Welcome to the Read & Reaction College Football Playoff tracker!
Each week, we will update which teams are still standing in the college football race, who is technically alive, but unlikely to make it, and which teams have joined the dreaded ranks of the eliminated.
SEC
In control of their own destiny: Georgia and Alabama
Technically alive but unlikely: Ole Miss and Kentucky
Eliminated: Auburn, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina
Bluegrass dreams of a top-ranked football team may’ve been dashed by a stifling Georgia defense, but the Wildcats are technically alive for a playoff spot with only one loss. The No. 1 Bulldogs continue to look the part, pulling away in the second half to cruise into Jacksonville unbeaten for a rivalry matchup with the Florida Gators in two weeks.
Alabama bounced back in a big way with a 40-point victory in StarkVegas. Is anyone more pleased with the current situation than Nick Saban? Last week’s loss to Texas A&M will ensure the Tide roster gives their undivided attention to Saban for the rest of the season as we head toward a seemingly inevitable Georgia-Alabama SEC title clash.
Ole Miss survived an upset-minded Tennessee in a hostile Rocky Top. The Rebels face LSU and Auburn to close out the month.
Key Games This Week:
- LSU at #12 Ole Miss
- Tennessee at #4 Alabama
ACC
In control of their own destiny: Wake Forest
Technically alive but unlikely: Pitt and NC State
Eliminated: Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami, and Duke.
Pittsburgh looked impressive in a three-touchdown victory at Virginia Tech, but the Panthers get a real opportunity to make a statement to the playoff committee with Clemson coming to town this weekend.
Wake Forest travels to West Point to face an Army squad that pushed Wisconsin deep into the second half. Will the Demon Deacons make a statement or will they allow Army to muddy things up with the option and keep it close?
NC State faces struggling Miami after a big win at Boston College. The Wolfpack need to win out to be a threat for the playoffs.
Key Games This Week:
- #16 Wake Forest at Army
- Clemson at #23 Pittsburgh
- #18 NC State at Miami
Big Ten
In control of their own destiny: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State
Technically alive but unlikely: N/A
Eliminated: Maryland, Indiana, Rutgers, Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and Northwestern.
A struggling Iowa fell to Purdue 24-7 in one of the biggest upsets of the season to date. However, the lone loss does not eliminate the Hawkeyes from Big Ten contention or a playoff spot…but the margin of error is now zero.
Should Michigan get by Northwestern this weekend, the Wolverines and Spartans will be set for an undefeated showdown in East Lansing on October 30. Michigan State kept the zero in the loss column by using two critical interceptions to beat Indiana in a close game on the road. Will the Mel Tucker to LSU noise distract Michigan State going forward?
Ohio State quietly has worked their way up to No. 5 in the rankings. The Buckeyes head to Bloomington fresh off of a bye week to get one test run before a massive game against Penn State next week. The Nittany Lions used the bye week to recover from their loss to Iowa. They host an Illinois team that was belittled by their head coach at his press conference this week.
Bret Bielema doing his best Mike Leach impersonation. Blame the kids and throw them under the bus publicly.
Everybody knows Illinois doesn’t have Ohio States roster. But talking about kids who didn’t recruit themselves like this PUBLICLY is gross.
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) October 19, 2021
Key Games This Week:
- Northwestern at #6 Michigan
- Illinois at #7 Penn State
- #5 Ohio State at Indiana
Big XII
In control of their own destiny: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
Technically alive but unlikely: Baylor
Eliminated: Texas, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas, and West Virginia
Oklahoma State rode the momentum of an 85-yard pick six return to jump start a 22-7 run that led the Cowboys to a big road win against Texas.
Baylor bullied BYU and a three-game stretch against Texas, TCU, and Oklahoma will dictate where the Bears stand heading into the home-strech.
Oklahoma seems to have found itself with the transition from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams. The Sooners have flirted with disaster several times so far this season, let’s see if this trend continues.
Key Games This Week:
- #3 Oklahoma at Kansas
- #8 Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Pac-12
In control of their own destiny: Oregon
Technically alive but unlikely: N/A
Eliminated: Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State, Washington, Cal, Utah, UCLA, USC, Colorado, and Arizona
Another one bites the dust. Arizona State did not survive a trip to Utah meaning the Pac-12 is dangerously close to being eliminated from the playoff field. The Sun Devils now find themselves among the ranks of the eliminated.
Oregon did manage to survive Cal despite trailing by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Ducks face a difficult road test this weekend in Pasadena against their former head coach, Chip Kelly, and a physical Bruins team.
Key Games This Week:
- #10 Oregon at UCLA
Group of Five/Independent
In control of their own destiny: Cincinnati
Technically alive but unlikely: Coastal Carolina
The Bearcats made it look easy against UCF last weekend and if that trend continues, expect Cincinnati to maintain their edge over what’s been a suspect Oklahoma team in the polls. The No. 2 Bearcats have earned that ranking and it’ll be interesting to see if Cincinnati can continue to play well enough to make a case for the top spot once Georgia inevitably does what Georgia does.
Coastal Carolina lost in the regular season for the first time since 2019 on Wednesday night, falling 30-27 at Appalachian State.
Key Games This Week:
- #2 Cincinnati at Navy
Kathryn
Coastal Carolina is not technically alive. Be real.