The College Football Playoff Committee doles out its first playoff ranking tomorrow, and it looks like their job became easy enough that they can come in late to the office. With losses to Baylor, West Virginia, and Nebraska, and wins by Clemson and Washington, four undefeated Power 5 Conference teams remain. Obviously, the first ranking will include Alabama, Michigan, Clemson, and Washington as its first quartet. There is some talk that Texas A&M should be in the mix, but including a one-loss SEC team over an unbeaten Washington, Michigan, or Clemson, would draw enough ire from the non-SEC football world that the committee would be barbecued in the media.
In the end, there is only one way to hold a proper playoff. The playoffs should be decided the same way they are decided in every sport that has a playoff–on the field. No committee should be needed to figure out which teams to invite. Politics should have no bearing on the process. It is obvious that if it comes down to it, a one-loss team like Ohio State, Alabama, or Clemson will always trump a one-loss team like Washington, Baylor, or Louisville.
The champions of the Power 5 conferences should receive automatic bids to an 8-team playoff. Or, the winners of the conference championship games should receive automatic bids. That would mean, until the Big 12 expanded to at least 12 teams and implemented a championship game, their conference would not receive an automatic bid. Also, no independent team could be eligible for the playoffs, so Notre Dame, BYU, Army, and U Mass would have to find a league or else never be eligible for a playoff spot.
As for the other three spots in the playoffs, take the Group of 5 and award the top conference champion overall, the sixth playoff spot. That would be Western Michigan as of now. Of the remaining four conference champions, give them spots 7 through 10 and have them play a preliminary “play-in” round to earn the 7th and 8th spots in the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at this in action. First, the Big 12 would have to expand by at least two teams to retain their automatic bid status. For the sake of argument, let’s add Notre Dame and BYU as the 11th and 12th teams. Army and U Mass could go to Conference USA.
Imagine for a moment that these moves have occurred. Now, using what has happened so far this year, let’s say that Clemson wins the ACC, Alabama wins the SEC, Michigan wins the Big Ten, Oklahoma wins the Big 12, and Washington wins the Pac-12. Western Michigan goes 13-0 to win the MAC and become the best Group of 5 team. The remaining four Group of 5 Champions are South Florida in the AAC, Western Kentucky in CUSA, Troy in the Sun Belt, and San Diego State in the Mountain West.
In the preliminary round, #7 seed South Florida would host #10 seed Troy, while #8 seed San Diego State would host #9 seed Western Kentucky. Western Michigan would be the #6 seed; Oklahoma #5, Washington #4, Clemson #3, Michigan #2, and Alabama #1.
After the preliminary round, #1 Alabama would host the winner of the SDSU-WKU game; #2 Michigan would host the winner of the South Florida-Troy game; #3 Clemson would host #6 Western Michigan; and #4 Washington would host #5 Oklahoma.
The debate would revolve around teams like Troy and Western Kentucky getting spots in playoffs, even if they were just preliminary rounds. But, this is the same thing that happens in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, where the champion of the #31 conference tournament gets an automatic bid, while a top ten team that does not win their league’s conference tournament does not receive an automatic bid.
In the end, the NCAA will never implement such a plan, because fairness is not part of their plan. A fair profit is all that matters, so for now, the big powers will get the benefit of the doubt for financial reasons only.
This Week’s PiRate Ratings
| PiRate Ratings |
| # |
Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| 1 |
Alabama |
135.9 |
129.1 |
135.8 |
133.6 |
| 2 |
Michigan |
128.7 |
126.4 |
128.7 |
127.9 |
| 3 |
Washington |
128.8 |
121.6 |
128.6 |
126.3 |
| 4 |
Louisville |
127.2 |
122.5 |
127.1 |
125.6 |
| 5 |
Clemson |
126.7 |
119.5 |
125.6 |
123.9 |
| 6 |
LSU |
124.8 |
119.8 |
124.4 |
123.0 |
| 7 |
Auburn |
123.7 |
121.2 |
123.9 |
122.9 |
| 8 |
Ohio St. |
121.9 |
121.5 |
122.2 |
121.9 |
| 9 |
Oklahoma |
120.9 |
119.4 |
120.6 |
120.3 |
| 10 |
Virginia Tech |
119.1 |
117.7 |
119.5 |
118.8 |
| 11 |
Texas A&M |
117.5 |
115.5 |
117.3 |
116.8 |
| 12 |
Florida St. |
119.2 |
112.7 |
118.3 |
116.7 |
| 13 |
North Carolina |
118.4 |
112.0 |
118.3 |
116.2 |
| 14 |
Colorado |
117.5 |
113.0 |
117.3 |
116.0 |
| 15 |
Oklahoma St. |
115.2 |
116.2 |
115.0 |
115.5 |
| 16 |
USC |
117.7 |
112.9 |
115.5 |
115.4 |
| 17 |
Wisconsin |
115.4 |
113.4 |
116.1 |
115.0 |
| 18 |
Florida |
114.7 |
116.6 |
113.2 |
114.8 |
| 19 |
Tennessee |
115.5 |
112.7 |
114.7 |
114.3 |
| 20 |
Baylor |
113.8 |
114.3 |
114.2 |
114.1 |
| 21 |
Pittsburgh |
115.1 |
111.4 |
114.3 |
113.6 |
| 22 |
Miami |
115.7 |
110.0 |
115.0 |
113.6 |
| 23 |
Western Michigan |
112.9 |
111.8 |
114.6 |
113.1 |
| 24 |
Stanford |
114.6 |
108.6 |
114.0 |
112.4 |
| 25 |
Penn St. |
112.0 |
113.2 |
111.4 |
112.2 |
| 26 |
Nebraska |
113.2 |
110.2 |
113.1 |
112.2 |
| 27 |
Ole Miss |
114.3 |
109.2 |
113.0 |
112.2 |
| 28 |
Washington St. |
112.4 |
109.5 |
112.2 |
111.4 |
| 29 |
West Virginia |
111.8 |
110.8 |
111.3 |
111.3 |
| 30 |
Iowa |
112.1 |
109.5 |
111.9 |
111.2 |
| 31 |
Notre Dame |
112.7 |
108.8 |
111.3 |
110.9 |
| 32 |
Texas |
110.3 |
111.4 |
109.7 |
110.5 |
| 33 |
UCLA |
110.2 |
108.7 |
109.5 |
109.5 |
| 34 |
Houston |
109.3 |
108.2 |
110.7 |
109.4 |
| 35 |
Utah |
111.7 |
106.2 |
110.1 |
109.3 |
| 36 |
Northwestern |
110.4 |
106.4 |
109.4 |
108.7 |
| 37 |
South Florida |
108.8 |
107.0 |
109.3 |
108.4 |
| 38 |
Arkansas |
109.9 |
105.2 |
108.0 |
107.7 |
| 39 |
BYU |
109.6 |
104.1 |
109.2 |
107.6 |
| 40 |
Georgia Tech |
109.2 |
105.3 |
108.1 |
107.5 |
| 41 |
Georgia |
107.8 |
107.4 |
106.9 |
107.4 |
| 42 |
Kansas St. |
106.6 |
108.9 |
106.5 |
107.3 |
| 43 |
Mississippi St. |
107.8 |
106.3 |
106.7 |
106.9 |
| 44 |
TCU |
106.5 |
108.0 |
105.6 |
106.7 |
| 45 |
Boise St. |
105.7 |
106.9 |
106.7 |
106.4 |
| 46 |
Oregon |
107.1 |
105.3 |
106.3 |
106.2 |
| 47 |
San Diego St. |
105.6 |
104.2 |
107.6 |
105.8 |
| 48 |
Minnesota |
105.8 |
104.7 |
105.3 |
105.3 |
| 49 |
Western Kentucky |
105.5 |
102.9 |
106.8 |
105.1 |
| 50 |
Temple |
104.6 |
103.9 |
105.0 |
104.5 |
| 51 |
Tulsa |
103.4 |
104.8 |
104.1 |
104.1 |
| 52 |
North Carolina St. |
104.9 |
102.3 |
104.5 |
103.9 |
| 53 |
Texas Tech |
104.6 |
103.8 |
103.1 |
103.9 |
| 54 |
Michigan St. |
104.5 |
103.9 |
102.8 |
103.7 |
| 55 |
Indiana |
102.9 |
104.8 |
102.5 |
103.4 |
| 56 |
Virginia |
104.3 |
101.5 |
103.8 |
103.2 |
| 57 |
Arizona St. |
103.9 |
102.8 |
102.5 |
103.1 |
| 58 |
Maryland |
102.3 |
104.7 |
100.8 |
102.6 |
| 59 |
Syracuse |
104.0 |
100.8 |
102.6 |
102.5 |
| 60 |
Navy |
102.6 |
101.7 |
102.4 |
102.3 |
| 61 |
Toledo |
101.5 |
101.8 |
102.0 |
101.8 |
| 62 |
California |
104.6 |
97.8 |
102.2 |
101.5 |
| 63 |
Duke |
101.7 |
101.6 |
101.0 |
101.4 |
| 64 |
Wake Forest |
101.6 |
100.4 |
102.0 |
101.4 |
| 65 |
Kentucky |
101.1 |
102.0 |
100.5 |
101.2 |
| 66 |
Appalachian St. |
100.4 |
100.7 |
102.4 |
101.2 |
| 67 |
Vanderbilt |
101.6 |
98.4 |
100.3 |
100.1 |
| 68 |
Memphis |
100.7 |
98.8 |
99.6 |
99.7 |
| 69 |
South Carolina |
99.7 |
99.3 |
99.3 |
99.5 |
| 70 |
Boston College |
99.9 |
98.8 |
99.4 |
99.4 |
| 71 |
Arizona |
99.6 |
97.4 |
98.1 |
98.4 |
| 72 |
Iowa St. |
98.6 |
98.2 |
97.9 |
98.2 |
| 73 |
Louisiana Tech |
96.9 |
98.8 |
98.6 |
98.1 |
| 74 |
Missouri |
97.9 |
97.6 |
97.2 |
97.6 |
| 75 |
Central Florida |
95.9 |
97.3 |
96.6 |
96.6 |
| 76 |
Cincinnati |
96.4 |
96.8 |
96.4 |
96.6 |
| 77 |
Middle Tennessee |
95.8 |
96.7 |
96.3 |
96.3 |
| 78 |
Army |
92.8 |
99.8 |
94.9 |
95.8 |
| 79 |
New Mexico |
94.8 |
96.9 |
95.7 |
95.8 |
| 80 |
Central Michigan |
95.0 |
96.9 |
95.4 |
95.8 |
| 81 |
Air Force |
94.8 |
96.2 |
94.8 |
95.3 |
| 82 |
Troy |
93.0 |
97.7 |
95.0 |
95.3 |
| 83 |
Northern Illinois |
94.1 |
95.5 |
95.4 |
95.0 |
| 84 |
SMU |
94.4 |
93.9 |
96.5 |
95.0 |
| 85 |
Oregon St. |
96.7 |
92.2 |
95.3 |
94.7 |
| 86 |
East Carolina |
94.0 |
95.5 |
94.3 |
94.6 |
| 87 |
Illinois |
95.0 |
91.6 |
94.0 |
93.6 |
| 88 |
Ohio |
91.3 |
97.1 |
92.0 |
93.5 |
| 89 |
Wyoming |
92.2 |
92.3 |
93.2 |
92.6 |
| 90 |
Connecticut |
92.4 |
91.3 |
92.0 |
91.9 |
| 91 |
Southern Mississippi |
91.6 |
91.9 |
92.0 |
91.9 |
| 92 |
Arkansas St. |
90.6 |
92.6 |
92.3 |
91.8 |
| 93 |
Utah St. |
91.0 |
93.6 |
90.8 |
91.8 |
| 94 |
Colorado St. |
90.0 |
91.8 |
90.9 |
90.9 |
| 95 |
Purdue |
91.8 |
90.2 |
90.5 |
90.8 |
| 96 |
Rutgers |
92.0 |
89.6 |
90.6 |
90.8 |
| 97 |
Georgia Southern |
88.2 |
88.6 |
90.0 |
89.0 |
| 98 |
Kent St. |
87.2 |
89.0 |
87.9 |
88.1 |
| 99 |
Miami (O) |
86.8 |
87.7 |
88.2 |
87.6 |
| 100 |
Old Dominion |
86.2 |
89.7 |
86.7 |
87.5 |
| 101 |
Ball St. |
85.4 |
87.9 |
86.5 |
86.6 |
| 102 |
Akron |
84.2 |
89.9 |
85.6 |
86.6 |
| 103 |
Tulane |
84.9 |
88.9 |
85.6 |
86.5 |
| 104 |
Nevada |
85.3 |
87.7 |
85.9 |
86.3 |
| 105 |
UNLV |
85.1 |
88.2 |
85.2 |
86.2 |
| 106 |
South Alabama |
83.5 |
90.1 |
84.8 |
86.1 |
| 107 |
Eastern Michigan |
85.1 |
87.4 |
85.4 |
86.0 |
| 108 |
Hawaii |
85.9 |
84.9 |
85.7 |
85.5 |
| 109 |
Georgia St. |
82.7 |
87.4 |
84.6 |
84.9 |
| 110 |
UTSA |
81.7 |
88.4 |
84.1 |
84.8 |
| 111 |
Marshall |
82.8 |
86.4 |
83.7 |
84.3 |
| 112 |
Kansas |
82.9 |
88.1 |
80.3 |
83.8 |
| 113 |
North Texas |
81.7 |
84.8 |
82.5 |
83.0 |
| 114 |
Massachusetts |
80.3 |
86.6 |
81.4 |
82.8 |
| 115 |
Bowling Green |
82.4 |
82.8 |
82.4 |
82.5 |
| 116 |
San Jose St. |
82.7 |
82.7 |
82.2 |
82.5 |
| 117 |
Idaho |
79.5 |
84.8 |
81.1 |
81.8 |
| 118 |
Fresno St. |
80.0 |
83.5 |
79.7 |
81.1 |
| 119 |
Florida International |
79.1 |
83.7 |
79.3 |
80.7 |
| 120 |
UL-Lafayette |
77.7 |
83.8 |
79.5 |
80.4 |
| 121 |
Rice |
77.6 |
84.3 |
77.6 |
79.8 |
| 122 |
Buffalo |
76.3 |
83.2 |
76.9 |
78.8 |
| 123 |
Florida Atlantic |
74.1 |
78.8 |
77.0 |
76.6 |
| 124 |
Charlotte |
73.7 |
79.0 |
74.4 |
75.7 |
| 125 |
UTEP |
72.2 |
76.7 |
73.4 |
74.1 |
| 126 |
New Mexico St. |
71.6 |
74.7 |
72.5 |
72.9 |
| 127 |
Texas St. |
67.5 |
69.7 |
68.3 |
68.5 |
| 128 |
UL-Monroe |
64.9 |
69.8 |
65.2 |
66.6 |
| PiRate Retrodictive Rankings |
| # |
Team |
| 1 |
Alabama |
| 2 |
Michigan |
| 3 |
Clemson |
| 4 |
Louisville |
| 5 |
Washington |
| 6 |
Texas A&M |
| 7 |
Ohio St. |
| 8 |
Wisconsin |
| 9 |
Western Michigan |
| 10 |
Auburn |
| 11 |
Nebraska |
| 12 |
Florida |
| 13 |
Oklahoma |
| 14 |
Colorado |
| 15 |
LSU |
| 16 |
Washington St. |
| 17 |
Penn St. |
| 18 |
Virginia Tech |
| 19 |
West Virginia |
| 20 |
Florida St. |
| 21 |
Boise St. |
| 22 |
USC |
| 23 |
North Carolina |
| 24 |
Tennessee |
| 25 |
Utah |
| 26 |
Baylor |
| 27 |
Houston |
| 28 |
Stanford |
| 29 |
South Florida |
| 30 |
Oklahoma St. |
| 31 |
Arkansas |
| 32 |
Pittsburgh |
| 33 |
Appalachian St. |
| 34 |
San Diego St. |
| 35 |
Tulsa |
| 36 |
Troy |
| 37 |
Minnesota |
| 38 |
Iowa |
| 39 |
Northwestern |
| 40 |
BYU |
| 41 |
Ole Miss |
| 42 |
Temple |
| 43 |
Georgia Tech |
| 44 |
Kansas St. |
| 45 |
Western Kentucky |
| 46 |
Miami (Fla) |
| 47 |
Navy |
| 48 |
Kentucky |
| 49 |
Wyoming |
| 50 |
Toledo |
| 51 |
Arizona St. |
| 52 |
California |
| 53 |
Texas Tech |
| 54 |
UCLA |
| 55 |
Oregon |
| 56 |
Texas |
| 57 |
Georgia |
| 58 |
Maryland |
| 59 |
Louisiana Tech |
| 60 |
North Carolina St. |
| 61 |
Indiana |
| 62 |
Memphis |
| 63 |
Middle Tennessee |
| 64 |
Wake Forest |
| 65 |
TCU |
| 66 |
South Carolina |
| 67 |
Central Florida |
| 68 |
Vanderbilt |
| 69 |
Syracuse |
| 70 |
Air Force |
| 71 |
Colorado St. |
| 72 |
Mississippi St. |
| 73 |
Southern Miss. |
| 74 |
Notre Dame |
| 75 |
New Mexico |
| 76 |
SMU |
| 77 |
Boston College |
| 78 |
Ohio |
| 79 |
Army |
| 80 |
Oregon St. |
| 81 |
Duke |
| 82 |
Old Dominion |
| 83 |
Central Michigan |
| 84 |
Michigan St. |
| 85 |
Akron |
| 86 |
Georgia Southern |
| 87 |
Cincinnati |
| 88 |
Arizona |
| 89 |
Eastern Michigan |
| 90 |
East Carolina |
| 91 |
Missouri |
| 92 |
Idaho |
| 93 |
Virginia |
| 94 |
Arkansas St. |
| 95 |
South Alabama |
| 96 |
Utah St. |
| 97 |
Illinois |
| 98 |
North Texas |
| 99 |
Hawaii |
| 100 |
Rutgers |
| 101 |
Northern Illinois |
| 102 |
UTSA |
| 103 |
Ball St. |
| 104 |
Tulane |
| 105 |
Connecticut |
| 106 |
Kent St. |
| 107 |
Purdue |
| 108 |
Iowa St. |
| 109 |
UL-Lafayette |
| 110 |
Miami (O) |
| 111 |
Georgia St. |
| 112 |
UNLV |
| 113 |
Nevada |
| 114 |
San Jose St. |
| 115 |
New Mexico St. |
| 116 |
Marshall |
| 117 |
Bowling Green |
| 118 |
Charlotte |
| 119 |
Massachusetts |
| 120 |
UL-Monroe |
| 121 |
Florida Int’l. |
| 122 |
Kansas |
| 123 |
Texas St. |
| 124 |
Buffalo |
| 125 |
UTEP |
| 126 |
Rice |
| 127 |
Fresno St. |
| 128 |
Florida Atlantic |
PiRate Ratings By Conference
| American Athletic Conference |
| East Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| South Florida |
108.8 |
107.0 |
109.3 |
108.4 |
| Temple |
104.6 |
103.9 |
105.0 |
104.5 |
| Central Florida |
95.9 |
97.3 |
96.6 |
96.6 |
| Cincinnati |
96.4 |
96.8 |
96.4 |
96.6 |
| East Carolina |
94.0 |
95.5 |
94.3 |
94.6 |
| Connecticut |
92.4 |
91.3 |
92.0 |
91.9 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Houston |
109.3 |
108.2 |
110.7 |
109.4 |
| Tulsa |
103.4 |
104.8 |
104.1 |
104.1 |
| Navy |
102.6 |
101.7 |
102.4 |
102.3 |
| Memphis |
100.7 |
98.8 |
99.6 |
99.7 |
| SMU |
94.4 |
93.9 |
96.5 |
95.0 |
| Tulane |
84.9 |
88.9 |
85.6 |
86.5 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| AAC Averages |
99.0 |
99.1 |
99.4 |
99.1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Atlantic Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Louisville |
127.2 |
122.5 |
127.1 |
125.6 |
| Clemson |
126.7 |
119.5 |
125.6 |
123.9 |
| Florida St. |
119.2 |
112.7 |
118.3 |
116.7 |
| North Carolina St. |
104.9 |
102.3 |
104.5 |
103.9 |
| Syracuse |
104.0 |
100.8 |
102.6 |
102.5 |
| Wake Forest |
101.6 |
100.4 |
102.0 |
101.4 |
| Boston College |
99.9 |
98.8 |
99.4 |
99.4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Coastal Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Virginia Tech |
119.1 |
117.7 |
119.5 |
118.8 |
| North Carolina |
118.4 |
112.0 |
118.3 |
116.2 |
| Pittsburgh |
115.1 |
111.4 |
114.3 |
113.6 |
| Miami |
115.7 |
110.0 |
115.0 |
113.6 |
| Georgia Tech |
109.2 |
105.3 |
108.1 |
107.5 |
| Virginia |
104.3 |
101.5 |
103.8 |
103.2 |
| Duke |
101.7 |
101.6 |
101.0 |
101.4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| ACC Averages |
111.9 |
108.4 |
111.4 |
110.6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Big 12 Conference |
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Oklahoma |
120.9 |
119.4 |
120.6 |
120.3 |
| Oklahoma St. |
115.2 |
116.2 |
115.0 |
115.5 |
| Baylor |
113.8 |
114.3 |
114.2 |
114.1 |
| West Virginia |
111.8 |
110.8 |
111.3 |
111.3 |
| Texas |
110.3 |
111.4 |
109.7 |
110.5 |
| Kansas St. |
106.6 |
108.9 |
106.5 |
107.3 |
| TCU |
106.5 |
108.0 |
105.6 |
106.7 |
| Texas Tech |
104.6 |
103.8 |
103.1 |
103.9 |
| Iowa St. |
98.6 |
98.2 |
97.9 |
98.2 |
| Kansas |
82.9 |
88.1 |
80.3 |
83.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Big 12 Averages |
107.1 |
107.9 |
106.4 |
107.2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Big Ten Conference |
| East Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Michigan |
128.7 |
126.4 |
128.7 |
127.9 |
| Ohio St. |
121.9 |
121.5 |
122.2 |
121.9 |
| Penn St. |
112.0 |
113.2 |
111.4 |
112.2 |
| Michigan St. |
104.5 |
103.9 |
102.8 |
103.7 |
| Indiana |
102.9 |
104.8 |
102.5 |
103.4 |
| Maryland |
102.3 |
104.7 |
100.8 |
102.6 |
| Rutgers |
92.0 |
89.6 |
90.6 |
90.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Wisconsin |
115.4 |
113.4 |
116.1 |
115.0 |
| Nebraska |
113.2 |
110.2 |
113.1 |
112.2 |
| Iowa |
112.1 |
109.5 |
111.9 |
111.2 |
| Northwestern |
110.4 |
106.4 |
109.4 |
108.7 |
| Minnesota |
105.8 |
104.7 |
105.3 |
105.3 |
| Illinois |
95.0 |
91.6 |
94.0 |
93.6 |
| Purdue |
91.8 |
90.2 |
90.5 |
90.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Big Ten Averages |
107.7 |
106.5 |
107.1 |
107.1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Conference USA |
| East Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Western Kentucky |
105.5 |
102.9 |
106.8 |
105.1 |
| Middle Tennessee |
95.8 |
96.7 |
96.3 |
96.3 |
| Old Dominion |
86.2 |
89.7 |
86.7 |
87.5 |
| Marshall |
82.8 |
86.4 |
83.7 |
84.3 |
| Florida International |
79.1 |
83.7 |
79.3 |
80.7 |
| Florida Atlantic |
74.1 |
78.8 |
77.0 |
76.6 |
| Charlotte |
73.7 |
79.0 |
74.4 |
75.7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Louisiana Tech |
96.9 |
98.8 |
98.6 |
98.1 |
| Southern Mississippi |
91.6 |
91.9 |
92.0 |
91.9 |
| UTSA |
81.7 |
88.4 |
84.1 |
84.8 |
| North Texas |
81.7 |
84.8 |
82.5 |
83.0 |
| Rice |
77.6 |
84.3 |
77.6 |
79.8 |
| UTEP |
72.2 |
76.7 |
73.4 |
74.1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| CUSA Averages |
84.5 |
87.9 |
85.6 |
86.0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| FBS Independents |
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Notre Dame |
112.7 |
108.8 |
111.3 |
110.9 |
| BYU |
109.6 |
104.1 |
109.2 |
107.6 |
| Army |
92.8 |
99.8 |
94.9 |
95.8 |
| Massachusetts |
80.3 |
86.6 |
81.4 |
82.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Indep. Averages |
98.9 |
99.8 |
99.2 |
99.3 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Mid-American Conference |
| East Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Ohio |
91.3 |
97.1 |
92.0 |
93.5 |
| Kent St. |
87.2 |
89.0 |
87.9 |
88.1 |
| Miami (O) |
86.8 |
87.7 |
88.2 |
87.6 |
| Akron |
84.2 |
89.9 |
85.6 |
86.6 |
| Bowling Green |
82.4 |
82.8 |
82.4 |
82.5 |
| Buffalo |
76.3 |
83.2 |
76.9 |
78.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Western Michigan |
112.9 |
111.8 |
114.6 |
113.1 |
| Toledo |
101.5 |
101.8 |
102.0 |
101.8 |
| Central Michigan |
95.0 |
96.9 |
95.4 |
95.8 |
| Northern Illinois |
94.1 |
95.5 |
95.4 |
95.0 |
| Ball St. |
85.4 |
87.9 |
86.5 |
86.6 |
| Eastern Michigan |
85.1 |
87.4 |
85.4 |
86.0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| MAC Averages |
90.2 |
92.6 |
91.0 |
91.3 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Mountain West Conference |
| Mountain Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Boise St. |
105.7 |
106.9 |
106.7 |
106.4 |
| New Mexico |
94.8 |
96.9 |
95.7 |
95.8 |
| Air Force |
94.8 |
96.2 |
94.8 |
95.3 |
| Wyoming |
92.2 |
92.3 |
93.2 |
92.6 |
| Utah St. |
91.0 |
93.6 |
90.8 |
91.8 |
| Colorado St. |
90.0 |
91.8 |
90.9 |
90.9 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| San Diego St. |
105.6 |
104.2 |
107.6 |
105.8 |
| Nevada |
85.3 |
87.7 |
85.9 |
86.3 |
| UNLV |
85.1 |
88.2 |
85.2 |
86.2 |
| Hawaii |
85.9 |
84.9 |
85.7 |
85.5 |
| San Jose St. |
82.7 |
82.7 |
82.2 |
82.5 |
| Fresno St. |
80.0 |
83.5 |
79.7 |
81.1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| MWC Averages |
91.1 |
92.5 |
91.5 |
91.7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Pac-12 Conference |
| North Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Washington |
128.8 |
121.6 |
128.6 |
126.3 |
| Stanford |
114.6 |
108.6 |
114.0 |
112.4 |
| Washington St. |
112.4 |
109.5 |
112.2 |
111.4 |
| Oregon |
107.1 |
105.3 |
106.3 |
106.2 |
| California |
104.6 |
97.8 |
102.2 |
101.5 |
| Oregon St. |
96.7 |
92.2 |
95.3 |
94.7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| South Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Colorado |
117.5 |
113.0 |
117.3 |
116.0 |
| USC |
117.7 |
112.9 |
115.5 |
115.4 |
| UCLA |
110.2 |
108.7 |
109.5 |
109.5 |
| Utah |
111.7 |
106.2 |
110.1 |
109.3 |
| Arizona St. |
103.9 |
102.8 |
102.5 |
103.1 |
| Arizona |
99.6 |
97.4 |
98.1 |
98.4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Pac-12 Averages |
110.4 |
106.4 |
109.3 |
108.7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Southeastern Conference |
| East Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Florida |
114.7 |
116.6 |
113.2 |
114.8 |
| Tennessee |
115.5 |
112.7 |
114.7 |
114.3 |
| Georgia |
107.8 |
107.4 |
106.9 |
107.4 |
| Kentucky |
101.1 |
102.0 |
100.5 |
101.2 |
| Vanderbilt |
101.6 |
98.4 |
100.3 |
100.1 |
| South Carolina |
99.7 |
99.3 |
99.3 |
99.5 |
| Missouri |
97.9 |
97.6 |
97.2 |
97.6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| West Division |
|
|
|
|
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Alabama |
135.9 |
129.1 |
135.8 |
133.6 |
| LSU |
124.8 |
119.8 |
124.4 |
123.0 |
| Auburn |
123.7 |
121.2 |
123.9 |
122.9 |
| Texas A&M |
117.5 |
115.5 |
117.3 |
116.8 |
| Ole Miss |
114.3 |
109.2 |
113.0 |
112.2 |
| Arkansas |
109.9 |
105.2 |
108.0 |
107.7 |
| Mississippi St. |
107.8 |
106.3 |
106.7 |
106.9 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| SEC Averages |
112.3 |
110.0 |
111.5 |
111.3 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Sunbelt Conference |
| Team |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| Appalachian St. |
100.4 |
100.7 |
102.4 |
101.2 |
| Troy |
93.0 |
97.7 |
95.0 |
95.3 |
| Arkansas St. |
90.6 |
92.6 |
92.3 |
91.8 |
| Georgia Southern |
88.2 |
88.6 |
90.0 |
89.0 |
| South Alabama |
83.5 |
90.1 |
84.8 |
86.1 |
| Georgia St. |
82.7 |
87.4 |
84.6 |
84.9 |
| Idaho |
79.5 |
84.8 |
81.1 |
81.8 |
| UL-Lafayette |
77.7 |
83.8 |
79.5 |
80.4 |
| New Mexico St. |
71.6 |
74.7 |
72.5 |
72.9 |
| Texas St. |
67.5 |
69.7 |
68.3 |
68.5 |
| UL-Monroe |
64.9 |
69.8 |
65.2 |
66.6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Sun Belt Averages |
81.8 |
85.5 |
83.2 |
83.5 |
| PiRate Ratings By Conference |
| # |
League |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
Average |
| 1 |
SEC |
112.3 |
110.0 |
111.5 |
111.3 |
| 2 |
ACC |
111.9 |
108.4 |
111.4 |
110.6 |
| 3 |
Pac-12 |
110.4 |
106.4 |
109.3 |
108.7 |
| 4 |
Big 12 |
107.1 |
107.9 |
106.4 |
107.2 |
| 5 |
Big Ten |
107.7 |
106.5 |
107.1 |
107.1 |
| 6 |
Independents |
98.9 |
99.8 |
99.2 |
99.3 |
| 7 |
AAC |
99.0 |
99.1 |
99.4 |
99.1 |
| 8 |
MWC |
91.1 |
92.5 |
91.5 |
91.7 |
| 9 |
MAC |
90.2 |
92.6 |
91.0 |
91.3 |
| 10 |
CUSA |
84.5 |
87.9 |
85.6 |
86.0 |
| 11 |
Sun Belt |
81.8 |
85.5 |
83.2 |
83.5 |
| This Week’s Games–November 1-5 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Home |
Visitor |
PiRate |
Mean |
Bias |
| Tuesday, November 1 |
| Northern Illinois |
Bowling Green |
14.7 |
15.7 |
16.4 |
| Ball St. |
Western Michigan |
-24.5 |
-20.9 |
-25.1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, November 2 |
| Akron |
Toledo |
-15.3 |
-9.9 |
-14.4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Thursday, November 3 |
| Ohio U |
Buffalo |
18.0 |
16.9 |
18.1 |
| Iowa St. |
Oklahoma |
-19.3 |
-18.2 |
-19.7 |
| Georgia St. |
Arkansas St. |
-5.4 |
-2.7 |
-5.2 |
| Colorado |
UCLA |
10.3 |
7.3 |
10.8 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Friday, November 4 |
| Miami (O) |
Central Michigan |
-5.2 |
-6.2 |
-4.2 |
| Connecticut |
Temple |
-9.2 |
-9.6 |
-10.0 |
| Boise St. |
San Jose St. |
26.0 |
27.2 |
27.5 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 5 |
| Boston College |
Louisville |
-24.3 |
-20.7 |
-24.7 |
| Clemson |
Syracuse |
25.7 |
21.7 |
26.0 |
| Duke |
Virginia Tech |
-14.4 |
-13.1 |
-15.5 |
| North Carolina St. |
Florida St. |
-11.3 |
-7.4 |
-10.8 |
| North Carolina |
Georgia Tech |
12.2 |
9.7 |
10.2 |
| Miami (Fla.) |
Pittsburgh |
3.6 |
1.6 |
3.7 |
| Washington St. |
Arizona |
15.8 |
15.1 |
17.1 |
| USC |
Oregon |
13.6 |
10.6 |
12.2 |
| California |
Washington |
-21.2 |
-20.8 |
-23.4 |
| West Virginia |
Kansas |
31.9 |
25.7 |
34.0 |
| Kansas St. |
Oklahoma St. |
-5.6 |
-4.3 |
-5.5 |
| Notre Dame (N) |
Navy |
10.1 |
7.1 |
8.9 |
| Army |
Air Force |
1.0 |
6.6 |
3.1 |
| Ole Miss |
Georgia Southern |
29.1 |
23.6 |
26.0 |
| Mississippi St. |
Texas A&M |
-6.7 |
-6.2 |
-7.6 |
| Auburn |
Vanderbilt |
25.1 |
25.8 |
26.6 |
| Texas Tech |
Texas |
-3.2 |
-5.1 |
-4.1 |
| Rutgers |
Indiana |
-8.4 |
-12.7 |
-9.4 |
| Illinois |
Michigan St. |
-6.5 |
-9.3 |
-5.8 |
| Northwestern |
Wisconsin |
-3.0 |
-5.0 |
-4.7 |
| Middle Tennessee |
UTSA |
17.1 |
11.3 |
15.2 |
| Wake Forest |
Virginia |
-0.2 |
1.4 |
0.7 |
| Rice |
Florida Atlantic |
6.0 |
8.0 |
3.1 |
| Colorado St. |
Fresno St. |
13.0 |
11.3 |
14.2 |
| Southern Miss. |
Charlotte |
20.9 |
15.9 |
20.6 |
| Baylor |
TCU |
9.8 |
8.8 |
11.1 |
| Stanford |
Oregon St. |
20.9 |
19.4 |
21.7 |
| Cincinnati |
BYU |
-10.2 |
-4.3 |
-9.8 |
| Troy |
Massachusetts |
15.7 |
14.1 |
16.6 |
| Arkansas |
Florida |
-1.8 |
-8.4 |
-2.2 |
| Michigan |
Maryland |
29.4 |
28.7 |
30.9 |
| Minnesota |
Purdue |
17.0 |
17.5 |
17.8 |
| Appalachian St. |
Texas St. |
35.9 |
34.0 |
37.1 |
| SMU |
Memphis |
-3.8 |
-2.4 |
-0.6 |
| South Carolina |
Missouri |
5.0 |
4.7 |
5.1 |
| UL-Lafayette |
Idaho |
0.8 |
2.0 |
1.4 |
| UL-Monroe |
South Alabama |
-13.6 |
-18.3 |
-17.6 |
| Central Florida |
Tulane |
14.0 |
14.4 |
14.0 |
| Western Kentucky |
Florida Int’l. |
29.4 |
22.2 |
30.5 |
| North Texas |
Louisiana Tech |
-12.2 |
-11.0 |
-13.1 |
| Old Dominion |
Marshall |
5.9 |
6.2 |
5.5 |
| San Diego St. |
Hawaii |
23.7 |
23.3 |
25.9 |
| Penn St. |
Iowa |
2.9 |
6.7 |
2.5 |
| Kentucky |
Georgia |
-4 |
-2.4 |
-3.4 |
| LSU |
Alabama |
-8 |
-6.3 |
-8.4 |
| Tulsa |
East Carolina |
12.4 |
12.3 |
12.8 |
| Ohio St. |
Nebraska |
11.7 |
14.3 |
12.1 |
| New Mexico |
Nevada |
12.5 |
12.2 |
12.8 |
| Wyoming |
Utah St. |
4.2 |
1.7 |
5.4 |
(N)–Game to be played in Jacksonville, FL
| FBS vs. FCS |
Week 10 |
|
| Home |
Visitor |
PiRate |
| Tennessee |
Tennessee Tech |
41 |
| UTEP |
Houston Baptist |
16 |
Bowl Projections
The bowl outlook took a major turn this past weekend with numerous upsets bringing multiple teams into the bowl discussions. Let’s take a look at how each conference was affected.
Group of 5 Leagues
American Athletic Conference
South Florida recovered from its loss to Temple by beating Navy at its own game. This now opens the door in the West for Tulsa, which beat Memphis to move into position to take the West if they win out. Because the AAC does not slot bowl teams into specific bowls, it did not change much. Houston with two losses is out of the NY6 Bowl picture for now. The AAC has eight bowl tie-ins but appears headed to having just seven bowl eligible teams. However, SMU is getting better and better every week, so the Mustangs could sneak in as the eighth eligible team. For now, we are predicting that Cincinnati will not be bowl eligible.
Conference USA
Western Kentucky should win the East with Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion earning bowl bids from this division. The West is up for grabs, but Louisiana Tech is starting to look like the team that will emerge as the division winner. Southern Miss. and North Texas are still alive, and UTSA is a dark horse. We see six bowl eligible teams emerging, which is perfect, since the league has six bowl tie-ins.
Independents
BYU is going to be bowl eligible and get the Poinsettia bid allotted to the Cougars. With Army’s upset of Wake Forest, the Black Knights should get to seven wins and become bowl eligible. Notre Dame still looks like a team on the outside. The Fighting Irish might need to beat USC in the season finale to get to 6-6, and for now, we do not believe they can beat the Trojans.
Mid-American Conference
Western Michigan is now in the driver’s seat for the NY6 Bowl thanks to Wyoming’s win over Boise State. The Broncos have a rather easy November schedule and figure to play a 7-5 or even 6-6 team in the MAC title game.
The East has become quite interesting. While Ohio has the upper hand in the race, keep an eye on Miami of Ohio. Miami has not figured in the race in years, but the Redhawks won at Eastern Michigan Saturday to move to 3-2 in the league. If Miami wins out, and Ohio loses to Toledo and either Central Michigan or Akron, then Miami could be the division winner with a 6-6 overall mark.
The MAC will have at least seven bowl eligible teams, and they only have five bowl tie-ins. Because WMU for now is slotted for the Cotton Bowl, there will be one surplus team to become an at-large invitee to another bowl.
Mountain West Conference
Boise State’s loss not only knocks them well back in the NY6 Bowl pecking order, the Broncos now need Wyoming to lose twice in order to get a trip to the MWC Championship Game. It has been awhile since the Broncos have played at home in the bowl season, but we believe they will garner another bowl even if they do not win the league.
San Diego State is all but assured to win the West Division, and the Aztecs could be the only division team to gain bowl eligibility. Hawaii’s loss at home to New Mexico means the Rainbow Warriors are probably looking at 6-7 at best. At 6-7, UH would have preference over the 5-7 teams trying to gain alternate status to bowls.
Sun Belt
With 11 teams and just four bowl tie-ins, the SBC usually produces an extra bowl eligible team or two. We believe two league teams will receive at-large bids this year. Troy and Appalachian State are already bowl eligible, while Arkansas State and Georgia Southern in good shape. South Alabama and either Idaho or Louisiana-Lafayette should give the league a couple of at-large candidates.
Power 5 Leagues
Atlantic Coast Conference
Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville in the Atlantic and North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh in the Coastal are assured of bowls, but after that, it is a jumbled race. For now, we believe Miami, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech will become bowl eligible, but North Carolina State, Boston College, Syracuse, and Duke will not. We also believe Duke may fall to 4-8, taking the Blue Devils out of the 5-7 bowl sweepstakes, where they hold the APR Ace card. Boston College has a fat APR score and could get in at 5-7. Overall, we see nine bowl teams from this league. Because Clemson should get a playoff spot and Louisville is safe as a NY6 Bowl team, and because there is a chance that either North Carolina or Virginia Tech could sneak into the Cotton Bowl picture, this league will not supply all its contracted bowls with teams.
Big 12 Conference
With the two undefeated teams losing this past weekend, it is almost impossible now for a team from this league to make the Playoffs. It is the price the Big 12 pays for not expanding (and as some believe because Texas says no expansion). As of today, we have the league champion going to the Sugar Bowl, and no other team should earn an NY6 bid. With Texas and Texas Tech winning, this now makes a strong case for seven bowl eligible teams (TCU dropping out for now) for seven bowls.
Big Ten Conference
Can Michigan win at the Giant Horseshoe? We believe the Wolverines are now considerably better than Ohio State, and we cannot see a West Division team staying within two touchdowns of the Maize and Blue. Jim Harbaugh has his alma mater looking much like it did back in the Bo Schembechler 1970’s.
Should Michigan hand Ohio State that season-ending loss, and should Penn State win out, the Nittany Lions could be the Rose Bowl’s choice over a multiple loss West Division champion.
We are looking at 10 bowl eligible teams in this league, but we also believe three teams will be in the NY6, meaning the league will come up one team short for its bowl obligations.
Pac-12 Conference
With Washington’s win at Utah, we now show the Huskies going to the Palouse and beating rival Washington State in the season finale. In the South, Colorado controls its own destiny with a favorable schedule, but they will have to beat Utah in Boulder on the final weekend.
We show UCLA, Cal, and Oregon falling short, while Arizona State recovers to gain bowl eligibility. This leads to seven bowl eligible teams for eight spots (one playoff and seven bowls), so the Cactus Bowl would have to find another team.
Southeastern Conference
In what was an interesting turn of events this past weekend in the East Division, South Carolina upset Tennessee and Kentucky won at Missouri. Florida now controls its own destiny in the division, but if the Gators lose to Arkansas and LSU on the road, and Kentucky beats fading Georgia and Tennessee teams, the Wildcats would be the major shocking surprise winner in the division!
Alabama plays at LSU this weekend, and we just cannot see the Tigers winning this game. The Tide get Auburn at home, so it looks like a march to the top seed for the Saban Dynasty.
We have added South Carolina to the Bowl list this week, and with Kentucky now 99% assured of gaining bowl eligibility, that brings the SEC to 11 bowl eligible teams, which means they will supply a team for every bowl tie-in.
The 7-loss Alternate Teams
This week, we have 78 teams gaining bowl eligibility. We have Hawaii at 6-7, so the Rainbow Warriors would be team #79. The 80th team would thus go to the highest APR score of the 5-7 teams. Duke would be that team if the Blue Devils can win two more times, but their schedule is set up for a hard crash, and thus we do not believe they will win five games.
Next up among the possible 5-7 teams is Vanderbilt. If the Commodores win one of their final four games (Missouri is still to be played), it looks like they will be the 80th team in the field. It might mean a 1,500+ mile trip out West.
| Bowl |
Conferences |
Team |
vs. |
Team |
| New Mexico |
MWC |
CUSA |
New Mexico |
vs. |
North Texas |
| Las Vegas |
Pac-12 |
MWC |
Arizona St. |
vs. |
San Diego St. |
| Cure |
AAC |
SBC |
Temple |
vs. |
Appy St. |
| Camellia |
MAC |
SBC |
Miami (O) |
vs. |
S. Alabama |
| New Orleans |
CUSA |
SBC |
La. Tech |
vs. |
Troy |
| Miami Beach |
AAC |
MAC |
Central Fla. |
vs. |
Central Mich. |
| Boca Raton |
AAC |
CUSA |
Houston |
vs. |
Western Ky. |
| Poinsettia |
MWC |
BYU |
Colorado St. |
vs. |
BYU |
| Idaho Potato |
MAC |
MWC |
Eastern Mich. |
vs. |
Wyoming |
| Bahamas |
AAC/CUSA |
MAC/CUSA |
South Florida |
vs. |
Toledo |
| Armed Forces |
Navy |
Big 12 |
Navy |
vs. |
Texas Tech |
| Dollar General |
MAC |
SBC |
Ohio U |
vs. |
Arkansas St. |
| Hawaii |
CUSA |
MWC |
Middle Tenn. |
vs. |
Boise St. |
| St. Petersburg |
AAC |
ACC/ND |
Memphis |
vs. |
Miami (Fla.) |
| Quick Lane |
ACC/ND |
Big Ten |
[Akron] |
vs. |
Indiana |
| Independence |
SEC |
ACC/ND |
Ole Miss |
vs. |
[Idaho] |
| Heart of Dallas |
Big Ten |
CUSA |
{Hawaii} |
vs. |
Sou. Miss. |
| Military |
ACC/ND |
AAC |
[Army] |
vs. |
Tulsa |
| Holiday |
Big Ten |
Pac-12 |
Minnesota |
vs. |
Utah |
| Cactus |
Big 12 |
Pac-12 |
Kansas St. |
vs. |
{Vanderbilt} |
| Pinstripe |
ACC/ND |
Big Ten |
Pittsburgh |
vs. |
Maryland |
| Russell Athletic |
ACC/ND |
Big 12 |
Va. Tech |
vs. |
Oklahoma St. |
| Foster Farms |
Big Ten |
Pac-12 |
Iowa |
vs. |
Wash. St. |
| Texas |
Big 12 |
SEC |
West Virginia |
vs. |
Tennessee |
| Birmingham |
AAC |
SEC |
[Ga. Sou.] |
vs. |
S. Carolina |
| Belk |
ACC/ND |
SEC |
Wake Forest |
vs. |
Florida |
| Alamo |
Big 12 |
Pac-12 |
Baylor |
vs. |
USC |
| Liberty |
Big 12 |
SEC |
Texas |
vs. |
Arkansas |
| Sun |
ACC/ND |
Pac-12 |
Georgia Tech |
vs. |
Stanford |
| Arizona |
CUSA/SBC |
MWC/SBC |
Old Dominion |
vs. |
Air Force |
| Music City |
ACC/ND/B10 |
SEC |
Northwestern |
vs. |
Georgia |
| Orange |
ACC/ND |
B10/SEC |
Louisville |
vs. |
Nebraska |
| Citrus |
ACC/ND/B10 |
SEC |
Wisconsin |
vs. |
Auburn |
| TaxSlayer |
ACC/ND/B10 |
SEC |
Florida St. |
vs. |
Kentucky |
| Peach |
Semifinal |
Semifinal |
Alabama |
vs. |
Washington |
| Fiesta |
Semifinal |
Semifinal |
Michigan |
vs. |
Clemson |
| Outback |
Big Ten |
SEC |
Ohio St. |
vs. |
LSU |
| Cotton |
At-Large |
At-Large |
N. Carolina |
vs. |
Western Mich. |
| Rose |
Big Ten |
Pac-12 |
Penn St. |
vs. |
Colorado |
| Sugar |
Big 12 |
SEC |
Oklahoma |
vs. |
Texas A&M |
| Championship |
Semifinal |
Winners |
Alabama |
vs. |
Michigan |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| [Team] |
At-Large Selection |
| {Team} |
At-Large Selection of projected 7-Loss Team |
