The College Football Playoff is fast approaching, and in a year where the Playoff expands to 12 teams, the field will have a new look and there are more teams that can make it than ever before.
With plenty of teams still in the running, analyst Greg McElroy sees a handful of teams walking away from the field. So, further Always college footballMcElroy broke the path for several teams above the cut line to lock up his spot in the Playoff.
“They’re not locks yet, but they’re a game or two away from being a lock and to begin with Georgia BulldogsGreg McElroy said. “They are currently -1200 per ESPN BET to enter the field. They are healthy favorites against Georgia Tech and Florida. They are seven-point favorites at home Tennessee. This is a line that surprised me, right now, they are very narrowly favored against Oh miss. The game is in Oxford, Mississippi against what could be a desperate Ole Miss team. So that’s a very narrow margin to be two plays within a touchdown is pretty intriguing.”
While Georgia has some excellent wins against teams such as Clemson and TexasThe Bulldogs have one loss and a challenging upcoming schedule. That stops the Bulldogs from already being a lock, but they’re clearly getting closer.
“Their place, right now, is far from a guarantee. Their playoff berth is far from a guarantee, but they are tied with Clemson and currently hold the tiebreaker against the Texas Longhorns. So, they’re sitting pretty now, but there’s still some work to be done. I think a win against Tennessee would pretty much secure them a spot in the College Football Playoff.”
From there, Greg McElroy turned his attention Ohio State. Buckeyes have a loss to an excellent Oregon team, but as McElroy pitched, a win Penn State they would almost earn a Playoff spot. Even with a loss, the CFP is on the table.
“Currently -900 to make the Playoffs. They are slight favorites on the road at Penn State this weekend. It’s a pivotal game in the Big Ten, but it’s also hugely important when it comes to CFP seeding goals, because if Penn State wins, it would give Ohio State its second loss, and at that point, they become distant of being a roadblock to enter. the playoffs,” McElroy said.
“But if they go on the road and beat Penn State, then Ohio State sits there with one loss and would own the head-to-head game against the Nittany Lions. Then Ohio State has to take over Indian where they are 10 to 14 point favorites depending on where you look. Massive favorite against Purdue. Massive favorite at northwest. Right now, a shocking 14+ point favorite at home against Michigan. They win this week and I think they go from sitting pretty to locked in if they can get it done here on the road, barring a complete collapse against some of the teams they might face later.”
The third team McElroy assembled here was Miami. The Hurricanes are undefeated this season, but their resume isn’t as strong as other teams. I’m in a good place though.
“Currently it’s -600. They are three touchdown favorites against lead,” McElroy said. “They are four touchdown favorites against Wake Forest. They are double-digit favorites on the road against Georgia Tech and they are 17-point favorites, roughly, against Syracuse on the way at the end of the year. Even at 11-1 with a giant upset, they’ll still be in the ACC title game. If I’m in the ACC title game at 11-1, if I lose, at 11-2 am I still in a good enough position to get in? I think they probably are. Now, their track record and resume and all that stuff isn’t great, but they’re still in a really good place. So I think Miami, they’re along with Georgia State and Ohio State as teams that sit nicely.”
Previously, McElroy listed Oregon, Penn State and Texas as virtual locks to make college football this season. That leaves six teams with spots and suddenly it’s a crowded field with a lot of teams competing for a spot.
“So I’ve listed six teams right now that I think are, teams one through six, that I think are in a really good position to lock up playoff spots here in the next two weeks. So if you’re sitting there thinking, “I haven’t heard my team yet,” I know. It should feel uncomfortable for you because 12 feels like a lot and then you start to slack off and you’re like, “Wait a second, there aren’t enough places to go for teams that are indecipherable.” Because I have six teams that I just listed that I think sit pretty close to the floodgates or the floodgates,” McElroy said.
“And yet we might not have listed a team that has one loss on the season, or in some cases, is undefeated. It’s gonna be wild. I’m telling you, the playoffs get small in a hurry.”
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, November 5. Once those come out, the status of all these teams in the race will become clearer.
#Greg #McElroy #walks #path #lock #College #Football #Playoff #spot #teams #cut #line