The 2023 college football regular season came to a close this past weekend, which means it’s officially time to start obsessing over the annual four team College Football Playoff. Last year, it was pretty obvious that TCU, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State deserved to compete for a national championship (Alabama finished with two losses), but things are a bit more complex this time around. You see, there are 8 teams that have a realistic shot of reaching the College Football Playoff going into the first stage of the postseason, which will make it a compelling weekend of college football to say the least.
Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington (all 12-0) would remain in the mix with conference championship losses on Friday and Saturday, but you would have to brace yourself for the chaos that would ensue as a result. I mean, if 8 teams wind up 1 loss through 12/13 contests, how would the Selection Committee go about selecting the four worthy College Football Playoff clubs? Considering they’ve been dominant all season long in arguably the best conference in America, I think that Georgia would be able to survive a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game, but what about the rest of the contenders?
Yes, we know that Ohio State recently lost to Michigan in Ann-Arbor (giving the Wolverines some comfort if they fall to Iowa), but their overall Strength of Schedule (6) should keep them in the hunt. Washington and Oregon would be tied 1-1 in head-to-head clashes, but the Huskies possess two Top 25 road wins to the Ducks’ one. Florida State lost their starting QB to a devastating Leg injury against North Alabama, but would a close loss to Louisville help their case? Alabama will own the biggest win of the season if they find a way to knock of the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but how could you leave out a one-loss Texas team who knocked off the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa back in September?
Yes, this is clearly a hypothetical situation that I am examining in this article, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was only one undefeated team standing come Saturday. Michigan is preparing to face an Iowa team who has no offense to speak of (they rank 129th in total first downs, 127th in passing yards per game and 121st in points scored per game), so they’ll most likely come out victorious, but who knows what will occur with the other three unbeatens. We could be in for a wacky conference championship weekend that could shake up the College Football Playoff rankings, so it would be in your best interest to tune into all the riveting action starting on Friday.
Courtside With Caleb 
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