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WACO, Texas — If the University of Utah is going to sneak into the College Football Playoff, the team is going to need a lot more help than it got on Saturday.
The Utes, 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12 following a 55-28 decision over Baylor on Saturday evening at McLane Stadium, is one of a slew of two-loss teams jockeying for a CFP at-large berth.
Most of those two-loss teams are either in better shape than Utah, or have bigger games ahead in which to bulk up their respective resumes.
Either way, beyond winning out themselves, the Utes are going to need some of these teams to start losing. Below is a look at how those contending two-loss teams fared on Saturday.
No. 9 Notre Dame, defeated Pitt, 37-15
If the Fighting Irish win out, they are headed to the CFP for the second consecutive year. A win over the Panthers in Pittsburgh on Saturday appears to be the biggest hurdle left, as Notre Dame will host Syracuse on Saturday, then travel to Stanford on Nov. 29 to close its regular season.
No. 10 Texas, lost to No. 5 Georgia, 35-10
Entering the day, the Longhorns presented an interesting case at 7-2. With games against Georgia and Texas A&M still to play, there was at least some belief it could get a split, finish at 9-3, and grab a CFP at-large spot. That technically remains true, but it would seem a lot less likely with Oklahoma beating Alabama and both now sitting at 8-2.
Also, well, it would seem a lot less likely given the way the Longhorns got beat up in Athens. That result, warts and all, is not going to get overlooked in the committee room, even if the Longhorns find a way to beat Texas A&M to close the regular season.
No. 11 Oklahoma, defeated No. 4 Alabama, 23-21
The Sooners join the crowd of two-loss contenders by going into Tuscaloosa and winning in a place where nobody wins. Oklahoma does not have a bad loss, plus has wins over Tennessee, the Crimson Tide, and Michigan, which is squarely in the CFP mix. Come Selection Sunday, the Sooners could be an interesting case at a potential 10-2, which is the same scenario Alabama now faces.
No. 14 Vanderbilt, open week
The Commodores did not play this week, but at 8-2, this is another team in Utah's way, despite being ranked one spot lower. Like Oklahoma, Vandy could be tough to leave out at 10-2, which would include a win over Tennessee to close the regular season.
No. 17 USC, defeated No. 21 Iowa, 26-21
How viable the Trojans are as a CFP at-large contender is up for debate. The loss to Notre Dame is one thing, but the loss at Illinois has become quite another. USC travels to Oregon on Saturday. If the Trojans win in Eugene, the at-large stuff is going to get much, much louder.
No. 18 Michigan, defeated Northwestern, 24-22
While we can debate some of these other teams, here's brass tacks on the Wolverines. If they beat Maryland, then Ohio State to finish 10-2, they are going to the College Football Playoff, and they're going to end up leapfrogging a bunch of teams to get there. Hard stop, no notes.
