Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
If the College Football Playoff teams were decided today, the four teams in would likely be Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma. All four remain undefeated going into Week 9, and, generally, they’ve cruised through their schedules in the first half of the season.
But if one of those teams slips up — whether that’s a wild upset, a close loss or a nail-biting win — there are a few bubble teams below them just waiting to jump into the top-4.
LSU, Penn State, Oregon and Notre Dame are the next four teams with the best chances to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor formula. So let’s look at how those teams compare.
LSU Tigers 7-0
Week 8 game: Mississippi State, 36-13
Week 9 game: No. 9/10 Auburn (6-1)
Playoff chance after Week 8: 46 percent
Upcoming ranked opponents: No. 1/1 Alabama (7-0)
Notes: Could make the playoff as a one-loss team if it’s a close one to a ranked team.
Penn State Nittany Lions 7-0
Week 8 game: No. 16 Michigan, 28-21
Week 9 game: Michigan State (4-3)
Playoff chance after Week 8: 28 percent
Upcoming ranked opponents: No. 17/16 Minnesota (7-0), No. 3/4 Ohio State (7-0)
Notes: Will probably need to beat Ohio State, win Big Ten to make the playoff.
Oregon Ducks 6-1
Week 8 game: No. 25 Washington, 35-31
Week 9 game: Washington State (4-3)
Playoff chance after Week 8: 13 percent
Upcoming ranked opponents: No. 24/24 Arizona State (5-2)
Notes: Needs to win Pac-12 as a one-loss team and hope other conferences produce one-loss champions.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 5-1
Week 7 game: USC, 30-27
Week 9 game: No. 19/20 Michigan (5-2)
Playoff chance after Week 8: 12 percent
Upcoming ranked opponents: None
Notes: Probably needs multiple conferences to have one- or even two-loss champions.
