Key lessons learned in College Football Playoff race
— -- The College Football Playoff selection committee doesn't meet for three more weeks, and here's why: It takes at least two months for conference races to sort themselves out and for the best teams in the country to separate from the rest of pack.
We're almost halfway through the season and have a much better idea of which teams to take seriously -- and which to eliminate. Here's a look at the major lessons learned in Week 6:
Houston is out
The Cougars' playoff hopes ended with their loss to Navy, and now they need help just to win the American Athletic West division. It was the game that changed the playoff picture the most; Houston was an X-factor with the potential to knock a second Power 5 conference out of the top four. Houston's chances at another New Year's Six bowl are also in critical condition because it would have to win the AAC to have a chance at becoming the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion in the selection committee's final top 25. The Cougars need Navy to lose twice in order to get back into the conference race.
Tennessee is in a must-win situation against Alabama
The Vols' nine lives have officially expired. After losing to Texas A&M, Tennessee needs to beat Alabama next week, or it will open the door for Florida to possibly win the East. If the Vols have two losses and the Gators win out, Florida will win the East, which makes rescheduling the game against LSU of the utmost importance to the conference race. On the flip side, if Tennessee loses against Alabama and Florida loses at Arkansas on Nov. 5, the Vols (should they win their other remaining games) would still win the East because Tennessee would win the head-to-head tiebreaker. In order to stay in the driver's seat, though, Tennessee has no more margin for error.
It's Washington and everyone else in the Pac-12
The Huskies have dismantled Stanford. They've plucked the Ducks. They have now officially manhandled the two programs that have combined to win the league in each of the past seven years. With its win over Oregon on Saturday, Washington snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Ducks and left no doubt it is the Pac-12's new contender for the College Football Playoff.
Alabama is one step closer to surviving its season-defining stretch
Alabama's win at Ole Miss was critical, but its win at Arkansas was where Bama's national title hunt really begins. It was the first of three straight games the Tide will play against ranked opponents, including Tennessee and Texas A&M. It was also the first of three road trips in a four-game span, including at LSU on Nov. 5. The Tide's win against the Hogs was arguably the most impressive of Week 6, but it's not going to get any easier.
Ohio State and Michigan really need to play each other, not Rutgers
The Big Ten heavyweights combined to outscore Rutgers 136-0 over the past two weeks. That's not a typo. The CFP selection committee compares common opponents "without incenting margin of victory," but the margin in this one stretches from Ann Arbor to Piscataway and is impossible to ignore. The committee will need the head-to-head result between Ohio State and Michigan to determine the Big Ten representative.
Florida State still owns Miami
The Canes made one of the best hires of the offseason when they brought in Mark Richt, but their seventh straight loss to Florida State -- as close as it was -- showed the Canes aren't ready to close the gap with their rival. Much of that can be attributed to the Noles' defense, which had been relentlessly criticized this season. Miami entered the game averaging 235 yards rushing; Florida State held the Hurricanes to 62 and had back-to-back sacks of Brad Kaaya in the fourth quarter. Miami snuck into the AP top 10 after beating Georgia Tech last week but came up short against its first ranked opponent of the season.
Don't turn out the lights on Oklahoma just yet
It's a long shot, yes, and Houston's loss to Navy certainly didn't help the Sooners' r?sum?, but Oklahoma can still win out and win the Big 12. It would certainly need help -- another conference champion would have to flop along the way -- and it has to look like a top-four team by the end of November, dominating each opponent. The fact that the Sooners have two losses and no league title game to help compensate is going to be extremely difficult to overcome, but if they beat ranked opponents in Baylor and West Virginia, and Ohio State continues to dominate and win the Big Ten, there's simply no telling how the committee might view OU.
