Week 3: Playoff Rankings

Three weeks into the rankings, and 11 weeks into the season, the contenders are shaping up even more, and the field continues to to shrink on who we might see in the final four spots on Selection Sunday. 

The Pac-12 might be in some trouble now as both Oregon and UCLA lost on Saturday, which means USC is the only remaining 1 loss team in the Pac-12 that has a chance to make the playoff, and they have their rivalry game against UCLA to get a quality win. LSU won a close on in Arkansas, which makes you wonder if there is something in the chicken broth they had on the sidelines to help the players and staff keep warm. 

Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan all won by an average margin of over 25 points, as they cruised against overmatched teams. TCU faced a top 20 team in Texas on the road, and showed they have a defense that can slow down a strong offense, and Texas couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. 

If you were looking a the teams that can still control their destiny, or if they win out, the have a chance to make the playoff, these are the teams: Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, Tennessee, USC, LSU, Clemson and North Carolina. 

How We Voted

 

Buckeye50 Playoff Poll –

1. Georgia stays as the top team, and probably will be unless they are defeated. They have a strong resume, even with Oregon getting its second loss, but with the weight of the committees opinion of the SEC, the Bulldogs look to be the top seed if they win out, and beat LSU in the SEC championship game.

2. Ohio State and 3. Michigan remain in their same spots as last week, and will most likely stay there until they play each other next week in a game that holds a lot of weight for the playoff. They both took care of Indiana and Nebraska easily, and they both have their style of play that seem to be polar opposite of each other. That is what makes the game coming up that much more interesting, and hard to overwhelmingly say one team has the edge over the other. This week should be another week of warm ups with Marlyand and Illinois respectively. From now until that game is played, these two teams are tied together in their destiny for the playoff. There is a chance that the loser of this game has a chance to still make the playoff as well.  

4. TCU who has been playing from behind for their past few games, took control of the game with their defense, and looks to be like they could contend. The Big 12 has been more balanced this year, with a lot more teams challenging for the title with Oklahoma and Texas on a somewhat down year. They clinched a spot in the Big 12 title, and just awaiting who they will play. The path though is clear for them as an undefeated team. win, and they are in. 

5. Tennessee bounced back with an impressive win against Missouri, a team that Georgia struggled with, and put up some style points to keep Hendon Hookers heisman campaign alive. They wont play for the title for the SEC, so the best they can do is go 11-1 and hope some one loses above them to sneak in. What will be interesting to see is if the committee does end up putting them in at the end of the season, and will they rematch against Georgia or slide to 3 as a default. 

6. USC replaces Oregon as the 6th seed after winning this on a late night Friday match up, but will need some help still to get in. As a 12-1 Pac-12 champ, they have a decent chance of getting in over a 1 loss non-conference Champ, and their 1 point loss to Utah might have a chance to be avenged if they play each other again in the Pac-12 championship. What will be interested to see too is where the committee will put LSU, who was above the Trojan’s last week, but played a close game against Arkansas without the best player on the field for the Razorbacks. 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6
Coach Rick	Georgia	Ohio State	TCU	Tennessee	Michigan	USC
Gregg	Georgia	Ohio State	Michigan	TCU	Tennessee	USC
Jason	Georgia	Ohio State	Michigan	TCU	Tennessee	USC
John	Georgia	Ohio State	TCU	Michigan	Tennessee	USC
Josh	Georgia	Ohio State	Michigan	TCU	Tennessee	USC
Steven	Georgia	Ohio State	TCU	Michigan	Tennessee	USC
Trout	Georgia	Ohio State	Michigan	TCU	Tennessee	USC
Vaughn	Georgia	Ohio State	Michigan	TCU	Tennessee	USC

 

 

Here is how we voted, lets us know how you predict the rankings will go!  Who is your top 4?