30 games that will eventually decide the 12-team College Football Playoff

Every year, a few games change the scope and brevity of the race towards the College Football Playoff. This year, one game already made a major impact, and these 30 others should give us a look into who will participate in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates a tackle against Ohio State. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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15. Iowa vs. Washington: Oct. 12

Iowa has been that team that always seems to be in there at the end. In four of the past eight seasons (excluding the shortened COVID year), Iowa had 10 wins. Any team with double-digit wins in a major conference is going to get Playoff consideration. Will Iowa repeat its success this year?

It’s hard to figure out this Hawkeyes team. They’ve always been defensively heavy, but they took that to another level last season. Their offense was, in a word, inept. The offensive coordinator was the son of the head coach (we’re not kidding), and they were famous for how much the team struggled to get the ball down the field. The second they faced a defense that was even remotely decent, they faltered. Against Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game and Tennessee at the Citrus Bowl, they scored a combined zero points.

Meanwhile, the Washington Huskies are coming off an offseason of change. Jedd Fisch took over as head coach. Michael Penix went to the NFL, and the Huskies are trying Will Rogers at QB, but everything is very new. They also had a pretty bad recruiting class. So, they are behind the 8-ball.

But the Huskies could still be good. Some analytics models have them with at least a decent chance to compete in the Big Ten. All this new isn’t necessarily bad, as Rogers was a high recruit when he went to Mississippi State. Jonah Coleman could become a superstar running back in a new offense. This game will really tell you what this new-look Big Ten-Pac 12 mishmash will become.

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