There are two weeks left in the college football regular season and it appears there are more teams hanging around in Playoff contention than dropping out.

No. 12 Georgia, alive and kicking. No. 17 Colorado, humming along. It’s a little tough for No. 3 Texas and No. 14 SMU, but they’re still moving on. No. 20 Clemson, hang in there. State of Arizona? Sure, come in.

The biggest thing we learned about the College Football Playoff race in Week 12 is that we’re likely heading into a debate about the Big Ten and SEC teams.

I got that Dawg in there

When asked what message Georgia sent to the Playoff selection committee with its emphatic 31-17 win against No. 7 Tennessee, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was stunned.

“I don’t know. Because I don’t know what they’re looking for. I don’t know what they’re looking for anymore,” Smart said in a postgame interview with ESPN.

I’m still convinced that a 9-3 Georgia team would have found its way onto the field, but after Smart’s team fell from third to twelfth in a loss at Ole Miss last week, it stood Smart’s team absolutely on the edge.

“I would welcome everyone on the (College Football Playoff) committee to come to this league and play in this environment. It’s a tough place to play.”

—Kirby Smart after the win over Tennessee 😤 pic.twitter.com/UvQ3J0WruY

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 17, 2024

What we’re learning in this first season of superconferences is that the SEC’s very best teams haven’t been able to separate themselves from the rest as they did when Alabama led most of the league, with interludes from LSU and a recent surge from Georgia.

Partly because those top teams are not as good as in the past. But the teams that often occupy the second tier of the SEC – notably Tennessee and Ole Miss – have also closed the gap.

Unless something crazy happens against Georgia Tech in the regular season finale, the Bulldogs should do well at 10-2 regardless of what the SEC tiebreaker throws out to determine the participants in the championship game.

Missouri was the only SEC team to officially drop out of the race, though the Tigers barely hung on before South Carolina broke their hearts in a wild affair at Williams-Brice Stadium.

There is still a possibility that on December 1, the Sunday before championship weekend, six SEC teams will be 10-2: Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M. That would require Texas A&M to beat Texas and no other upsets.

Texas-Texas A&M is starting to look more and more like an elimination game. Yes, the Longhorns would still be 10-2, but among the contenders, Texas has the least pop on its resume and would have lost both games against top-ranked teams (Georgia, A&M). The Longhorns had a tough time shaking up Arkansas on Saturday.

For the Aggies, another loss would be their third and their best win would have been against LSU (6-4). Enough said.

After a conference champion is determined, four SEC teams should remain in the mix for at-large bids. Can they all go into the field?

It will likely depend on how things play out in the Big Ten, which held four of the first five spots in the latest CFP rankings and could very well do the same in the next one.

That’s caused quite a stir in SEC country, because God knows the poor SEC needs all the support it can get.

“In our league it’s different,” Smart told reporters, adding, “Go Dogs.”

The next Big Ten game of the year

For No. 2 Ohio State, next week’s game against No. 5 Indiana could be its third top-five game of the season unless the rankings change Tuesday.

The Buckeyes are 1-1 on the road against Oregon and Penn State. They host the Hoosiers on Saturday.

For Indiana, a top-five matchup in the regular season would be first on the schedule.

The Hoosiers (10-0) celebrated their inactive week by signing coach Curt Cignetti to an eight-year contract that pays $8 million per year. Meanwhile, Ohio State (9-1) took care of business at Wrigley Field against Northwestern.

Cignetti Ink Extension ✒️https://t.co/Lcpz5m19bX

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) November 16, 2024

Oregon (10-0) floundered through a spotty offensive performance against Wisconsin, and Penn State (9-1) showcased talented tight end Tyler Warren in a lopsided win against Purdue.

That’s four teams with two losses between them, but because of the SEC’s logjam, the Big Ten’s Big 4 still have little room for error.

The winner of next week’s game in Columbus will get into the Big Ten Championship Game and become a heavy favorite in a rivalry matchup (Purdue for Indiana and Michigan for Ohio State).

The loser of next week’s improbable big game will likely be matched against at least one or two of those 10-2 SEC teams during selection weekend. The Big Ten’s mushy middle, with no other ranked teams and non-conference schedules, no Power 4 opponents, could be a problem for the Hoosiers or Buckeyes.

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No. 1 Oregon survives in Wisconsin with second-half comeback

Welcome, Sun Devils

Arizona State (8-2) is the latest guest at the Playoff party among P4 teams, winning three straight and five of six – including 24-14 at Kansas State on Saturday night.

The only path for the Sun Devils is likely through a Big 12 championship, but after Kansas upset No. 6 BYU 17-13 in Provo, Arizona State’s path to the title game is simple: beat BYU at home next week and Arizona next and the A team that hasn’t been ranked in any polls all year will play for a Playoff spot on December 7.

While Indiana’s turnaround under Cignetti likely led to national coach of the year for the Hoosiers’ head man, Arizona State’s second season under Kenny Dillingham was almost as impressive.

The Sun Devils went 3-9 last year, barely finding any offense from week to week. This year, behind a stingy defense and steady play from Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt at quarterback, Arizona State was the biggest surprise in a conference full of them.

GO DEEPER

Big 12 title race updates: Arizona State upsets No. 16 Kansas State, Iowa State holds on

All is far from lost for BYU. The Cougars are in the same spot as ASU: Win out and get in.

But their first loss is damaging. If BYU could have reached the Big 12 title game at 12-0, an at-large bid was likely still on the table if it fell to Jerry World.

That’s probably gone now, and the Big 12 will need some significant upsets in the SEC and Big Ten to get deep into the mainstream conversation.

Travis Hunter and the No. 17 Buffaloes continued to roll against Utah, and are also in full control of their postseason destiny in the Big 12.

But beware Buffs. Next up is Kansas, which has now won three of four at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Berg West vs. AAC

One of the coolest features of the expanded Playoff is the way unconnected teams suddenly become very invested in each other.

For example, the budding rivalry between Boise State and Tulane.

A Tulane-Boise State game would be pretty interesting.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) November 16, 2024

The Broncos and Green Wave have never played, but now that Tulane is on an eight-game winning streak and clinched a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship, there’s legitimate debate about which team might be the best at the Group of 5.

Of course, undefeated Army demands to be part of that conversation, but Boise State and Tulane have each played much tougher schedules than the Cadets, including some Power 4 teams.

Heisman Trophy participant Ashton Jeanty and the No. 13 Broncos remain the clear favorites to earn a Playoff spot as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions after rallying from 14-0 down to defeat San Jose State.

Tulane was the stealth candidate after losing non-conference games to Kansas State and Oklahoma in September. First-year coach Jon Sumrall’s team hasn’t lost since leaving Norman, entering the rankings for the first time this week at No. 25.

The Green Wave (9-2, 7-2) on Saturday became the first team in the country to clinch a berth in a conference title game by shutting out Navy 35-0. The result also secured a spot in the AAC Championship for No. 24 Army (9-0, 7-0). With a two-game lead and one to play, the Black Knights qualified while taking a week off. The location of the match on December 7 has yet to be determined.

Army is the more interesting Playoff contender from the AAC for obvious reasons. The Black Knights play No. 8 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium next week before wrapping up the conference schedule at home against UTSA on Nov. 30.

After the AAC title game, Army will play its traditional rivalry game against Navy on Dec. 14. That would be a week after the Playoff field is set, meaning the Cadets would have just a week to prepare for a first-round matchup, almost certainly on the road.

That would be wild, but Tulane looks like the more serious CFP contender from the AAC behind freshman quarterback Darian Mensah and defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins.

Boise State is one win away from clinching a spot in the Mountain West title game, and surprisingly, Colorado State controls its fate for the other spot.

It would be best for the conference if UNLV (8-2) can somehow get past the Rams, who play neither Boise nor UNLV in the regular season. The Rebels would have a case for a Playoff spot if they could win a postseason rematch with the Broncos.

Good times in the G5 and certainly more interesting than playing for a spot in a bowl game that starts at noon on New Year’s Day against a Power 4 team with a number of players opting out.

Still a three-team race

SMU (9-1) held off Boston College to remain undefeated in the ACC and Clemson (8-2) kept its hopes of sneaking into the conference championship game alive with a late, long touchdown from Cade Klubnik against Pitt.

The Mustangs finish with Virginia and Cal and even have a little room to stumble as they have a tiebreaker over the Tigers by beating Louisville.

No. No. 9 Miami (9-1) was eliminated and also holds the tiebreaker against Clemson, which sits in the clubhouse with a 7-1 ACC record.

So about Louisville. The Cardinals were ranked 19th last week, with three losses, but all games were close to ranked teams (SMU, Miami, Notre Dame). Louisville looked like a nice resume builder for its opponents.

Then the Cardinals went to Stanford and somehow managed to blow a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to the Cardinal, who won on a walk-off, 52-yard field goal by Emmet Kenney.

How much Louisville’s status really mattered is debatable. The ACC was probably headed for one CFP bid anyway, but those arguments were becoming increasingly difficult to make.

(Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)