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Purdue upsets Iowa; Cowboys survive Horns
Big games looming on Oct. 30

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

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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:

ACC

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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:

Big Ten

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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.

Key Games This Week:

Big XII

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 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:

Pac-12

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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:

Group of Five/Independent

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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.

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Coastal Carolina lost in the regular season for the first time since 2019 on Wednesday night, falling 30-27 at Appalachian State.

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