Penn State
After a 2-2 start that included a 49-10 loss to Michigan, Penn State has risen from the depths of the Big Ten cellar with three straight wins and an upset victory over the vaunted Ohio State Buckeyes.
It appeared head coach James Franklin might be on the way out of Happy Valley after two straight years of a 7-6 record. Widely considered an excellent hire after having success at Vanderbilt, Franklin’s hot seat turned scalding after another mediocre start.
But the shocking upset over Ohio State, which looked like a national title contender up until that point, vaults the Nittany Lions to second place in the Big Ten East and No. 24 in the AP Poll, their first time breaking into the Top-25 since 2011. Michigan still leads them by a game and holds the tiebreaker, but if Penn State can win out, which looks possible with the rest of its schedule, they have an outside shot at playing for the conference title in Indianapolis.
Washington
Washington? Since when are they good at football? Apparently this year. The Huskies have steamrolled the rest of the PAC-12, winning their last three games by a total of 111 points.
They face No. 17 Utah this weekend, but then have no ranked opponents left on their schedule. If they can defeat the Utes in hostile territory Saturday, Washington will have a clear path to the College Football Playoff.
Not too shabby for a team that has never been considered a force in the college football world and has gone 7-6 and 8-6 the last two years. The Pac-12 isn’t the conference it used to be, with former powerhouse USC, Stanford and Oregon all having down years. The Ducks are yet to win a game in the conference and are a measly 2-5 overall, a serious drop-off for a team that was in the first-ever Playoff two years ago.
With the usual giants in hibernation, the Huskies are the only shot the PAC-12 has at the Playoff. If they can complete an undefeated season, they won’t be left out.
Auburn
The Tigers got off to a rough start, dropping two out of their first three games. But those two losses came to No. 3 Clemson and No. 9 Texas A&M. Since then, they’ve rattled off four straight wins, including a 56-3 drubbing of Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks last weekend. Gus Malzahn has effectively been removed from the hot seat conversation as his boys are back in contention for the SEC.
No. 15 Auburn sits just a game and a half behind No. 1 Alabama in the SEC West. The Tigers have to get past Ole Miss on the road this week but if they can defeat the Rebels, they have a chance at going into the Iron Bowl just a game behind the Crimson Tide. And we all know anything can happen in that game. I’m guessing Nick Saban won’t try a 56-yard field goal this time.
Boise State
Remember in 2007 when the Broncos won over America with a series of trick plays to beat big, bad Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl? It’s been awhile since we’ve had a non-power five conference team make some national noise in the postseason. Can Boise State end this drought?
A year after playing in the prestigious Poinsettia Bowl against Northern Illinois, the Broncos sit at 7-0. They don’t have a signature victory and have squeaked by in a few games, including a 28-27 win over BYU last weekend.
But if the Broncos win out and teams like Washington, Baylor, Clemson and Louisville lose once or twice, there’s a (very) slim chance that they could disrupt the College Football Playoff.
