College Football Playoff rankings: 4 teams to keep an eye on

In the chaotic climate of the 2020 college football season, the College Football Playoff rankings could soon become a complicated mess.

Alabama (8-0), Notre Dame (9-0), Clemson (7-1), and Ohio State (4-0) should retain their top four positioning for a second straight week, but a handful of undefeated and one-loss teams are capable of turning the tables by the end of the season.

Before Tuesday night’s latest rankings reveal, let’s look at four teams outside the top four to keep an eye in the College Football Playoff hunt.

Florida Gators (7-1)

The only team playing better than Florida in the SEC at the moment is No. 1 Alabama. With Heisman frontrunner Kyle Trask at the helm of the offense, the Gators are averaging the second-most passing yards in college football behind UCF, and the 10th most points per game (43.4).

A narrow loss to Texas A&M back on Oct. 10 hurt Florida, but Dan Mullen’s team can win out the remainder of its schedule (against Tennessee and LSU) and reach the SEC Championship Game to play the Crimson Tide.

While Florida’s defense has its issues, particularly against the run, Alabama has yet to face a quarterback as good as Trask.

The senior signal-caller could find himself in a thrilling shootout with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and guarantee the Gators a playoff berth with a win.   

Texas A&M Aggies (6-1)

Texas A&M’s lone loss of the season came in a blowout at Alabama back in early October. The Aggies now sit in second in the SEC West and are eliminated from the conference title game, even if Alabama somehow loses its only matchup left on the schedule, at LSU.  

The Aggies can still make the playoff, though, if the Crimson Tide were to fall to the Tigers, then lose the SEC Championship Game.

A less likely, but potential scenario: The committee gives A&M the No. 4 spot if the Aggies win in dominant fashion against No. 22 Auburn and Tennessee, and Alabama crushes its SEC Championship Game opponent.

Should that happen, A&M’s loss to the Crimson Tide would look a little less damaging and may convince the committee a two-SEC-team playoff is justified.  

Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0)

Cincinnati is in the same boat as BYU. Both teams are undefeated, but neither has played a Power 5 opponent.

With just one regular-season game against No. 25 Tulsa remaining, there isn’t much room for Cincinnati to boost its résumé. Unless, of course, BYU agreed to play Cincy on Dec. 5, an open date on both teams’ schedules.

As of Tuesday, that isn’t going to happen, and BYU already declined an invitation to play Pac-12 member Washington.

The Cougars are less likely to crack the top four, but Cincinnati isn’t far removed from a playoff spot.

In the first rankings, the Bearcats landed in seventh. They scored a win over then-No. 22 Army, a team BYU was supposed to play, until the game was postponed. Cincy also handily defeated then No. 16 SMU, 42-13.

A lot has to go wrong for other teams in order for Cincinnati to make the playoff, but it’s not out of the question.

Should Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame win out and Clemson loses in the ACC Championship Game, the Bearcats could sneak in the top four.

A Group of 5 team has never competed in the College Football Playoff, but in 2020, everything is on the table.

USC Trojans (3-0)

The chances of any Pac-12 team getting a CFP bid are slim because of the conference’s delayed start to the season, but there is a scenario in which USC could steal a top four spot.

The No. 17 Trojans are undefeated, albeit barely, with a one-point win over Arizona State, a four-point win at Arizona, and a 16-point victory at Utah.

All three of those opponents are winless, which does nothing for USC’s résumé. The Trojans’ game against 2-0 Colorado was also cancelled because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The only two matchups remaining on USC’s schedule are Sunday against 1-1 Washington State and a road date with 2-2 UCLA.

If USC can go 5-0 in the regular season and defeat a potentially undefeated Washington or a ranked Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game, the committee might take notice.

It's a bit far-fetched for a team with a six-game schedule to knock out an undefeated Cincinnati, BYU, or one-loss SEC team. However, it's still worth keeping an eye on, because the Pac-12 has Power 5 status, and that goes a long way with the College Football Playoff committee.  

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