Dec
03
2022
Some seasons, I get to end the Eliminator series with a clear four Playoff teams. Some years, there’s an obvious bubble with a needed resume comparison. This year, we’re somewhere in between. First of all, the obvious. Georgia and Michigan are in. As of this writing, Georgia is at halftime of the SEC Championship Game …
Nov
27
2022
This will be a somewhat expanded introduction to the Eliminator, because there really is only one question left for the selection committee. We know that Georgia and Michigan have locked up Playoff bids. TCU is in if it wins next week, and might even be in with a loss. USC is almost certainly in with …
Nov
20
2022
With just two weeks left in the season–and one of those weeks has a limited number of games–there is now a pretty distinct number of possible outcomes this year. In certain ways, this makes The Eliminator’s job very easy. Let’s find the most chaotic scenario we can, and ask who’s left out. If we know …
Nov
13
2022
It’s somewhat of a strange year for the College Football Playoff picture. Everyone assumes that Georgia won’t lose–at least not before the SEC Championship Game and the Bulldogs certainly look like it. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Michigan are looking at locking up a bid for the winner of The Game as long as both enter …
Nov
06
2022
Last week, I spoke about how a Notre Dame upset of Clemson could spell big trouble for the ACC. Well, Notre Dame delivered, and how. Unfortunately for the ACC, that means both Clemson and North Carolina are well behind the eight-ball in terms of having a CFP-worthy resume. Is there some good news here? Actually, …
Oct
30
2022
This year’s Notre Dame football team is, to put things lightly, an enigma. The Irish opened the season by keeping things very close against Ohio State. Notre Dame played far better against the Buckeyes than any team other than Penn State. The Irish also have some solid wins on the year. Then again, they also …
Oct
23
2022
As we go through this week’s Eliminator, we have 24 teams still alive. Of those 24, though, less than a dozen are serious contenders. It’s looking more and more like we’re on a path to some runaway playoff teams this season. Clemson has survived its biggest challenges and looks pretty likely to finish undefeated. So …
Oct
16
2022
The Eliminator is running into a bit of a problem. We still have a fair list of contenders–29 teams remaining, and a dozen of the most serious contenders–but those serious contenders are somewhat concentrated in a few divisions. We are on the verge of seeing chaos come about if we get one–let alone two–upsets in …
Oct
09
2022
We have the most eliminations of any week so far this year, as we say goodbye to 15 teams’ Playoff chances after Week 6. Eliminations should slow as we remain at the top contenders, but it would not surprise me if we stagnate at a final 15 or so for most of November. Of course, …
Oct
03
2022
This season looks like it has strong potential chalk for the Playoff. Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan all look dominant. Between Clemson, Georgia, and USC, we really could just see four teams cruise to the Playoff. Which four will those be? Of course, no one knows. But there’s a strong chance the Eliminator this season …
Sep
25
2022
I started writing at Week 3 this year, and I said the Group of 5 was out of it. Well, now the Group of 5 really is. Cincinnati made the Playoff last year off the back of an incredible season––including a win over Notre Dame and decent chaos in the ACC, Pac 12, and Big …
Sep
18
2022
Welcome to the first edition of this year’s CFP Eliminator. I would like to once again thank my friends here at All Sports Discussion for hosting it. The goal is simple: We are going to count down every single FBS team that remains in contention for a College Football Playoff bid. We start with all …
Nov
02
2020
Only once before in the history of the College Football Playoff have I ever eliminated the defending National Champions. In 2015, I eliminated the Ohio State Buckeyes after the final weekend of the season. Ohio State didn’t quite have the resume, and there were four clearly obvious Playoff picks that year. In every other season …
Oct
08
2020
As I mentioned before, this is a strange year for the Eliminator. It’s a strange year for everything, sure, but the Eliminator is no exception. Group of 5 eliminations aren’t coming at their usual more steady pace (the Mountain West hasn’t even started playing), and the Power 5 conferences are starting in such different times …
Sep
27
2020
It was obvious when they started playing two weeks ago that there were potential pitfalls for the Big 12. With a disastrous Week 1 that saw bad losses from three teams in the conference, plus a near-loss by Texas Tech to a bad FCS team, the conference could little afford upsets during the season–especially if …
Sep
21
2020
One good thing about having a season where no one knows what will happen and nothing is set in stone is that, well, nothing is set in stone. Over the first two full weeks (plus a slightly expanded “Week 0”) of the college football season, more than a dozen games have been postponed or canceled, …