What’s the status with the college football playoffs?
The college football we have come to love has been restricted by COVID-19 once again. Games are being canceled left and right, with some teams never finding replacement games. This is putting the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA’s) committee in a tough spot, as they try to select the four contenders for the College Football Championship. An old rule of the committee is you must have played a seven-game minimum to be eligible, but they have revoked the rule due to coronavirus.
There are many teams competing for that top-four spot: The University of Alabama,
Clemson University, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Florida. Some of these teams still have to play each other in their conference championship first, which could knock some out of the conversation. One example is The Ohio State, who are a six-win, no loss team, that is going into a Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern University.
This is where things get tricky. Teams in the south that have played twelve games, with almost no cancellations due to the pandemic, but then you have teams like The Ohio State who had the majority of their season taken away. This puts the Buckeyes (The Ohio State) in a bad position when showing their true potential. Many argue a team like them shouldn’t get into the top four because they have played so few games, and haven’t played anyone who has actually tested them. This argument is valid, as the Buckeyes haven’t been a top-four contender since the 2014 playoffs. Consistency is critical in a situation like this.
As the committee released their Top 25 a few days ago, with a strong lineup: 1-Alabama; 2-Notre Dame; 3-Clemson; 4- The Ohio State. Florida and Texas A&M are in the following positions. A huge flip in the top four could happen Saturday, with Alabama vs. Florida and Clemson vs. Notre Dame. I personally believe Clemson will beat Notre Dame in the ACC Title game, knocking out the Irish (Notre Dame) from the conversation. Alabama will reign victorious and keep the number one spot. Ohio State will beat Northwestern, no problem too. The top four at the end of week will be as follows: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Texas A&M.
As many difficulties go into ranking teams, this year has been a circus trying to accurately rate teams based on ruined schedules. The committee is doing the best within their power to assure a pleasant playoff.