NCAA Football: UNC and the CFB Playoff Projection
By Adam Ross
Where does UNC stand among the better teams in the country? We take a look at the Tar Heels season thus far
The time for the College Football Playoff is not so far away, and with the field beginning to shape up and sort out, it is time to start taking a look at the country, along with where the Tar Heels stand in the midst of it all.
North Carolina stands at a mediocre 6-2, and I can’t believe I said “mediocre” seeing they have really dreamt of these seasons most years in the past.
After last season, most Tar Heel fans were expecting more.
Though Larry Fedora has been questioned by some for his play calling, he has taken this program to a level where it is on the edge of competing at an elite level.
With that being said, the Power 5 schools have many teams with the opportunity to make the playoffs at this point in the season, whether it be Washington out of the PAC-12, or Clemson out of the ACC.
In those two conferences, it’s easy to guess that barring every team in college football having one or more losses, no team from those conferences, other than the afore-mentioned, will likely get an invite to the playoffs.
Unless you look a bit deeper. Yes, Louisville barely escaped a road loss to a weak Virginia team, but so did Clemson.
The Tigers, regardless of being undefeated, made Dabo go into full prayer mode on live TV, but they have played many other games that close this season.
I said all that to say that other than the one loss, the Cardinals probably have as much favor as anyone else in the nation. Maybe everyone but Alabama and Michigan.
Anyway, moving right along. The pack 12 may have a sleeper and a spoiler when they meet the Huskies.
Who’s that? Washington State. Why? They only have two losses, and we will see what they are worth when the face Arizona coming up.
Now, what about the other three Conferences? To me, the Big Ten is without a doubt the strongest group of teams. The reason is they simply have great power where it is needed.
Other than Michigan, I feel no one in college football has a defense that is able to shut offenses down like Wisconsin. Wisconsin flat out shut Michigan’s offense down, but has no offense to back it up.
Make no mistake, the Wolverines have a powerful offense. They may be the total package. This week they did not let rivalry come into play and thumped the Spartans.
Ohio State was only defeated on a late blocked field goal attempt at the hands of Penn State a week ago. The Nittany Lions aren’t looking so bad as a team with two losses.
Nebraska, despite losing this week is a pretty tough team also, not to be taken lightly.
Now everything else should not be so complicated. Well, let’s look at the SEC for a moment.
In the East, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Florida will be representing them.
The West is different.
Number 1 ranked Alabama is playing great ball, and looks unstoppable. Let’s look at potential losses.
It is hard for me to believe that they will not drop a game to either LSU or Auburn. You may say that is far fetched, but I see them going down to one or both. They are both hot currently, and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.
Finally, over in the Big 12, I think it’s a big cluster. With Baylor and West Virginia going down, Oklahoma is looking like one of the better teams in the conference. I like Oklahoma State.
This conference could likely yield an overall 2 loss conference champ. They are then out, in my opinion.
To sum it up, UNC, though they will be ranked in the College Football Rankings top 25, they will not be in the 4 team playoff without absolute chaos breaking loose. Who will?
I have listed what I am guessing will be about how the College Football Poll will look when it is later revealed. Remember though, it is college football, and anything can happen.
Take a look:
CFB Playoff top 25
1. Michigan
2. Alabama
3. Washington
4. Clemson
5. Ohio State
6. Louisville
7. Wisconsin
8. Nebraska
9. Texas A&M
10. Baylor
11. Auburn
12. Western Michigan
13. Utah
14. Oklahoma
15. LSU
16. West Virginia
17. Florida
18. Virginia Tech
19. North Carolina
20. Penn State
21. Oklahoma State
22. Boise State
23. Washington State
24. Colorado
25. Florida State
I think it will be interesting to see how the poll actually turns out. Shortly, we will know who sits where in the eyes of the committee, and as you know it will likely be totally different next week.
Let us know what you think in the comment section below!