It’s only week 2, and the Big 10 has been virtually eliminated from the 4 team playoff race. Find out why, and if they have any kind of shot to get back into the playoff chase.
We’ll give each conference a relative strength value 1-10.
1) SEC – 9.5
The SEC had a light week, playing 2/3 of the FCS this past weekend. South Carolina did look shaky against against East Carolina, and Vanderbilt is one of the worst teams in college football. Next week there are a couple of games that will give us an indication of how deep the SEC is. Tennessee heads to Oklahoma, and Arkansas travels to Texas Tech.
Playoff Contenders
Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia
Darkhorses
Ole Miss
2) Pac 12 – 8
Oregon proved it’s an elite team with their 46-27 win over Michigan State. Mid-way through this game, I left Oregon for dead, then took some well deserved criticism on twitter when the Ducks answered the bell. USC looks like a top 10 team after winning at Stanford. UCLA is a fraud, after struggling for the 2nd week in row. They barely hung on to beat Memphis, and Washington St. looks awful. Colorado is terrible too. The Pac 12 is strong at the top, but it is not as deep as we expected.
Next week Utah and Michigan provide an interesting under the radar game.
Playoff Contenders
Oregon, USC
Darkhorses
Arizona St., UCLA, Stanford
2) Big 12 – 7.5
The Big 12 had some scares this week namely Texas Tech hanging on to beat UTEP, and Kansas State nearly losing Iowa State. The Cyclones lost to FCS school North Dakota State in week 1. The Big 12 did take one big hit this past week. Texas was humiliated at home 41-7 by BYU. This is a top heavy league with Oklahoma, and Baylor. I do wonder how good Baylor is. They don’t play a credible team until maybe West Virginia October 18.
The Big 12 has several non-conference games next week… West Virginia/Maryland, Kansas/Duke, Arkansas/Texas Tech, Iowa St./Iowa, Minnesota/TCU, Tennessee/Oklahoma, and UCLA/Texas. It’s a week where the Big 12, could close the gap with the Pac 12 or fall behind the ACC.
Playoff Contenders
Oklahoma, Baylor
Darkhorses
Kansas St.
4) ACC – 7
The ACC is the only power 5 to have avoided any embarrassing losses in the first two weeks of the season, and that counts too. In fact Saturday, the conference went undefeated capped by Virginia Tech’s impressive win at Ohio State. It appears the ACC is deeper than just FSU and Clemson this year. Virginia Tech as we said looked good. Louisville is a top 25 teams, Pittsburgh is improved. UNC and Duke are fringe top 25 teams.
The ACC needs to keep the momentum going this week. Virginia Tech can’t avoid a letdown against a dangerous East Carolina team. Central Michigan is more than capable of beating Syracuse, and USC will be heavy favorites vs Boston College.
Playoff Contenders
Florida State
Darkhorses
Louisville, Virginia Tech, Clemson
5) Big 10 – 4
What a disaster this past week for the Big 10. Michigan was boat raced 31-0 at Notre Dame. Michigan State faded late against Oregon, and Ohio State looked overwhelmed by Virginia Tech at home. The conference doesn’t have a team ranked in the top 12. How Ohio State is ranked ahead of Virginia Tech in the coaches poll is beyond laughable. To add further insult, Central Michigan beat Purdue by 3 TDS, and Northern Illinois beat Northwestern.
Some think the Big 10 can recover. I don’t. There aren’t enough marquee non-conference games left to help the Big 10′s damaged reputation. Running the table for a Michigan St. or Ohio State, is merely treading water for the conference. Is there any chance for the Big 10 to get back in the playoff chase? Of course, but they need a lot a lot a lot of help. A 1 loss Big 10 team won’t surpass any 1 loss team from the other Power 5 or 1 loss Notre Dame team.
Playoff Contenders
NONE
Darkhorses
Wisconsin, Michigan St.
The Rest
BYU embarrassed Texas this past week, and now has a very real chance to win out. If they do, why shouldn’t they be considered for the playoff? Notre Dame destroyed Michigan this past week, and must be taken seriously. The schedule is good enough even with 1 loss, they might be in the picture for the playoff spot
Playoff Contenders
NONE
Darkhorses
BYU, Notre Dame
