up.
Oklahoma, though technically in the field, needed this win to prove they deserve one of the at-large spots. They’re not just a product of SEC bias, they have the resume to back it up.
James Madison is strengthening its case as the Group of 5 representative
James Madison kept it close, but a late touchdown run kept their CFP hopes alive. They passed this week’s eye test by adding a non-conference win as a G5 team. I think you have to move the needle a bit for the G5 teams as they’re not going to schedule guaranteed losses for all of their non-conference opponents. This win should be treated just as any other P4 conferences non-conference game against a respectable opponent.
The Dukes handled business and got one step closer to locking in the G5’s auto bid. That said, they still need to win the Sun Belt, but with a big win over Washington State, it goes to show just how good James Madison actually is and why they deserve to get in. Nothing against Tulane, who already has the G5’s spot, but the Dukes are on their heels.
SMU gets one win closer to ACC title game after dominating Louisville
Once upon a time, Louisville was favored to be the ACC’s representative in the CFP and now they’re helping SMU fight for the ACC title game. The Mustangs got a resounding win and proved why they could force their way into the CFP. They still need a lot to happen in front of them, including one of Georgia Tech or Virginia to lose, but not all is lost. They look like a team that could potentially win the ACC. They were supposed to win it last year and came up short. This year, some bad losses hurt them down the road. With just one loss, they still have the advantage over Miami to get into the ACC title game.
I’m not saying SMU is the best team in the ACC by any means, but there’s still hope and after dominating Louisville, they look like a much better team than they did earlier in the season. It’s something to keep an eye on as the ACC continues to figure out which teams will face off for a spot in the CFP.
Oregon shows out in de facto CFP elimination game against USC
Oregon pretty much sealed their CFP fate with a win over USC on Saturday. They finally get their first ranked win of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time. They needed to prove to the CFP selection committee they deserve an at-large bid in the field. They didn’t just beat USC, they did it convincingly, and those are the things the committee likes to see. This was a de facto CFP play-in game with the winner fully in control of if they get in.
Oregon proved they need to be one of the 12 teams and that pretty much helps the committee start making some decisions. The Big Ten is trying to get in as many teams as the SEC and Oregon showed the committee why the Big Ten needs more representation as well.