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- 8 Pac-12 teams represented in Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2
We’re six weeks into the 2015 college football season and deciding which four teams currently belong in the playoff is proving to be difficult. Since parity and an absence of great teams created a disproportionate amount of teams in contention, we still lack an accurate portrayal of who will be the final four standing.
In a seemingly dull 2015 season as a whole, somehow week 6 tops all prior weeks when it comes to lackluster matchups. For starters, College Gameday will be in Salt Lake City for Cal vs. Utah, which also speaks volumes. Despite dwelling in the bottom half of the Pac-12 North since the Pac-12 was formed, ESPN wants you to take the Golden Bears seriously. They almost blew a 21-point lead to lowly Texas, which is sadly their most impressive win at the moment. Yes, Cal is 5-0, but with an Oregonesque defense, do you honestly expect the Golden Bears to contend for the National Championship? The Pac-12 for that matter?
All three of the Big-12’s powerhouses will add another blowout win to their schedule. Baylor takes on Kansas. No upset is happening there. Oklahoma faces Texas in the Red River Rivalry — usually a game with National Championship implications. Now, the Longhorns will play to keep it respectable against their archrivals from Norman. As for TCU, the Horned Frogs have likely the toughest challenge on the road against Kansas State. But TCU is arguably the fastest and most athletic team in the nation, something Bill Snyder’s Wildcats aren’t known to be competent at combatting. Remember the 2013 Fiesta Bowl?
The Big 10 surprisingly provides the most alluring game of the week. Jim Harbaugh’s revamped #18 ranked Wolverines takes on the 13th ranked Northwestern Wildcats at the Big House. Will either of these teams stand among the final four? No, but both possess the ability to topple actual contenders Michigan State and Ohio State. Speaking of which, the Spartans and Buckeyes are both blessed with yet another weakling opponent this week.
In the ACC, week 6 was suppose to provide us with two National Championship hopefuls going head and head. Clemson held up their end with a win over Notre Dame. Georgia Tech has failed to live up to the high expectations they were given in the pre-season. Now, we have Miami vs. Florida State as the main event in the ACC, which would have been a highly billed game in the early 2000’s. Unfortunately, during the Al Golden era, the Hurricanes have only shown just how outmatched they are when they take on the Seminoles.
The best conference in college football, the SEC, also gives us little drama this week. Alabama plays Arkansas, so expect more Bret Bielema jokes via social media on Saturday. 11th ranked Florida faces unranked Missouri. Historic programs Georgia and Tennessee are set to go against one another in a game that no longer carries significance. #7 LSU heads to Columbia to take on South Carolina. Judging by the disaster the 2015 Gamecock’s season has already been, I’d say Steve Spurrier is two losses away from completely giving up on coaching.
The Pac-12 is in the most fragile situation when compared to the other power five conferences. The Pac-12 has two undefeated teams left: Cal and Utah. Both are untraditional powers, and both are likely to amass at least one loss before season’s end. The Pac-12 is the 2nd best conference in college football, but that fact will be rendered useless when it’s conference champion will likely have two losses. With that, the Pac-12 will likely be the one power conference left out of the playoff.
And so another week is upon us. One that may or may not bring upsets needed to shape the college football playoff. As history shows, more teams will fall eventually. The only question is: who?