Week 14 College Football: Who's In and Who's Out of the Playoff?

Week 14 of college football brought some big wins and a few surprises. Most of the top teams stayed on track, but a few upsets shook things up. Texas A&M, who had been undefeated, lost to Texas. This might not change much, though. The teams that needed to win to secure their spots in the College Football Playoff did just that. Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Alabama all won their games. This makes it likely they will stay in the top 10. The Big Ten championship game between Ohio State and Indiana is set to be a big deal. The winner will likely get the No. 1 seed and play in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The loser might still get a top-four seed and a bye. This raises the question: Do we really need these championship games anymore? Alabama and Georgia both had to work hard to beat their rivals. Alabama won against Auburn, setting up another showdown with Georgia in the SEC championship. If Georgia wins, they are likely to get a No. 2 seed and play in the Sugar Bowl. If Alabama wins, they could get a bye as a top-four seed. An Alabama loss might put them on shaky ground to make the field, but they still have a good chance. The Big 12 championship game between Texas Tech and BYU is another big matchup. Texas Tech is favored, but if BYU wins, they could steal a spot in the Playoff. Oregon, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma will be watching and waiting, hoping to hold on to their spots. The big debate is between Miami and Notre Dame. Both teams made strong cases on Saturday. Notre Dame beat Stanford 49-20, and Miami beat Pitt 38-7. The committee will have to decide if Miami’s head-to-head victory over Notre Dame should be the deciding factor. Mock’s projections give Notre Dame a 95 percent chance to make the field, while Miami has just a 1 percent chance. In the ACC, the worst-case scenario played out when Cal upset SMU, setting up a rematch between Virginia and Duke. Duke winning the ACC could open the door for James Madison to squeeze into the Playoff as the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. Mock’s projections give James Madison a 39 percent chance of making the Playoff.