CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: ohio1317 on September 06, 2022, 08:58:01 AM
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Teams with 1st Loss:
Nebraska
Wyoming
Connecticut
Charlotte
UTEP
New Mexico State
Hawaii
Central Michigan
West Virginia
Ball State
Louisiana Tech
Purdue
Western Michigan
Virginia Tech
Temple
Illinois
Colorado
Appalachian State
Boston College
East Carolina
Buffalo
Colorado State
Navy
Bowling Green
Cincinnati
Oregon
San Diego State
UTSA
Tulsa
Troy
South Florida
Texas State
Middle Tennessee
Florida Atlantic
Rice
Army
Utah
Miami (OH)
Southern Methodist
Massachusetts
Utah State
Memphis
North Texas
Notre Dame
Georgia State
Louisville
Louisiana-Monroe
Boise State
Kent State
Louisiana State
Georgia Tech
Percent of Teams with 1st Loss of Season
Week 0/1: 38.9% (51 of 131)
Maximum number of Undefeated Teams at the End of the Regular Season:
12: The 10 conference champs, James Madison (who is not eligible for the Sun Belt Championship), and one of BYU/Liberty
Week 0/1 Thoughts:
-It is good to be back for some football!
-The PAC-12, in a year it really wants to be showing off, had a bad first week from a playoff bowl perspective with both Utah and Oregon losing. Oregon, even winning out, would struggle to get back into the hunt given the score of the loss (although there are scenarios if they right the ship quick). Utah was so close to pulling off the road loss in the Swamp, but a late interception resulted in a loss. The PAC-12 has struggled having its eventual champ have no more than 1 loss the past few years, but they almost certainly need that to return to the CFP this year. The best shot right now is probably USC although it is still early enough for others.
-The ACC came close to having a really bad first week, but came ahead in most close games so actually had a decent start. Their ranked teams all won and Florida State will probably start getting consideration after their bizarre win over LSU.
-Once again Notre Dame lost an early season game to an Ohio team. Last year, the Irish lone loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats ended up being just a bit too much with Notre Dame finishing just outside the top 4. Getting back in will requiring winning out and hoping for some luck.
-Georgia and Florida both winning big out of conference games matters. A 2nd SEC team in the CFP is a very real possibility again if we end up with a non-SEC champ 1 loss team.
-As much as I philosophically hate all the conference games week 1, I'll admit I was more intrigued by the Big Ten games because they were conference games (with several close ones).
-It was good to see the Backyard Brawl back.
-It wasn't a great week overall for the Group of 5 conferences as a whole. There was only one win over a team from a power 5 conference to begin with. The American, the conference which has taken the NY6 spot most the years since the start of the CFP, is down to just 4 undefeated teams. Last years CFP representative Cincinnati, played well, but lost on the road to Arkansas. There were several teams who were very close to big wins, but in the end, only one pulled it off, and it was Old Dominion beating Virginia Tech.
Week 2 Thoughts:
If I counted right, there are 22 games between undefeated FBS teams this week. Games to watch:
Louisville @ UCF (Friday): Louisville started rough and UCF is the favorite here. Ideally for the American, they have a top team or two escape non-conference play without losing and they only have 4 of those left. For the other Group of 5 conferences, it is better to see as many American losses as possible not just to effect those specific teams, but strength of schedule in general.
Alabama @ Texas: This is a preview of a future conference game. Assuming the SEC goes 3-6-6, we'll likely see it every other year. More importantly, it is important for this year if Texas wins. Texas would instantly jump toward top of rankings with a win and could almost certainly afford a loss and still get to the CFP. Getting a major SEC loss now also helps the cause of keeping two SEC teams out of CFP. On the flip side, Texas will likely have to go perfect if they lose this game to get to the CFP and will likely need a bit of help even then.
Tennessee @ Pitt: Pitt was last years ACC champ and would be great for the conference to secure this win over an SEC team. Tennessee is favored though.
Old Dominion @ East Carolina: Old Dominion beat Virginia Tech last week. If they beat an American team this week, start to look for them as a possible Sun Belt NY6 contender.
Houston @ Texas Tech: A future conference game. For now, the American is much better off if Houston pulls this off.
Iowa @ Iowa State: Despite all the issues last week, Iowa is favored in this game.
USC @ Stanford: The PAC-12's best shot at getting in the CFP likely involves USC winning, but this could be the final conference game for these two at Sanford.
BYU @ Baylor: BYU was close to a NY6 spot last year, but a little short. Baylor is top 10 and thinking big this year. BYU is a small favorite.
Oregon State @ Fresno State: The Mountain West could use this win for one of its undefeated teams. Boise State lost to Oregon State last week, so a win would raise expectations for the season (they are only 1 point underdogs).
Kentucky @ Florida: The Wildcats are ranked and only a small underdog going into the Swamp. Kentucky has been improving past couple of years. If win this game, might be team to beat in the east after Georgia.
Remaining Undefeated Teams: ACC: 10, American: 4, Big 12: 9, Big Ten: 11, Conference USA: 3, MAC: 5, Mountain West: 6, PAC-12: 9, SEC: 13, Sun Belt: 8, independents: 2, total: 80
Clemson
Florida State
Maryland
North Carolina State
Wake Forest
Duke
Miami (FL)
North Carolina
Virginia
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Ohio State
Penn State
Wisconsin
UAB
Marshall
Southern Mississippi
Central Florida
Houston
Tulane
Akron
Ohio U.
Eastern Michigan
Northern Illinois
Toledo
Air Force
Brigham Young
New Mexico
Texas Christian
UNLV
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Oregon State
Southern California
Stanford
UCLA
Washington
Washington State
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Mississippi State
Mississippi
Arkansas State
Florida International
Louisiana-Lafayette
Fresno State
Nevada
San Jose State
Western Kentucky
South Alabama
Georgia Southern
Old Dominion
Coastal Carolina
Liberty
(James Madison)