LSU's loss to Alabama shook up the top four of the College Football Playoff Rankings as undefeated Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame lead the rankings. Now, six one-loss teams among Power Five leagues are vying for that vacant spot. We take a look at the case for and against each of those six teams if they were to win the rest of their regular season games and conference championship game.
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IF THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 5
The case for: If Georgia wins out that would mean it will have beaten the Crimson Tide and everybody's head would explode. Georgia's résumé would include wins over a Florida team that could end the season with nine wins and a spot in the top 25, a Kentucky team that will probably be ranked at the end of the season and an Auburn team that has a win over Washington. The Dawgs also sport one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, with all but a couple of their opponents likely heading to a bowl game.
The case against: Georgia's case to be in the College Football Playoff if it wins out is iron-clad. For the Dawgs to get left out of the playoff their resume would have to take some major hits over the next couple weeks. LSU, the only team to beat Georgia in this scenario, would need to lose to Arkansas and Texas A&M, which could make Georgia's "good" loss look like a "bad" loss. Florida and Kentucky, two of Georgia's big wins, would also need to stumble down the stretch. If those three teams end the regular season unranked, there is a chance Georgia's schedule looks weaker than everybody expected it to be and that opens the door for another team to jump Georgia in the rankings.
FOR EXCLUSIVE GEORGIA COVERAGE: UGASports.com
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IF THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 4
The case for: The Selection Committee would almost certainly put Michigan in the College Football Playoff if it wins out. Running the table the rest of the way would mean Michigan, in addition to its wins over the rest of the Big Ten East, beat Ohio State in Columbus and beat Northwestern or Wisconsin a second time as the likely Big Ten West representative in the Big Ten Championship. Ten conference wins, a 12-win season and the only loss coming at undefeated Notre Dame is a résumé that is nearly impossible to beat.
The case against: This is pretty much a non-issue if Michigan wins out, however there could be some interesting debates. If Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC title game, the Alabama-or-Michigan debate will be heated. If Oklahoma or West Virginia win out, they could have wins over three ranked opponents and two of those wins would have come in back-to-back weeks.
FOR EXCLUSIVE MICHIGAN COVERAGE: TheWolverine.com
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IF THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 10
The case for: Winning out for Ohio State would mean additional résumé-building wins over Michigan State, Michigan, and the Big Ten West's representative in the Big Ten Championship game. Add them to arguably the toughest road win in the nation at Penn State and that would give the Buckeyes wins over at least two ranked teams at the end of the regular season. Ohio State would need Michigan State and Purdue to be ranked after the regular season to help juice up their résumé.
The case against: Most people assume a one-loss Big Ten champion would get into the College Football Playoff but two conference champions could be left out of the playoff this year with Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame poised to finish the season undefeated. Washington State's résumé would not be as strong as Ohio State's if both teams win the rest of their games so the Pac-12 would be left out. That leaves Oklahoma and West Virginia out of the Big 12. Both the Sooners and Mountaineers are ranked higher than Ohio State when it comes to the strength of their schedules.
FOR EXCLUSIVE OHIO STATE COVERAGE: BuckeyeGrove.com
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IF THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 6
The case for: After Michigan and Georgia, Oklahoma probably has the best chance of being the fourth team to make this year's College Football Playoff. If Oklahoma runs the table it'll have one win over Iowa State and potentially two wins over West Virginia in back-to-back weeks. The Selection Committee will have a tough decision to make on how harshly to judge Oklahoma for its three-point loss to Texas at a neutral site. It could be viewed as the best "good" loss of any of the teams vying for that fourth playoff spot.
The case against: Oklahoma's résumé will have a hard time standing up to Michigan's if that becomes the debate. The Wolverines will have better wins over ranked opponents and its loss will have come against higher-ranked opponent than Texas. Oklahoma's imperfect conference record is a glaring weakness when compared to a potential Big Ten champion coming out of the very strong Big Ten East division.
FOR EXCLUSIVE OKLAHOMA COVERAGE: SoonerScoop.com
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IF THE WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 8
The case for: Washington State might have the toughest road of the one-loss teams to get to the College Football Playoff but its's not because of anything that was within its control this season. Winning out for the Cougars would require a win over a dangerous Arizona team, a win against Washington in the Apple Cup at the end of the season and beating the Pac-12 South's representative in the league championship game. Having wins over three ranked teams and a conference championship could put Washington State's résumé on par with some of the other one-loss teams aiming to make the College Football Playoff. It's also important that USC wins a couple more games to make Washington State's loss to the Trojans not look as bad.
The best case scenario for Washington State would be if it wins out, Georgia wins out and the rest of the one-loss teams lose. That would push the Selection Committee to decide between a one-loss conference champion (Washington State) or a one-loss Alabama team that could end the season with one or two wins against ranked opponents. The argument could be made that the Selection Committee would be boxed in by its own guidelines and have to choose Washington State.
The case against: The Pac-12 is arguably the weakest of the Power Five conferences and Washington State's strength of schedule does not rank high. If the Cougars do win out the Pac-12 would probably still be shut out of the College Football Playoffs if Michigan, Oklahoma or West Virginia win the rest of their games.
FOR EXCLUSIVE WAZZU COVERAGE: WazzuWatch.com
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IF THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS WIN OUT ...
Current CFB Playoff Ranking: No. 9
The case for them if they win-out: The Mountaineers and Oklahoma are in very similar positions. If West Virginia wins out it will have three wins over ranked teams and, if it faces Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, two of those wins will have come in back-to-back weeks. The loss at Iowa State doesn't look great but as long as they Cyclones remain a ranked team, there won't be much of a difference between West Virginia's résumé and the rest of the teams the Selection Committee will be considering. Three wins against ranked opponents and their only loss coming to a ranked opponent on the road gives the Mountaineers a strong case for the College Football Playoff.
The case against them if they win-out: West Virginia's résumé, if it wins out, will still lack a little luster if Michigan or Georgia also win out. Also of note is the missed opportunity that came with cancelling the game with N.C. State. The Wolfpack are a solid team that will likely be ranked after the season and beating them would have been a nice boost to their résumé.
FOR EXCLUSIVE WEST VIRGINIA COVERAGE: WVSports.com
