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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11. Penn State vs. USC: Oct. 12

So… USC. What do we expect from USC this season? Things haven’t exactly worked out under Lincoln Riley, who was one of their biggest hires since Pete Carroll left. Last season was a disaster, with the Trojans going 8-5 despite having the lockdown number-one overall pick in the NFL Draft in Caleb Williams. They lost close games. They were upset. Everything that could go wrong with this team, did.

The Trojans get no time off. They play LSU this weekend, Michigan in a few weeks, and then they take on this Penn State team on October 12th. So, why this game over the previous two? Well, if USC loses those games, we know there’s no chance they contend in the Big Ten, let alone make the College Football Playoff. However, if they win those two games, this game could end up being for a spot to fight for a championship.

The Playoff committee will not give too many spots to the Big Ten. They’d be lucky to get three, and it’s more than likely they get two. It doesn’t matter what the rankings say today. The committee is going to be enthralled with this new SEC, the Big 12 is going to put up big numbers, the ACC will have teams racking up wins, and five spots are already gone. So, the winner of this game likely moves on, and the loser has to figure out how to sweep their schedule.

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