College Football Eliminator 2016-17: Week 8
Zero cuts this week! Easy week for the eliminator as all fourteen teams alive last week are still breathing. Nine teams won, three teams had byes, and two lost, but the losses were not enough to take Texas A&M and Ohio State out of playoff contention. Although there were no eliminations this week, there was some movement in the polls and some movement in the four playoff teams as of today. Breakdowns of this week and next week coming right up.
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The Four Playoff Teams
#1 Alabama, #2 Michigan, #3 Clemson, and #4 Washington are the four teams in the playoff right now. The Crimson Tide keep churning as they handled Texas A&M at home 33-14 with just LSU, Mississippi State, Chattanooga, and Auburn left in the regular season before the SEC Championship Game. Michigan is the team to beat in my mind, and I would personally love to see them play Alabama for the national title if it comes to that. Jim Harbaugh beats Urban Meyer from a discipline standpoint any day of the week, which is why I always had Michigan ranked higher than Ohio State. The Wolverines are becoming one of my favorite teams to watch, despite the way they always beat Florida and could possibly continue their winning streak next year at Jerry World, but that's another story. Clemson will have two weeks total to forget about their OT victory over NC State and focus on Florida State, while Washington jumps into the top four for the first time after a 41-17 thumping of Oregon State. Look for Huskies' WR John Ross to be a factor in a big game against fellow Pac-12 contender Utah on Saturday.
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Outside Looking In
Slow start for the Huskers. I get that, but no team in the Big Ten (except maybe Rutgers) should be losing to Purdue in the third quarter. They stay because we literally have nowhere else to put them. Baylor stays here because of their bye before making the short drive from Waco to Austin to take on the 'Horns. West Virginia is here because they held their last three Big 12 opponents to a combined 43 points, which is like pennies in this poor defensive conference. Boise State is here because there are no other undefeated Power Five teams, so the eighth spot goes to the Broncos after blocking what could have been a game-winning 44-yard field goal for BYU, holding on 28-27. To recap, #7 Nebraska, #8 Baylor, #10 West Virginia, and #13 Boise State wrap up the top eight.
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In the Hunt
#14 Florida - The Gators have only played one game in the last three weeks, due to Hurricane Matthew and their annual bye the week before playing Georgia in Jacksonville. This banged-up squad needs the rest though, because The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be a crucial game for the Gators (and the Bulldogs) as they fight for a possible future spot in the SEC Championship Game.
#5 Louisville - The Cardinals can only hope Clemson drops their game against Florida State if they want to play for the ACC Championship, but it is possible that they could sneak into the playoff without having to play in that game.
#6 Ohio State - You have to think Penn State was just more prepared for the spotlight than the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions' 24-21 comeback win puts the Buckeyes in a tough position, but a manageable one if they can win out, which would include a battle against Michigan.
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#9 Texas A&M - The Aggies are in a similar situation as Clemson, winning out despite not making the SEC Championship Game might be enough to get them in if champions from other conferences don't have the resumés of Texas A&M.
#17 Utah - The Utes held on for a one-score win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl, but can they continue their winning streak and upset Washington at home? If not, the Utes are eliminated.
#20 Western Michigan - The Broncos' next three opponents have a combined record of 7-16 before facing Toledo in the regular season finale in Kalamazoo. WMU did not seem to convince Associated Press they deserved to jump in the polls after a 45-31 win over Eastern Michigan, so they need a statement win in the MAC Championship Game to make any real movement and possibly find the playoff.
Eliminated
The number of teams that were eliminated this week is the same as the number of people that will be rooting for the Indians in the World Series: zero.
Eliminated in Week 7
Arizona State, Maryland, Miami, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
Eliminated in Week 6
Air Force, Arkansas, Colorado, Houston, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Stanford, Texas Tech
Eliminated in Week 5
Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan State, Navy, San Diego State, TCU, Texas, Toledo
Eliminated in Week 4
Arizona, Army, Central Michigan, Georgia Southern, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, South Florida, UCLA
Eliminated in Week 3
Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Duke, East Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Marshall, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Southern Miss
Eliminated in Week 2
Akron, Ball State, BYU, California, Connecticut, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, NC State, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Purdue, SMU, South Alabama, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Troy, Tulsa, UCF, UNLV, Utah State, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky, Wyoming
Eliminated in Week 1
Appalachian State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Charlotte, FIU, Fresno State, Georgia State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Massachusetts, Miami (OH), Mississippi State, New Mexico State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio, Oregon State, Rice, Rutgers, San Jose State, Southern California, Temple, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington State
Check back in next Sunday/Monday to find out if your team has been eliminated in 'College Football Eliminator 2016-17: Week 9'.
