Teams outside the Top 6 that could contend for a CFP spot | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel, and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde discuss teams outside the original Top 6 in the CFP rankings and their chances to finish the season in the Top 4.
Video Transcript
DAN WETZEL: All right. Let me add this to the pool of blah, if you will. OK. Right now, everyone's focused on these top 6.
How about some other schools. Again, a lot of this will sort itself out. But should these guys be more, at least in our reference point, as possible playoff teams. OK.
Oklahoma State. One loss. That loss is 3 points at Iowa State.
PAT FORDE: With a disputed spot that stopped the--
DAN WETZEL: Disputed spot.
PAT FORDE: Stopped their last drive.
DAN WETZEL: I don't want to hear about bad losses or ugly performances anymore. They all got bad losses, pretty much. Or they got ugly performances.
Oklahoma State. They got a win over Boise that's rolling. They beat Baylor and Kansas State by double digits. Obviously, they're going to get Bedlam and OU at the end.
And they'll get-- so they're going to have a chance, you know. But Oklahoma State, should they be in that consideration at this point. They're playing good football.
PAT FORDE: Yes. Yes. Absolutely.
No, I was looking at that last night and again this morning that. Certainly, I, you know, you can't say for sure that their destiny is in their own hands. But if they get to 12 and 1 and have beaten Oklahoma at least once, maybe twice, you're looking at a pretty good resume there.
DAN WETZEL: Why, why aren't they in it already. It's because it's Oklahoma State, right. And people just sort of wrote them off after the Iowa State lost. But--
PAT FORDE: Right. Yeah.
DAN WETZEL: They're not that bad Iowa State. This house Texas.
PAT FORDE: Right. Right. And what, was Oklahoma State 11th in the first playoff rankings, I think.
DAN WETZEL: Yeah.
PETE THAMEL: I believe so.
PAT FORDE: OK. Yeah.
PETE THAMEL: I believe so. And also, it's a very indistinguished team. Like, they don't have like, one of these Brandon Weedens throwing for 8,000 yards. Their defense first generally does a great job.
Yeah. They are antithetical to what we think of as a Big 12 team, that could threaten the playoff, right. They are just, they are-- it's like they flipped the script almost. And give Mike Gundy credit. Like, they are an excellent team.
But it's hard to wrap your mind around the program that's flipped identities that distinctly. And I think that does, perception-wise, hurt them. And, yeah, they almost have the style of team that is best built for the slog.
DAN WETZEL: All right, how about Michigan. They got a 4 point loss in Michigan State. Obviously, they're going to have their chance--
PETE THAMEL: Yeah.
DAN WETZEL: --too. They, they may control their own destiny. Depends on what Michigan State does with Ohio State.
But other than, you know, I mean, they had a wild game against Nebraska at Nebraska. They didn't play great against Rutgers at home. But other than that, they've controlled everything. But I don't think people are looking at them. Do they, do they have a case to be in the top 4?
PAT FORDE: So, well, I--
PETE THAMEL: Yeah.
PAT FORDE: I don't think they do at this point. I just don't see a big, big victory that they've had. My question, as you're dropping Michigan State, does Michigan State have to stay ahead of Michigan because they beat him head-to-head on the field. And I think that they've got the same record. They probably do.
PETE THAMEL: It's a great, I mean, do you put Michigan ahead because they have a better loss?
DAN WETZEL (LAUGHING): I don't, do you?
PAT FORDE: Right. I mean that's, that's, that's Ohio State. We have a better loss than Oregon. Oregon lost to Stanford, you know.
PETE THAMEL: Yeah.
PAT FORDE: Yeah.
DAN WETZEL: Michigan has essentially done exactly what Ohio State has done. Ohio State's got the Penn State victory. But it's just, it's a model mess. Fortunately, they don't play each other. So, doesn't really matter.
PETE THAMEL: Yeah. Any notion that like, Ohio State it's going to go into Michigan and roll at this point. Like, I mean, that's that, that game to me is shaping up to be a bit of a slobber knocker.
DAN WETZEL: Notre Dame, I mentioned them earlier, they keep grinding out victories. I also think they have an 11 point loss at home to UC. But that's pretty--
PETE THAMEL: Great loss.
DAN WETZEL: Great loss. Whatever that's worth. They're getting better.
And that's going to be my next team too. And I'll just put them in, Texas A&M, right. Texas A&M. Now they they still have a path here. Because if Alabama loses, if they beat Ole Miss this weekend, and Alabama loses to say Auburn or somewhere, A&M can get in that playoff. And get in that, can still win the West.
PAT FORDE: Yeah. They are getting a lot better. But 2 losses? And, yes, they lost to decent teams. But they're just decent teams.
PETE THAMEL: I mean--
PAT FORDE: You've got to do better than that. I'm sorry. Look, yes, they, they are better. They have a very, very good win over Alabama but--
I-- if, if your 2 losses are to Arkansas and Mississippi State, who are kind of battling it out for like sixth and seventh in the West, I can't give you that much latitude. Not, not, not enough forgiveness in my cold, flinty heart for that.
