3 remaining matchups that could drastically shake up CFP rankings
An interesting slate of results last weekend shook the College Football Playoff tree and caused a couple of apples to fall. The way the season is shaping up, there could be a few more programs falling to the ground before things are said and done.
Here are three upcoming games from now until the end of the regular season that could flip the script on the CFP rankings.
(24) Michigan vs. (5) Wisconsin, Nov. 18
Wisconsin's strength of schedule has been the bane of its CFP hopes, but to the Badgers' credit, they have done everything needed thus far to build their case. One loss prior to the Big Ten Championship would be a death knell, however, and the team most likely to deliver that blow awaits them this weekend.
Michigan's offense has sputtered at times with Wilton Speight out of action and both John O'Korn and Brandon Peters struggling to find consistency, but Don Brown still has the Wolverines performing at an elite level on defense. Wisconsin has no choice but to poke holes in the defense that ranks third in total yards allowed per game, because anything but a zero in the loss column is something the Badgers just can't afford.
(1) Alabama vs. (6) Auburn, Nov. 25
Chances are not many people picked Alabama to miss the CFP at the beginning of the season, but those odds got a little more real when Auburn knocked off Georgia last Saturday. The Crimson Tide and the Tigers both have manageable games this weekend, so the significance of this year's Iron Bowl will be through the roof.
An Alabama victory will simplify things a bit, but an Auburn win would almost certainly give Nick Saban and Co. their earliest offseason in quite a while. The Tigers would hold the hypothetical tiebreaker over the Tide, setting up a rematch with the Bulldogs for the SEC title. The argument could still be made that Alabama should qualify as an one-loss at-large, but the likelihood of jumping over the loser of the SEC championship game is incredibly slim.
West Virginia vs. (4) Oklahoma, Nov. 25
Oklahoma was ranked below Clemson this week despite having more notable wins and a stronger loss, so any sort of setback could eliminate playoff hopes entirely. The Sooners should be favored in their remaining two games, but the season finale could prove to be tricky if they let their guard down.
Not many people can go toe to toe with Baker Mayfield in the pass game, but West Virginia's Will Grier is one who can step to the plate. The last time Oklahoma took on one of the nation's leading passers, the Sooners escaped with a 62-52 win over Oklahoma State. With a berth out of the Big 12 being all but guaranteed, Oklahoma will need nothing less than its best to make a playoff decision impossible for the committee to ignore.
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