Played in/Played out: Oregon's back after a week away
Paste BN Sports is keeping careful tabs on how each week's wins and losses impact the eventual makeup of the inaugural College Football Playoff. If the season ended today, here are three teams moving into the championship picture and three moving out.
Teams that played their way in:
Oregon. It only took one game for Oregon to reassert itself in the Playoff conversation. The Ducks were left behind after last week's loss to Arizona, the team's first loss of the season. Well, they're back: Oregon outplayed UCLA far more than the 42-30 final score might suggest, harassing Brett Hundley and picking apart the Bruins' defense in a convincing road win. The victory echoes across the Pac-12 — signaling that Oregon remains the conference favorite — and brings quarterback Marcus Mariota leaping back into the Heisman Trophy race. For both the Ducks and Mariota, a key date with Stanford looms ahead.
Baylor. It was never in doubt. Well, maybe. TCU did lead by 21 points with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. But it was still never in doubt. It was 58-44, then 58-51, then 58-58, then finally 61-58, courtesy of a 28-yard field goal as time expired. By overcoming the Horned Frogs' fourth-quarter lead, Baylor retained its place among the nation's top six and remained very much in the thick of the Playoff hunt. At the same time, TCU's narrow loss — avoidable, probably — doesn't send it tumbling too far out of the conversation.
Notre Dame. Speaking of never-in-doubt victories: Notre Dame played around with North Carolina before pulling away late, scoring 14 quick points to open the fourth quarter of a 50-43 win. There are issues to address, including the Irish's continued bouts with turnovers and up-and-down defense, but let's keep a crucial fact in mind: As other contenders fall by the wayside, Notre Dame remains undefeated. That might not last, seeing that the Irish head to Florida State next weekend, but Saturday's win — no matter how ugly — keeps Notre Dame in the thick of things.
Teams that played their way out:
Auburn. We've seen one-loss teams quickly work their way back into the Playoff mix — as with Oregon, as noted. Auburn's loss to Mississippi State stings for the impact it will have on the Southeastern Conference West Division race, where head-to-head tiebreakers may end up deciding the final standings. It's far from over, but the Tigers have ground to cover before moving to back to the top of the division. To get there, Auburn needs to find answers in short-yardage situations, a bit of an issue for Gus Malzahn's offense throughout the season.
Texas A&M. It may be this simple: Texas A&M isn't a great football team. A good football team, perhaps, as most expected heading into the regular season — perhaps an eight-win team, should a young defense and unproven quarterback produce ahead of schedule. But that 5-0 start seems a little less impressive after South Carolina's nosedive out of SEC contention, for example, and let's remember the Aggies' nonconference wins came against Lamar, Rice and SMU. This team hit a wall against Mississippi: A&M never had a shot, drifting to its second loss of the season and well outside the list of Playoff contenders.
Georgia Tech. Yeah, it was a long shot anyway. But Saturday's loss to Duke ends Georgia Tech's slim-but-mathematically-possible odds of finishing undefeated in the unpredictable ACC Coastal Division — an achievement that would land a date with Florida State in the conference title game. Winning the division remains a possibility, but let's write the Yellow Jackets out of the Playoff race.