Week 9 KPI Prologue: “The Calm”

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Saturday’s schedule is the last chance before the committee has its first chance to rank college football’s top teams.

The speculation on what type of resume will qualify for the four team playoff has been rampant.  On Tuesday, a precedent (albeit a small one) will be established.  While not set in the stone, the committee will provide the speculating public some clarity as to what they value as important.

This information will shape the arguments moving forward.

This week’s calm will be next week’s storm.

The Eliminator:  Can we safely assume that a 3-loss team from a Power 5 conference will not make the playoff?  Can we also assume that a 1-loss team from a Group of 5 conference will not make the playoff?  Let’s assume both answers are yes for a moment.  If so, these 38 teams are still alive for the playoff:

  • ACC (5): Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Duke
  • BIG 12 (6): TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State
  • BIG TEN (9): Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Minnesota, Maryland, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Rutgers
  • CONFERENCE USA (1): Marshall
  • PAC-12 (8): Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, USC, Arizona State, Utah, Washington, Oregon State
  • SEC (8): Mississippi State, Mississippi, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, LSU, Kentucky
  • INDEPENDENT (1): Notre Dame

Top 10 Games on Saturday, October 25 ranked by G-Score (entering Saturday’s games)

  1. #2 Mississippi (7-0, 4-0 SEC) at #18 LSU (6-2, 2-2 SEC): Saturday 7:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. CT, ESPN
  2. #32 South Carolina (4-3, 2-3 SEC) at #3 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Saturday 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network
  3. #15 USC (5-2, 4-1 Pac-12) at #30 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12): Saturday 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT, FOX Sports 1
  4. #1 Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0 SEC) at #45 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC): Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
  5. #8 Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at #47 Tennessee (3-4, 0-3 SEC): Saturday 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
  6. #13 Ohio State (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) at #46 Penn State (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten): Saturday 8 p.m. ET, ABC
  7. #25 Arizona State (5-1, 3-1 Pac-12) at #42 Washington (5-2, 1-2 Pac-12): Saturday 10:45 p.m. ET/7:45 p.m. PT, ESPN
  8. #16 West Virginia (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) at #49 Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12): Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN
  9. #53 Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 ACC) at #12 Clemson (5-2, 4-1 ACC): Saturday 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU
  10. #52 North Carolina (3-4, 1-2 ACC) at #38 Virginia (4-3, 2-1 ACC): Saturday 12:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network/ESPN3
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