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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25. Auburn vs. Missouri: Oct. 19

This game is very similar to Tennessee-Kentucky. Both teams are pretty far from NCAA powerhouses, but both Auburn and Missouri wouldn’t be insane surprises if they made it to the College Football Playoff. We must re-iterate, there will be surprises in the Playoff. Of course, we could just pick every Alabama and Georgia game on the schedule, but there will be games that change the look of the Playoff before we know it’s happening.

Auburn had a rough ending to last season. Hugh Freeze got his first season out of the way. Now, he has a great recruiting class coming in, and it feels like things are starting to turn around. It usually takes three or four years for a new coach to bring a team back all the way, but these premier colleges like Auburn can do it in a year or two. A loss to New Mexico while they were clearly looking ahead at an Alabama game that was closer than anyone expected.

Missouri, meanwhile, has a lot going for them. Brady Cook is back under center with both Luther Burden and Theo Wease to throw to. With some more returning starters on the roster, Missouri is in a great spot. Before the Auburn game, Missouri really only has Texas A&M as a difficult opponent. However, this Auburn game could be the real test. Auburn will be battle tested at this point, facing Georgia and Oklahoma in the previous two games.

Depending on their records, both teams could be ranked at this point. It will be one of the premium games of the weekend.

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