The third School Soccer Playoff rankings propelled the occasion nearer to an endgame assured to roil the plenty.
Are you prepared for 5 SEC groups?
The convention took a large leap towards gobbling nearly half the bids to the 12-team occasion when the rankings have been unveiled Tuesday night.
Oklahoma vaulted three spots, to No. 8, following its victory at Alabama. However critically, the Tenth-ranked Crimson Tide didn’t drop under the minimize line for CFP inclusion regardless of sustaining their second loss.
Add No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 Mississippi to the Sooners and Crimson Tide, and the SEC would have 5 contributors if the sphere have been chosen right now: one automated qualifier (the convention champion) plus 4 at-large groups.
Final 12 months, within the first 12 months of the 12-team occasion, the Huge Ten led all conferences with 4 bids (one automated and three at-large).
With two Saturdays remaining within the common season, plus championship weekend, there may be time for tumult.
However at this level, the SEC has a agency grasp on the pole place — on the expense of everybody else:
— The Huge 12 is gazing one other disappointing final result if No. 5 Texas Tech wins the convention championship.
Each No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah are precariously positioned given the shortage of schedule juice remaining (e.g., no ranked opponents) and the potential for groups slightly below them to maneuver up.
The probability of the Huge 12 accumulating a single bid, because it did final 12 months (Arizona State), is growing by the week.
— The ACC faces a comparable destiny with No. 13 Miami because the convention’s highest-ranked crew.
Notably, the Hurricanes are 4 spots under Notre Dame despite the fact that they’ve the identical document (8-2) and Miami received the head-to-head matchup.
However committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director who took over as chair final week when Baylor AD Mack Rhoades stepped down, stated the groups weren’t shut sufficient for the head-to-head end result to be thought-about.
The distinction in resumes, he stated, is rooted within the high quality of their losses: The Irish misplaced to No. 13 Miami and No. 3 Texas A&M, whereas the Hurricanes misplaced to 2 unranked groups, SMU and Louisville.
— And what of the Huge Ten? The third installment of the CFP rankings wasn’t far more encouraging for the convention than both of the primary two.
Sure, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana held their floor and are successfully locks for the CFP. However Oregon is No. 7, a tad too near the present minimize line (between No. 10 and 11) for consolation.
If the Geese (9-1) lose at house to USC this weekend — or at Washington within the season finale — they may fall out of the sphere.
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy famous the precedent set by the committee’s remedy of Alabama, which fell six spots after dropping at house to Oklahoma.
“If you’re Oregon, you better win out,” McEloy stated, “as a result of a six-slot slide could have you out of the sphere.
“They just did it to Alabama. They can do it to you.”
The Trojans (8-2) are at the moment on the skin wanting in. Sure, they moved up two spots, to No. 15, after beating Iowa, however they’re behind six groups with two losses.
A victory in Eugene would polish their resume, however wouldn’t it be sufficient to climb 5 positions and achieve a foothold within the subject?
Put one other manner: It’s not troublesome to examine the Huge Ten as a two-bid convention when the sphere is introduced on Dec. 7.
Add the ACC and Huge 12 champions, plus No. 9 Notre Dame and the highest-ranked crew from the Group of 5 (at the moment Tulane), and that’s six groups.
If the SEC will get 5, there could be one bid remaining for a 3rd crew from the Huge Ten, a second from both the ACC or Huge 12 or … sure, we’ll say it … a sixth from the SEC.
There are too many potential permutations to judge at this level.
However the most probably final result, by far, has the SEC proudly owning the day when the sphere is introduced.
