By Dalton Ray–
With week seven now in the books for college football, each game becomes more and more important. Louisville entered the week at No. 7 and after the win over Duke, they move to 5-1. U of L will need some help from other teams if they want in the College Football Playoffs.
The odds aren’t in Louisville’s favor to land in the CPF over an unbeaten power-five school. Cardinal fans will need to keep an eye out for a handful of teams every week. Let’s take a look at how Louisville’s biggest CPF threats fared this weekend.
On a bye: No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Texas A&M
Close calls from OSU and Clemson
Third-ranked Clemson started the day off with a tough fought conference game with North Carolina State. In a game where the Tigers committed four turnovers, Clemson got a 24-17 overtime victory against the Wolfpack.
After forcing Clemson to punt with six minutes left, NC State worked the ball from their own 29 yard line to Clemson’s 12. A missed field goal took the game into overtime. After a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass, the Tigers picked off a ball in the endzone to finish off the Wolfpack.
Second-ranked Ohio State also needed extra-time to beat tenth-ranked Wisconsin. The Buckeyes traveled to Madison and trailed the Badgers 16-6 late in the third quarter. Led by Heisman-hopeful J.T. Barrett, OSU scored 17 of the game’s final 24 points.
Teams to watch out for
Ohio State might have ended No. 10 Wisconsin’s playoff chances, but another Big Ten team is building steam. Eighth-ranked Nebraska is 6-0 and has dates with both Ohio State and Wisconsin. With the losses of both Wisconsin and Tennessee, the Cornhuskers slid right behind U of L at No. 8. NU will play in the Big Ten championship game if they’re able to win-out in their conference.
The Big 12 seems to be looking on the outside looking the playoffs, but they can make a case with an undefeated representative. Currently No. 9 Baylor (6-0) and No. 12 West Virginia (5-0) are filling out their resume. The two are set to meet on Dec. 12 in what could be a “conference championship” if they keep their pace up. Both teams still have to play No. 16 Oklahoma (4-2, 3-0), Texas and TCU before facing-off in Morgantown, WV.
No. 19 Utah is another team that could jump into a favorable spot if they continue winning. It may be a long shot for them to get in, but the Utes still have No. 5 Washington on the schedule. They sit in first place in the PAC 12 South division and could make a strong case if they win the PAC 12 conference championship.
Side note: any team that beats Alabama, somehow, or wins the SEC will have a front seat into the CFP.
Non-Power Five schools
Teams that aren’t affiliated with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or PAC 12 have yet to play in the College Football Playoffs.
No. 11 Houston (6-1) had another close game this weekend and are just waiting for their showdown with the Cards. The Cougars’ next three opponents have a combined record of 8-10, so their biggest hope is a home win over U of L.
Now a main-stay in the national-eye, No. 14 Boise State is once again quietly undefeated. With wins over PAC 12 teams Oregon State and Washington State, the Broncos have shown they can compete with bigger schools. BSU (6-0, 3-0) seems to be on a collision course with San Diego State (5-1, 2-0) in the Mountain West conference championship game.
Photo by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal
