There was a moment early last Saturday afternoon when three schools – Kansas State, Penn State and Oklahoma State – were all in deep trouble against teams they were supposed to beat.
It’s nothing new that the favored team is on the losing side in the current game. However, sometimes you get a sixth sense that this could be a sign of things to come.
The three schools mentioned above won all of their games. But when Notre Dame was faced with the same situation as the previous three, the Fighting Irish collapsed like a cheap tent, losing surprisingly 16-14 to Northern Illinois.
In a game where the Huskies received $1.4 million just to show up in South Bend, the payout also sparked the much-discussed battle for a place in the playoffs.
No, not the race that involves teams like Notre Dame, Texas, Miami and Alabama. But the race for 12th place (or higher), which goes to the top-ranked program in the Group of 5.
With NIU’s victory over Notre Dame, the MAC not only earned a significant win, but now joins the Mountain West, American and Sun Belt conferences with teams that may be worth keeping an eye on for the coveted G5 spot in the playoffs.
At the end of next week we will be halfway through September and although there is still a long way to go, it looks like we are set for a duel between the following schools:
- Northern Illinois
- Boise State
- Freedom
- State of Texas
- Memphis
- Appalachian State
Before we get to that, what does AL.com’s Top 25 look like this week?
- Georgia–September 28, Georgia in Alabama. That’s all.
- Ohio State— Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Ohio State looks scary.
- Texas– Speaking of scary, when the Longhorns beat Michigan on Saturday, they looked like real contenders.
- Oregon–There is a big gap between No. 3 and No. 4 right now. It might take a while for teams to close that gap.
- Alabama–Before Georgia, Alabama faces Wisconsin. Good luck.
- Penn State–I still don’t know what to think of the Nittany Lions.
- Ole Miss– Call me if you are faced with a real challenge.
- Utah–Okay, Utah, you can stop beating up on Baylor now.
- Miami–By far the best team in the ACC. Boston College should not hear me say that.
- Missouri–I want to keep an eye on this Missouri team over the next few weeks.
- State of Oklahoma–Could have qualified for the strangest game of the day, then came Boise State-Oregon.
- Tennessee–The Vols offense is good, very good.
- State of Kansas— The best game this week may come on a Friday when K-State hosts Arizona in Manhattan.
- Michigan--Yes, 2023 is still a long way away.
- USC–Lincoln Riley shows shades of classic USC with this high-flying offense.
- Nebraska— I like Nebraska so far in 2024, they should be undefeated when they face Ohio State later this season.
- Boise State– Despite the loss to Oregon, they are top of the G5.
- Notre-Dame— The CFP isn’t quite dead, but Notre Dame fans may want to perform the last rites.
- Arizona–The Big 12 opener on the road at Kansas State? Yuck. Good luck, Cats.
- Louisville– Since SMU is not expected to be an ACC contender, Louisville is not a bad underdog at this point.
- Clemson–Clemson scores over 60 on a good app, which is a pretty good sign they’re not completely done yet.
- Vanderbilt— Let’s just be happy that Vandy is in the rankings while we can.
- LSU– Away at South Carolina, the biggest SEC game for Brian Kelly since Alabama in 1922?
- Northern Illinois–I mean, do I need to say anything else? You all saw it.
- Freedom–Back-to-back G5 bids are still available for the Flames.
If the season ended today, what would a 12-team playoff look like? There’s always a good time for bracketology, right?
(No. 5 vs. No. 12) – Texas vs. Boise State
(No. 6 vs. No. 11) – Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
(No. 7 vs. No. 10) – Alabama vs. Miami
(No. 8 vs. No. 9) – Penn State vs. Missouri
- Georgia vs. 8 vs. 9, winner.
- Ohio State vs. 7 vs. 10 winners.
- Utah vs. 6 vs. 11 winners.
- Miami vs. 5 vs. 12, winner.
