There wasn’t a ton of on field drama for teams chasing for a playoff spot, but there was some drama off the field for a team that is safely in the Final Four as things sit today.
A couple of teams have some interesting narratives at the quarterback position, and that could play a huge factor down the home stretch of the season as the playoff slots are being decided.
There are still several teams that have undefeated records at this point in the season, but that will change as several of the undefeated teams are set to matchup against each other at some point.
This is how I have the playoff picture looking as of today.
The Final Four
- Ohio State
Just when we thought the Buckeye quarterback situation was getting cleared up, JT Barrett goes and gets himself into some off the field trouble. Barrett will now miss the Minnesota game, and will no longer be on scholarship for the rest of the year (not exactly sure how that affects him in the long run). Cardale Jones is now back in the saddle, and the Buckeyes are only a couple weeks away from their big matchup with Michigan State.
- Baylor
The Bears have a quarterback dilemma of their own. They have been virtually unstoppable on offense, but starting quarterback Seth Russell will now miss the rest of the year with a neck injury. The pressure now falls on true freshmen, and former five star recruit Jarrett Stidham to run the offense and guide Baylor to the college football playoff. One thing I know for sure, their pending matchup with the next team on this list just got a lot more interesting.
- TCU
It’s the Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson show. As long as those two guys are on the field for the Frogs, good luck stopping their offense. They may be banged up on defense, but the Frogs keep finding ways to make things work and they still have an unblemished record. They get the Bears in Fort Worth this year, and Gary Patterson has to be licking his chops with the Bears rolling a true freshmen out a quarterback.
- LSU
This is a huge week for Les Miles and the Tigers. They will be hitting the road to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and will be fighting for the college football playoff lives and a berth in the SEC Championship game. The winner of this weekend’s matchup between the Crimson Tide and Tigers will more than likely be crowned the SEC champs and will be punching their ticket to the Final Four. Can Leonard Fournette continue his run at the Heisman against a stout Alabama defense? We will see on Saturday.
Just Missing The Cut:
- Clemson
The Tigers have their eyes on their ACC championship and they have a chance to take a big step forward this weekend in a matchup against Florida State at home. If they take down the Noles, they will be able to coast to the ACC championship game.
- Michigan State
They are almost the forgotten undefeated team at this point. It feels like they should have several losses on the resume at this point, but they don’t. They get the Buckeyes in a couple of weeks, and that should clear up the Big 10 picture when that game is all said and done.
- Alabama
The Crimson Tide is on their way to putting themselves in position to backdoor into the college football playoff. A win over LSU this weekend would go a very long way towards that goal. The matchups between LSU and Alabama are always must see TV, and this year won’t be any different.
- Notre Dame
The Irish just keep on winning! This week they were able to hang on against a scrappy Temple squad on the road and keep their playoff hopes alive. It still blows my mind they are in this position given all the injuries they have had to overcome.
- Stanford
The Cardinal barely survived on the road against the Fighting Mike Leaches, but they got the W. Kevin Hogan showed that he can make it happen on the ground, as well as through the air. The Cardinal continue to look like the favorites for the Pac-12 title.
- Iowa
Another forgotten team when it comes to the playoff discussion, but don’t tell them that. The Hawkeyes control their own destiny and will be playing in the Big 10 Championship game barring a late season collapse.