Path to the Top 4

[Mavric]

The SEC champ may not get a spot. If Georgia, Florida, or Missouri win the SEC they would not get in. That could really screw over the SEC west team playing in that game

Man, would that be fun to watch.

 

[Scratchtown]

Well..... now if we had an 8 team playoff like we should. You could just take all the power 5 champs. Then grab the next 3 you thought should be in. Certainly each conference champ would be in the top 8, right? Unless the SEC east wins the SEC...

Think about this. Best guess assuming we have the following "win outs": Miss St, Auburn, Oregon, FSU, Notre Dame, Nebraska, K-State. Leaves you with one spot for possibly 4-5 teams with 2 losses to argue. However I would seed any conference "doubles" on the same side. That way a conference rematch doesn't happen in the NCG.

1. Miss St 13-0 (SEC Champ) - Host

8. Alabama 10-2 (Wildcard)

5. Notre Dame 11-1 (Wildcard)

4. Auburn 11-1 (Wildcard) - Host

3. Oregon 12-1 (Pac12 Champ) - Host

6. Kansas St 11-1 (Big12 Champ)

7. Nebraska 11-1 (Big10 Champ)

2. Florida State 13-0 (ACC Champ) - Host

I put Nebraska at 7, because I feel that KSU would have higher seed/resume, and Bama would get last seed because of 2 losses. That would be a freakin sweet playoff. Am I right? Semifinals could be a neutral site, and obviously the finals too.

Would love that first matchup too. FSU is very vulnerable.

 

[Amac3309]

No matter what happens we will move up to at worst 11 in next weeks poll

 

[Scratchtown]

No matter what happens we will move up to at worst 11 in next weeks poll

It will be interesting to see what happens.

#9 ASU vs #10 ND

#8 MSU vs #14 OSU

#6 TCU vs #7 KSU

#12 Baylor vs #15 OU

#5 Bama vs #16 LSU

#4 Oregon vs #17 Utah

I could see teams jumping even with 2 losses. That is how dumb and subjective human brains are. Never fully operational in the objective department...specifically the Bama/LSU game. If LSU wins, they would likely jump us and Bama would also stay in front. As dumb as that is. AND...Ole Miss would stay in front of us after a stomping of presbyterian. Woopie!

Again, it'll still play itself out.

 

[Count 'Bility]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

 

[LukeinNE]

I'm just gonna throw this out there: chaos always happens in November. Always. Without fail. I think if we win out, we're in at 12-1. It'd be a very narrow miss if we're not.

 

[MichiganDad3]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

sparty didn't get to the top 4 until after the bowls

It is a travest if a one loss BIG team gets shafted for a 2nd SEC team. How can you be national champion if you didn't win your conference?

 

[Amac3309]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

sparty didn't get to the top 4 until after the bowls
It is a travest if a one loss BIG team gets shafted for a 2nd SEC team. How can you be national champion if you didn't win your conference?

So I'm guessing you hate professional sports...

 

[Count 'Bility]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

sparty didn't get to the top 4 until after the bowls

It is a travest if a one loss BIG team gets shafted for a 2nd SEC team. How can you be national champion if you didn't win your conference?

In the polls, yes.

But it was said by all the talkers after the CCG's,that had there been a playoff, they woulda been in. Hell, befre the CCG's, ESPN was showin freakish scenarios where Sparty coulda still made the national championship game.

 

[skersfan]

Nebraska level delusional has been surpassed. I listened today to a guy that thought when Utah won out (not if) they would be in the play off. It does spread beyond our borders. You are all not as crazy as I thought.

Personally, I would be far more worried about winning the next three games, than even thinking about the slight chance of a playoff slot.

 

[Scratchtown]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

sparty didn't get to the top 4 until after the bowls

It is a travest if a one loss BIG team gets shafted for a 2nd SEC team. How can you be national champion if you didn't win your conference?

So when Nebraska played for the NC in 2001. Did you hold this same opinion?

 

[Danny Bateman]

I really feel like we're sittin in a very similar situation to that of Michigan St a year. When they had 3 games left, it was a trip to Lincoln that was looming next. And that quite frankly wound up being their coming out party offensively and for their quarterback, in a very tough place to play, against a team who has owned you. Sound familiar?

Look, I know there seems to be a lot of issues. But it's all very fixable things. There is a chance. We just keep waiting for this light to come on and this team to explode on the scene. By the end of the season last year, Mich. St woulda been in the playoffs. Maybe we're that team this year. That gets that eye opening double digit win in a tough place like Madison and gets put on that "hot team" list and gets in. That would just be phenomenal.

The Count got into the Kool Aid. And I love it.

 

[Danny Bateman]

No matter what happens we will move up to at worst 11 in next weeks poll

It will be interesting to see what happens.

#9 ASU vs #10 ND

#8 MSU vs #14 OSU

#6 TCU vs #7 KSU

#12 Baylor vs #15 OU

#5 Bama vs #16 LSU

#4 Oregon vs #17 Utah

I could see teams jumping even with 2 losses. That is how dumb and subjective human brains are. Never fully operational in the objective department...specifically the Bama/LSU game. If LSU wins, they would likely jump us and Bama would also stay in front. As dumb as that is. AND...Ole Miss would stay in front of us after a stomping of presbyterian. Woopie!

Again, it'll still play itself out.

It's about to be a tremendous weekend of football. I'm stoked. I'm even almost glad we don't play this weekend so I can watch the other games.... Almost.

Based on the remaining schedules, I think this is who we should root for this weekend:

ND (toss up... @ARI has about as good a chance of tripping of ASU as LVille or @USC does the Domers. Tough to ever be pro-ND tho!)

MSU (makes for better quality W for us in CCG and eliminates OSU)

KSU (@WVU and @BU is on a different planet than @Tejas. Still ticked WVU gave a win away to TCU last weekend... Really need a TCU loss)

OU (duh, one team is ahead of us and one isn't)

LSU ( Knocks Bama out but we'll need some help from them down the road)

Utah (again, obvious... Although the wild-card in the PAC-12 is if the South champ can knock off a one loss Oregon in the title game. I don't think Oregon's path to the playoff is as sweet as some think)

Can't wait! If all that happens, we could very easily wind up in the top 10 by doing nothing...

 

[Atbone95]

Bored. Late. Don't want to do homework. So, assuming the OP is correct and those situations are what we need to have happen, I'm going to detail the games / preferred outcomes for each week (based on that scenario) so we have something fun to root for. Might be fun to add this to the OP when I'm done and cross them off if they happen.

Week 11 (Nov 8)

#14 OSU v #8 MSU -MSU Win

#12 Baylor v #15 OU -OU Win

#1 Miss St v UT Martin -Miss St Win

#10 Notre Dame v #9 ASU -Notre Dame Win

#7 KState v #6 TCU -KState Win

#5 Alabama v #16 LSU -LSU Win

#4 Oregon v #17 Utah -Utah Win

Week 12 (Nov 15)

#13 Nebraska v #25 Wisconsin -Nebraska Win

#1 Miss St v #5 Alabama -Miss St Win

#3 Auburn v #20 Georgia -Georgia Win

#2 FSU v Miami -Miami Win

Week 13 (Nov 22)

#13 Nebraska v Minnesota -Nebraska Win

#1 Miss St v Vanderbilt -Miss St Win

#10 Notre Dame v Louisville -Louisville Win

#7 KState v #23 West Virginia -WVU Win

Week 14 (Nov 28-29)

#13 Nebraska v Iowa -Nebraska Win

#1 Miss St v #11 Ole Miss -Miss St Win

#10 Notre Dame v USC -USC Win

#9 ASU v #19 Arizona -Arizona Win

#5 Alabama v #3 Auburn -Alabama Win

Week 15 (CCG) (Dec 6)

#13 Nebraska v #8 MSU -Nebraska Win

*#12 Baylor v #7 KState -KState Win

*Dumpster fire SEC -Miss St Win

NOTE: Rankings are based on Week 11 (Nov 8)

* =potential CCG match-up

Now, I know the OP has all of this - I'm just a little OCD and feel mine is easier to read

Let me know what you guys think.

Edit: Considering making this a weekly thing. Start a new thread each week - we can update the critical games based on last week's results, change rankings, and discuss match-ups / who we want to win. Maybe my first weekly thread contribution!

 

[RedDenver]

Why would we want Miss St to win? UT Martin beating them has to pretty much eliminate them from the playoffs.