Chaos Reigns in College Football—Who’s In, Who’s Out?

College football regular season officially ended after Week 13. A wild rivalry week ended playoff hopes for many teams around the country. With less than a handful of undefeated FBS college teams left in 2022 and only the conference championships left to be played before bowl games begin, many fans are left wondering what the college football playoff committee will do with its final four slots.

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Many expected both Ohio State and Michigan to both make the playoffs, after what many assumed would be a great game between the two rivals. However, Michigan ended up winning the bout with ease, outscoring Ohio State 28-3 in the second half. No matter the result of the BIG10 Championship game versus Purdue, the 45-23 win should secure Michigan a top spot in the college football playoffs. On the other hand, Ohio State’s future is much more clouded as they might be on the outside looking in unless chaos continues to reign for championship weekend.

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Heading into Week 13, a 2-loss LSU team was sitting pretty at No. 5 after defeating Alabama and had their playoff hopes riding on the result of the SEC Championship game versus Georgia. But Texas A&M had other plans Week 13 when they handed LSU their third loss of the season, ending their playoff aspirations and opening the door for teams like USC and Alabama to jump back into the playoff picture.

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Thanks to the downfall of a few teams, a 1-loss USC team managed to clear a path to sneak their way into the college football playoff picture following their 38-27 victory over Notre Dame. The only thing in their way of a college football playoff appearance is the lone team who beat them in Week 7, Utah. Should they find a way to lose to Utah once more, the committee will be panicking.

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If I had to make a prediction, I have to say the Power 5 conference winners will be Georgia (SEC), Michigan (BIG10), USC (PAC-12), Kansas State (BIG12), and Clemson (ACC). Therefore, my final four will be (1) Georgia, (2) Michigan, (3) USC, and (4) Ohio State.

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My expectations are that Kansas State will redeem themselves from blowing an 18-point lead against TCU earlier this season by allowing twenty-eight unanswered points. As a result, Ohio State earns the nod for the final spot over TCU and 2-loss teams like Alabama, Tennessee, and Penn State.