These games are all between teams that are either currently in the projected playoff field or will be in by winning all of their remaining games but are all but eliminated with a loss. We start things off with a noon kickoff this Saturday.
Elimination Games to Watch the Rest of the Season
SMU at Louisville
With the ACC perceived to be having a down year, there is no way the conference is getting two teams in this year’s playoff field. SMU has a close loss against BYU while Louisville fell last week at Notre Dame.
The loser of this contest can still find themselves in a decent bowl game but with an L the playoff dream ends. Both teams are a bit unpredictable however SMU looks to be the stronger team having blown out TCU and Florida State in consecutive weeks. We also think the Mustangs have a much better chance of winning out than the Cardinals. But the game is at Louisville so we can’t just assume that SMU will walk away with the win.
We also don’t know how much the Mustangs will have in the tank after destroying their hated rival the Horned Frogs and blasting the Seminoles in a game they wanted to show they belong in the ACC.
Nebraska at Indiana
There is a decent chance that Indiana will come into this game unbeaten. But, and it’s a big but. Both teams have to play Ohio State and neither team looks strong enough to beat the Buckeyes. It will be very difficult for either squad to get into the playoff with two losses and Nebraska already has one. The Huskers have zero chance of getting in with three losses.
We like Indiana to get the win here because new coach Curt Cignetti is already doing something special in Bloomington. This doesn’t take away from the year two strides that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule makes at all of his college stops.
Boise State at UNLV
Boise State already has one loss albeit a close one at highly ranked Oregon. However, a second loss does them in as far as making a playoff appearance goes. The Runnin’ Rebels are still undefeated and will likely need a perfect season and a conference championship to lock up a bid.
UNLV also has a difficult game the week before at Oregon State. It’s hard to imagine then winning both of these games especially since they don’t have a winning culture to rely on when things get tough. We predict that the Rebels will lose at Oregon State and rebound at home and get the win against Boise State.
However, this scenario likely keeps UNLV out of the playoff with a good bowl game as their consolation prize.
LSU at Texas A&M
Currently, neither team is ranked in the top 12 in the country but (there’s that word again) if either team wins out they are going to the playoff. LSU had a close opening week loss against USC while the Aggies lost a close one at home to Notre Dame.
There has been and will continue to be much speculation until the field is announced as to how many teams the SEC will get in the playoff. Let’s suffice it to say it will be several.
It’s also fair to say that the loser of this contest will not make the playoff as they will be competing with too many other teams for a spot and their overall resume simply won’t be good enough.
This game will be an important measure of how both coaches are doing at their new schools. It’s probably more important for Brian Kelly since he’s in his second season in Baton Rouge and he has a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Making the playoff is the expectation at LSU and while they won fire him after two of not making the playoff the pressure will certainly get ramped up.
A&M coach Mike Elko isn’t known for getting under people’s skin so he has a longer leash and he inherited the culture mess left by Jimbo Fisher. Our pick is for the Twelfth Man in College Station to help carry the Aggies to the win and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Nebraska at USC
This one comes to us in week 12 and may not be an elimination game by the time it happens but it is right now. Nebraska already has a home loss to Illinois and USC took a last-minute road loss at Michigan.
If Nebraska somehow manages to win all of their remaining games including vs. Ohio State then it’s possible that a loss against the Trojans might not knock them out. The problem for the Huskers and everyone else for that matter is how many SEC teams are getting in as we have referenced.
USC will undoubtedly be in trouble for the playoff with a home loss here not only because of the SEC problem but because they would have just lost a home game to a team that they are either competing for a spot with or a team considered inferior to them by the time the game is played.
Even with the Huskers having found a future Heisman candidate in quarterback Dylan Raiola, the Trojans should prevail here as they have too much offense compared to an improved Huskers squad.
All of these games will be exciting for the fans like never before because their teams haven’t been in the race for a championship this late in the season for quite some time.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
