Eliminator Week 13: We're down to only 10 teams that can make the CFP
— -- The CFP selection committee's worst nightmares came true on Saturday.
No. 2 Ohio State defeated No. 3 Michigan 30-27 in double overtime, and Penn State beat Michigan State 45-12 to win the Big Ten East and earn a spot in Saturday's Big Ten championship game.
That means there's a chance a conference non-champion might make the four-team field for the first time, and there's a possibility that two teams from one league will make the top four for the first time in the three-year history of the playoff.
The top contenders for the playoff, besides Michigan, held serve in Week 13, so there wasn't a lot of movement in The Eliminator, which is trimming the 128-team FBS field to four teams for the playoff.
Western Michigan, which finished 12-0 by beating Toledo 55-35 on Friday, was eliminated by default. The Broncos were No. 21 in the selection committee's rankings last week, and they're not going to climb high enough to make the playoff field. Broncos coach P.J. Fleck's team is still in great position to row its boats to a New Year's Six bowl game if it beats Ohio in Friday's MAC championship game.
Through 13 weeks, The Eliminator has eliminated 118 FBS teams, and that leaves 10 in contention for four spots. Here's where FBS stands after Week 13:
Jump to sections: Who's in? | Still in contention | On the fence | Better luck next season | Previously eliminated
Who's in?
Let's assume No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State are two of the four teams in the field. The Crimson Tide plays Florida in Saturday's SEC championship game, and the Buckeyes' regular season is over after they knocked off the Wolverines.
If Penn State beats Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, will the committee still select the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions? Penn State beat Ohio State 24-21 on Oct. 22 and would have won its league. Will the committee ignore head-to-head results and conference titles? Or will the committee take both Big Ten teams at another league's expense? Those are going to be the million-dollar questions on Selection Sunday, if Penn State wins the Big Ten championship.
No. 4 Clemson also remains in good position to grab one of the four spots after routing rival South Carolina 56-7 on Saturday. The Tigers should be in good shape to make the playoff for the second straight season if they defeat Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game.
No. 5 Washington, which beat Washington State 45-17 in Friday's Apple Cup, might move into the top four after Michigan's loss. No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Colorado and No. 10 Oklahoma State are on the outside looking in right now, but they might sneak into the field if any of the aforementioned teams fall in their respective conference championship games.
Still in contention
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Hey, at least Tom Osborne isn't coaching Ohio State and looking for his first national championship, am I right?
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On the fence
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Better luck next season
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Previously eliminated
Eliminated in Week 12: Louisville Cardinals, Utah Utes, West Virginia Mountaineers
Eliminated in Week 11: Auburn Tigers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Texas A&M Aggies, Virginia Tech Hokies
Eliminated in Week 10: Baylor Bears, Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Eliminated in Week 9: Boise State Broncos, Pittsburgh Panthers, Tennessee Volunteers
Eliminated in Week 8: Houston Cougars, Miami Hurricanes
Eliminated in Week 7: Arizona State Sun Devils, Maryland Terrapins, Ole Miss Rebels, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Eliminated in Week 6: Air Force Falcons, Arkansas Razorbacks, Colorado Buffaloes, Indiana Hoosiers, Minnesota Gophers, Stanford Cardinal, Texas Tech Red Raiders, UCLA Bruins
Eliminated in Week 5: Arizona Wildcats, Cincinnati Bearcats, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Iowa Hawkeyes, Kansas State Wildcats, Memphis Tigers, Michigan State Spartans, Navy Midshipmen, Oregon Ducks, San Diego State Aztecs, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, Toledo Rockets
Eliminated in Week 4: Army Black Knights, Central Michigan Chippewas, East Carolina Pirates, Georgia Southern Eagles, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oregon State Beavers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Florida Bulls, USC Trojans
Eliminated in Week 3: Boston College Eagles, Duke Blue Devils, Illinois Fighting Illini, Marshall Thundering Herd, Missouri Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Syracuse Orange, Texas State Bobcats, Vanderbilt Commodores
Eliminated in Week 2: Akron Zips, Ball State Cardinals, BYU Cougars, California Bears, Connecticut Huskies, Eastern Michigan Eagles, Florida Atlantic Owls, Idaho Vandals, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Lobos, NC State Wolfpack, Old Dominion Monarchs, Purdue Boilermakers, SMU Mustangs, South Alabama Jaguars, Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, Troy Trojans, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, UCF Knights, UNLV Rebels, Utah State Aggies, UTEP Miners, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Wyoming Cowboys
Eliminated in Week 1: Appalachian State Mountaineers, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Bowling Green Falcons, Buffalo Bulls, Charlotte 49ers, Colorado State Rams, Florida International Golden Panthers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Iowa State Cyclones, Kent State Golden Flashes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, New Mexico State Aggies, North Texas Mean Green, Northern Illinois Huskies, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio Bobcats, Rice Owls, San Jose State Spartans, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Virginia Cavaliers, Washington State Cougars