By Jacob Horton
With last week’s unveiling of the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings, fans across the country have been hypothesizing various scenarios in which their team earns one of the coveted spots in the four team playoff. Instead of attempting to gaze into the crystal ball, these fans need to realize that there is a lot of football yet to be played and things will eventually sort themselves out.
Last week’s College Football Playoff rankings placed Mississippi State as the number one seed, Florida State at number two, Auburn at number three, and Ole Miss at number four. Florida State and Mississippi State both survived potential upset matches, while Auburn squeaked out a road victory Saturday against Ole Miss.
So here we are one week into the College Football Playoff rankings, and one of the four selected playoff teams has already been eliminated. The probable question on everybody’s mind regards who will be preplacing Ole Miss when they announce the new rankings Tuesday night.
For the few teams on the outside looking in, the opportunity to prove that they belong amongst the nation’s top four teams will present itself. For the three SEC West schools vying for a spot, an undefeated next few weeks will guarantee a place in January.
Mississippi State still has to travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, while themselves for the “Egg Bowl of the Century” versus Ole Miss on Nov. 29. Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to clash with a resurgent LSU team, while they also host Mississippi State and Auburn this month. Auburn’s road to the playoff is without a doubt the bumpiest. They must travel to Athens to take on the University of Georgia on Nov. 15, and to Tuscaloosa two weeks later to face off in the annual Iron Bowl. Each of these three teams control their destiny; only a loss separates them from competing for a national title.
So, if your team is on the fence for making this year’s College Football Playoff, take a deep breath. One of the main reasons they came out with these rankings so early in the season was so the committee that chooses these teams can get some experience. By having done this process already, come December they will hopefully know what they are doing and will select the four teams that are the most worthy of playing for the national championship. Until then, kick back and enjoy the remainder of what’s already been a thrilling 2014 college football season. Things are going to get interesting.
Contact the writer: jhorton4@aum.edu
