Road to the playoffs: Week 8 college football rankings

Week 7 of the college football season gave us several games with potential playoff implications. #5 LSU hosted #7 Florida, #1 Alabama traveled to #24 Texas A&M and #6 Oklahoma faced #11 Texas, among others.

There were a host of other great games this weekend and those results have shuffled my top 10 and completely changed the college football playoff outlook.

Here is my top 10:

1. Alabama, 6-0 (SEC)

2. LSU, 6-0 (SEC)

3. Ohio State, 6-0 (Big Ten)

4. Clemson, 6-0 (ACC)

5. Oklahoma, 6-0 (Big 12)

6. Wisconsin, 6-0 (Big Ten)

7. Penn State, 6-0 (Big Ten)

8. Georgia, 5-1 (SEC)

9. Florida, 5-1 (SEC)

10. Notre Dame, 5-1 (Independent)

The road to the playoffs is pretty simple for my top seven, they just have to win out and win their conference. That could mean, if these teams lose to no one but each other, the playoff four will be some combination from my top seven. However, some of the toughest games for each team are still upcoming, leaving the door open for a group of teams to sneak back into the playoff conversation.

Georgia Bulldogs

Saturday’s home loss to unranked South Carolina was so poor for the Bulldogs. They had no reason to lose that game and should have won in regulation – shoutout to Kirby Smart’s crunch time coaching.

Now with a loss in hand they need some help getting to the playoffs. Luckily for them, it isn’t too much. First off, they need to win out. That would give them quality wins over Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M to go with their win over Notre Dame. It would also put them in the SEC Championship, presumably against LSU or Alabama.

They need to win that game, too. At 12-1 with an SEC Championship in hand they’d be a lock.

Florida Gators

Florida’s loss this weekend was not nearly as bad as their biggest rival’s, Georgia’s. Going to LSU and Death Valley on a Saturday night remains an incredibly tough task. 

Nevertheless, though it is a ‘good loss’, the only way Florida can make the playoffs, realistically, is exactly like Georgia: they must win out and win the SEC Championship.

For them to make it any other way, 11-2 having lost the SEC Championship to an undefeated LSU being the other option, they’d need Alabama to have lost to LSU and Auburn, and really all but one of the other undefeated teams to have two losses and no conference championship, which is unlikely. The same goes for Georgia.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame’s performance in the playoffs last year, though it shouldn’t, will likely play on the committee’s mind. Last year they were undefeated but got shellacked by eventual National Champions, Clemson, 30-3.

So with one loss they’ll need a lot of help, especially considering their loss to Georgia doesn’t look as good now considering this week’s Bulldogs’ loss.

What’s more, other than Michigan, the Fighting Irish really don’t have tough enough opponents to wow the committee. They would need a lot of help from all of the teams above them, and should root for the Bulldogs to win out and win the SEC Championship to add some value to their 23-17 loss to Georgia, in Athens, back in Week 3.

Oregon Ducks

Oregon’s playoff chances took a big hit in Week 1 when they chocked away a win against Auburn. They could still hope, however, that Auburn would go on to win the SEC Championship with wins against Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Alabama.

However, last week saw the Tigers lose their first game of the season, to a then undefeated Florida team. Now that Florida team also has a loss. What is more startling is Auburn did not look at Florida’s level, and Florida couldn’t match LSU. This means Oregon have to hope for a little more help to make the playoffs.

What this week’s game showed us, though, is Oregon is a tough team. Allowing just three points to Colorado on Friday night, the Ducks 2019 defense achieved something it hasn’t since 1959 – allowing single-digit points in five straight games.

Behind an uncharacteristically strong defense I have no doubt the Ducks can win out and win the PAC-12. They don’t have the toughest road, but going to Washington and to a hopefully still ranked Arizona State would present solid wins. Plus, if Utah could win out, the PAC-12 Championship game would pit two one-loss, ranked teams head to head.

If Auburn could upset manage to win two of LSU, Georgia and Alabama – which seems doubtful – Oregon would be right back in it. Thought they would still need the teams above them to drop games, ideally Oklahoma, Clemson and the eventual Big Ten winner.

Auburn Tigers

Auburn have the toughest run in of any of these teams, and though I think they are realistically going to struggle to get close to the playoffs. That run in, though, does give them the best chance of getting to the playoffs of all the one-loss teams.

All of the others need help getting there, they need other conference champions to lose, ideally, as well as winning out and having teams they’ve played improve. Auburn, in a sense, control their own destiny in that winning out would be enough.

If Auburn were to win out and win the SEC Championship – ideally against a one-loss Florida team – Auburn would be 12-1 with wins against Oregon, at Texas A&M, at LSU, against Georgia and against Alabama. If that isn’t a playoff résumé I don’t know what is.

Can they do it? I doubt it. I don’t doubt their ability to keep teams close with their defense, but offensively I don’t trust them. Bo Nix has shown promise and toughness, but he hasn’t looked good enough to beat the best defenses in the nation. He beat Oregon, yes, but he sincerely struggled against Florida when he had to pass the ball. It is only going to be tougher in the coming weeks.

Check back next week for my updated top 10 and road to the playoffs each week!