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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9. Alabama vs. LSU: Nov. 9

We mentioned earlier that Alabama is in a brand new world. Under Kalen DeBoer, they are hoping to keep the momentum that Nick Saban had for close to two decades. However, it’s the rivalries that kept Saban in the College Football Playoff as often as he did. Coming out on top against LSU, Alabama, and Texas A&M as often as he did drove this team to new heights. He coached with pure ice pumping from his heart. These crazy environments didn’t impact him.

No offense to Pac 12 football, but we don’t really think an away game at UCLA has the same juice as “The Swamp.” How is DeBoer going to react to this insane tailgate and crowd noise? LSU is what Baton Rouge lives for. Even Alabama can’t compare to this gameday experience.

This game is going to drive much of what happens in the SEC. It might be a game where the winner heads to the SEC Championship Game and the loser plays in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Brian Kelly is entering that pivotal third year as head coach. His teams often take these crazy steps in Year 3. At Notre Dame, Kelly took them to the National Championship Game in his third year, the closest they came to a title under Kelly.

This rivalry is as hot as ever, and both teams are projected to be really good. At the end of the day, they could both make the Playoff, but this isn’t the only hard game on their schedules. It could literally be a do-or-die situation for both teams.

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