Ohio State didn't play this past week, but its playoff chances got a boost. USC looked like a team uninterested in this season in its loss at Wisconsin. Oregon lost again, this time at Illinois, and coach Dan Lanning announced that Dante Moore would be out for the season.
Arguably, Ohio State's two toughest remaining games got a whole lot easier. While they still have to take care of business on Saturday night in Los Angeles, there are other games around the nation this week that will affect the Buckeyes and their playoff chances.
(22) Arizona vs (13) Texas Tech
We've got an elimination game here in Lubbock. With the strength of the top of the Big 12 this year, I don't think a team is going to be able to get to Arlington with two losses in conference play. Arizona and Texas Tech are both sitting on one conference loss. I don't see a two-loss Big 12 team making the CFP without at least making the conference title game. Maybe Arizona could still do it, as they have a game against Utah remaining, but Texas Tech would almost certainly be done if they lose to the Wildcats.
(25) Wisconsin vs Iowa
We've got another elimination game in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is ranked in the top 25 for the first time since week 2 of the 2023 season. Iowa has fallen out of the rankings for the first time this season. Both teams are sitting on two losses, and a third would end any CFP chances.
(17) Florida vs (3) Georgia
For the first time ever, the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party moves indoors. Add it to the list of things that the decision-makers in college sports want to corporatize. This game is normally in Jacksonville, but the stadium there is undergoing a massive renovation.
The new Jacksonville stadium won't be ready until the start of the 2028 season. In the past, coaches of these teams have complained that they can't have their biggest rivalry game on campus to use as a recruiting tool. Well, this would've been a great time to do it. Instead, this year's game will be in Atlanta and next year's in Tampa.
As far as the actual football game on the field, it looked like Georgia had essentially locked up a playoff spot after their win in Tuscaloosa. That is, until they followed that up with a shocking home loss to Auburn.
Before their loss to Auburn, they could've withstood a loss to Florida and a loss at Ole Miss, whereas now they can probably only afford one or the other. For Florida, this is an elimination game. The blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina will keep them out unless they run the table.
Minnesota vs (4) Indiana
Minnesota won the Floyd of Rosedale trophy last weekend with a walk-off win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The win clearly got the respect of the entire country, as College Gameday will be in Bloomington to see the Golden Gophers take on the defending national champions.
If Minnesota can pull off the upset on the road, we can start to talk about them as a potential playoff team. They have two really bad losses, but they have a win over Iowa, and after they go to Indiana, they still play three ranked teams in November.
For Indiana, a second loss might end their title defense. They have just one win over a ranked team, and have none remaining on their schedule. The Hoosiers have the talent to go 11-1 and make the CFP, but the way their offense has performed over the last three weeks leaves a lot to be desired.
(20) Northwestern vs Oregon
Northwestern is off to its best start since 2020. It's been a huge step forward in Evanston, but they haven't really beaten anybody yet. Their best win is probably against a below .500 Penn State team. The tough part of the schedule is coming up. Here are the Wildcats' next four games: at Oregon, Iowa, at Ohio State, at Minnesota. If they can get through that stretch at 3-1, they will host Illinois for a chance to go to the playoff.
Oregon isn't the team we expected them to be, but for the most part, they still have all the talented players that I thought would carry the Ducks to a national title. I thought that, even with 3 losses, if they won out and got Dante Moore back, they would have a playoff case. With Moore officially out for the season now, the Ducks won't be able to make that case and likely have more losses coming.
(6) Utah vs Cincinnati
The Big 12 race was thrown way off course last weekend when the Cincinnati Bearcats pulled off the upset against Texas Tech. They have the chance to kill another giant this week, as the conference's last unbeaten comes to town in the Utah Utes. After a weekend that saw BYU and Texas Tech both go down, the Big 12 is certainly rooting for Utah in this one.
They can't have any more upsets if they want to get multiple teams into the Playoff for the first time. The Bearcats certainly don't care about that, as they would have a strong playoff resume if they can turn their season around and go 10-2. I certainly don't expect it to happen, but a 10-2 UC team would have wins over Texas Tech, Utah, Houston, and BYU.
(2) Ohio State vs USC
The new season starts for Ohio State this weekend. The Buckeyes no longer have Julian Sayin, who suffered what appears to be a season-ending injury in their last game at Indiana. After a bye week, the Buckeyes travel out west to take on the USC Trojans for the first time as conference opponents.
Ohio State's schedule isn't easy the rest of the way, and we've seen in the past that the playoff committee does consider how a team looks with a backup quarterback as a criterion. They need to be on high alert against a USC team that should be playing for its playoff life. If they win out, the Trojans will still make the playoff, but a loss here could send their season sideways.
Texas State vs (20) Boise State
This game won't get national attention because it's a PAC-12 game that kicks off at 10 p.m. EST, but it's a pretty big one in Boise. If the Broncos win, they continue on their track to make the CFP. While their loss at Oregon continues to look worse, I still think Boise State is in the playoff if they go 11-1 and win the PAC-12 in their first year as a member.
However, Texas State has just one conference loss. If they can win on the blue field, it throws a wrench into that conference race and opens up an entirely different discussion when it comes to who will get that final playoff spot guaranteed to a non-power conference team.
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