The "Thinning Of The Herd" Post Of Week-November 4th Edition

Nov 4, 2018, 6:06 AM

My weekly reminder that College Football has a way of "thinning the herd" when it comes to moving towards the College Football Playoff. We go from September thinking there may be more than 4 undefeated teams to October where we wonder how the committee will choose between one loss teams.

Then we move into November and it shows (once again) that the Top 4 is usually a pretty easy decision because the herd gets thinned as the leaves turn in the fall.

Going into last week, we were down to 4 teams that were undefeated and only 12 teams with less than 2 losses and a realistic chance to make the CFP playoffs.

Several 1 loss teams also thinned themselves out of any playoffs hopes:
#3 LSU earned their 2nd loss...which is 2 more than points they scored against Bama.
#9 Kentucky earned their 2nd loss...but the fact they were playing for something in November is more than Scar can say.

I thought we would have 5 teams thinned this past weekend, but much credit goes to 10 of the 12 teams that were in contention for staying in the mix for one more week. But the thinning of the herd is coming...just like winter is coming on Games of Thrones.

For the first time this year, no undefeated teams lost....we we still have 4 undefeated teams with title chances (if you grant UCF a a chance). And only 6 one-loss teams remain that have playoff hopes. That leaves the playoff down to only 10 teams total with CFP realistic chances.

Weekend of November 10th "Thinning Of The Herd":

Guaranteed Thinning Will Take Place:
None

"Upset Alert”
Auburn (6-3) at Georgia (8-1)...At some point, something good will happen to Auburn.
Oklahoma State (5-4) at (8-1) Oklahoma...Sooners will be on upset alert until they learn to play defense.
Washington State (8-1) at Colorado (5-4)...I'm pulling for WSU so we can keep getting great Leach press conferences.
Ohio State (8-1) at Michigan State (6-3)...This is the yearly opportunity for MSU to play the foil.
TCU (4-5) at West Virginia (7-1)...Dana Holgorson is crazy. Crazy enough to lose a game they should not.
Clemson (9-0) at Boston College (7-2)...I know what you are thinking, but it is two ranked teams and that is why I put it on the upset alert. Confidence is high. I repeat, confidence is high.

Will Keep Winning....For Now
Alabama (9-0) vs. Mississippi State (6-3)...The Bulldogs will score a point, however.
Michigan (8-1) at Rutgers (1-8)...Michigan has the most pedestrian offense of 1 loss teams.
Navy (2-7) at Central Florida (8-0)...That ain't gonna help your Strength of Schedule UCF.
FSU (4-5) at Notre Dame (9-0)...If you can't block, you can't win.

I thought last Saturday would provide a monumental shift in CFP landscape...and it didn't. This week seems to set up to provide very little thinning of the herd.

I will be more conservative this week...saying only 1 team will get thinned this upcoming weekend. If that happens, we will then be down to single digits the number of teams with CFP hopes.

The college football season has a way of “thinning the herd”....even when you least expect it.

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The "Thinning Of The Herd" Post Of Week-November 4th Edition

The herd looks at Georgia...

*Scott loses all credibility

41 degrees = hoodie and gloves for me

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