Apparently, Oregon did not “play to win the game.” Herm Edwards’ Arizona State team pulled the upset and severely diminished the Pac 12’s chances at getting a team in the CFP. Utah is still alive, of course, but a potential signature win against Oregon will not look as good as it would have if they had won on Saturday.
Ohio State was the big winner this week as they won the first game of a brutal three game stretch to close the season. Perhaps Penn State showed that Ohio State is not the juggernaut many thought they were, but nevertheless, the Buckeyes survived and advanced. Next up for them is going to be a desperate-for-a-rivalry-win Michigan team this week, followed by the Big 10 Championship game against what will likely be a 1-loss Minnesota team. Minnesota has a big game against Wisconsin first though.
Barring full-on chaos, the final CFP spot will come down to one of the 3 Elite Programs ranked 4-6 below. Alabama is the one team that doesn’t have to play in a conference championship game. Should they get past Auburn this week, they will be hoping for Georgia and Oklahoma to lose.
