The college football season is coming down to the wire, with just two weeks of regular season action remaining. Some teams are looking to make a push for their conference championship and maybe even a playoff spot, while others are just hoping to reach bowl eligibility. This weekend is dubbed “cupcake Saturday” in the SEC with several teams playing cupcakes a week ahead of their big rivalry game. However, this weekend has its fair share of marquee matchups that will have a big impact on the playoff picture going forward. 

The biggest matchup this Saturday will take place in Columbus as the Buckeyes host Michigan State in what will serve as an elimination game for the playoff. Even with their win over Michigan, a second loss in Big Ten play would knock Sparty out of the Big Ten championship discussion, and out of the playoff discussion. Although the Buckeyes are undefeated in Big Ten competition, a loss to Michigan State would likely end Ohio State’s playoff hopes. Even if Ohio State beats Michigan that won’t be enough to get back in the top four without a conference championship. 

Oregon and Cincinnati are on upset watch this weekend as the Ducks travel to Salt Lake City to take on a sneaky good Utah team, and the Bearcats host an offensive juggernaut in SMU. Oregon has looked less than spectacular since their Ohio State win and lost to a Stanford team that is vastly inferior to this Utah squad. The Ducks are clinging on to that win over the Buckeyes and that is the only thing keeping them in the top four, though the Ducks have no room for error. Utah is looking for revenge after Oregon ended their Cinderella run in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship. Cincinnati remains the fifth ranked team in the nation and could use a quality win after some lackluster performances in recent weeks. The Notre Dame win was nice, though the Bearcats could afford to beef up their resume with wins over SMU and now-ranked Houston in the AAC title game. The playoff race is still very much up in the air, but we do have some clarity with a few weeks of action remaining. 

After last week I can comfortably say that Georgia is a lock for the playoff. The Bulldogs have separated themselves from the pack with four ranked wins this season and the Dawgs are a lock for the playoff even if they lose to Bama in Atlanta. As for the Crimson Tide, the question remains can they make it in with a second loss to Georgia. There actually is a path for Alabama that involves Ohio State beating Michigan State and Michigan then losing in the Big Ten Championship, Oklahoma State losing at some point down the stretch, and a loss from either Oregon or Cicninnati. The committee wants Bama in, and having them ranked second gives them a cushion should they lose in the SEC Championship 

The biggest takeaway from this past Saturday was that Oklahoma is out of the playoff hunt. I said when the committee ranked the Sooners eighth that it was a message that Oklahoma had no room for error due to their season-long struggles, and that single loss in Waco was enough to take the Sooners out of the picture. After the loss, Lincoln Riley’s name popped up for the LSU job and rumors have swirled that Riley could be on his way to Baton Rouge in 2022. I’m not sure why Riley would leave Oklahoma for LSU unless he was offered a massive contract to coach down in Death Valley. Oklahoma is every bit the program LSU is and with the Sooners joining the SEC, that should only help Oklahoma with recruiting. Also Riley already has Oklahoma rolling; why leave and take over a rebuild in LSU? The main reason Riley would stay is job security. Riley can coach at Oklahoma as long as he wants and will never get fired, as opposed to LSU who just let go of a coach that won them a national championship very recently. Both programs are great but you won’t get run out after a down season at Oklahoma. 

College Football Top 25 Rankings 

1.Georgia Bulldogs (10-0) W vs Tennessee 41-17, last week-1 

2.Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) W vs USF 45-28, last week-3 

3.Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) W vs Purdue 59-31, last week-4 

4.Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1) W vs New Mexico State 59-3, last week-5 

5.Michigan Wolverines (9-1) W vs Penn State 21-17, last week-6 

6.Michigan State Spartans (9-1) W vs Maryland 40-21, last week-7 

7.Oregon Ducks (9-1) W vs Washington State 38-24, last week-8 

8.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) W vs Virginia 28-3, last week-9 

9.Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1) W vs TCU 63-17, last week-10 

10.Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) L vs Baylor 27-14, last week-2 

11.Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) W vs Texas A&M 29-19, last week-12 

12.Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-1) W vs NC State 45-42, last week-14 

13.Baylor Bears (8-2) W vs Oklahoma 27-14, last week-18 

14.UTSA Roadrunners (10-0) W vs Southern Miss 27-17, last week-13 

15.Texas A&M Aggies (7-3) L vs Ole Miss 29-19, last week-11 

16.Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2) W vs Minnesota 27-22, last week-16 

17.Houston Cougars (9-1) W vs Temple 37-8, last week-17 

18.Arkansas Razorbacks (7-3) W vs LSU 16-13, last week-20 

19.Wisconsin Badgers (7-3) W vs Northwestern 35-7, last week-21 

20.BYU Cougars (8-2) Bye Week, last week-25 

21.Penn State Nittany Lions (6-4) L vs Michigan 21-17, last week-19 

22.Pittsburgh Panthers (8-2) W vs North Carolina 30-23, last week-unranked

23.San Diego State Aztecs (9-1) W vs Nevada 23-21, last week-unranked

24.Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (9-1) W vs Troy 35-21, last week-unranked

25.Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-4) W vs Auburn 43-34, last week-unranked

Dropped out of rankings- Auburn, Purdue, Coastal Carolina, Iowa State