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

10. Florida State vs. Miami: Oct. 26

One of the biggest upsets of the year already happened. Many thought Florida State was going to contend for the Playoff after they were handed a bad deal last season. The Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season, but Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury, and the committee chose the four teams who they thought would be competitive for a championship spot. So, at no fault of their own, Florida State was out.

See, this is what the 12-team playoff solves for. No more conversations about who got beat out of a chance. There will never be another undefeated team left out of the Playoff (knock on wood). Well, Florida State won’t be that undefeated team because they already have a loss this season. They were taken out by Georgia Tech in Week 0. 

That’s going to do it for their Playoff chances, right? Not necessarily. They have four unranked teams in front of them before they take on Clemson. If they beat the Tigers, things change for the team playing in Florida’s capital city. 

Miami, on the other hand, is still firmly holding onto their Playoff hopes. This isn’t the powerhouse Hurricanes team that was winning championships, but this is a team that has high hopes. The talent is undeniable. Mario Cristobal is in season three, largely considered the big breakout because system and recruits tend to mature at the right time. They added both Cam Ward and Damien Martinez from the transfer portal, taking two of the biggest weapons in one fell swoop. If they link with this offense off the bat, this could be a title contender. This matchup will tell us a lot about both teams.