It’s August. The College Football Playoff is a long way off, with virtually an entire season’s worth of games still to play. Still, there are three games on the Week 1 schedule that prove it’s never too early to start thinking about the postseason.
Specifically, we’re talking about No. 1 Texas @ No. 3 Ohio State, No. 9 LSU @ No. 4 Clemson, and No. 6 Notre Dame @ No. 10 Miami (FL). The results of all three of these games will undoubtedly impact the College Football Playoff and perhaps omit some teams entirely.
OddsTrader has all the information you need to get ready for the games, including live NCAAF betting odds, in-depth matchup data, weather information, and more.
The Stakes at Hand
The College Football Playoff is made up of an exclusive field of qualifiers. Only 12 teams get in, with four of those earning first-round byes. The bye weeks go to the top four teams in the rankings, and the five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids.
Last year, the 12-team field was made up of one undefeated team, three one-loss teams, seven two-loss teams, and one three-loss team. Clemson, which went 10-3, only made it in because it won the ACC Championship.
While one- and two-loss teams make up the majority of the field, it’s worth noting that there were plenty of teams that met that criteria that didn’t get selected. Strength of schedule matters, as does a team’s record against other top-tier opponents.
Losing in Week 1 doesn’t mean a team can’t go on to make the College Football Playoff, but it does make it plenty more difficult to get there. Perfection is a difficult thing to maintain in this league, and the playoff committee almost demands it from those who suffer an early-season loss.
The Games
Each of the three potential elimination games occupies its own timeslot, meaning fans won’t have to flip back and forth to catch the action. Here’s the schedule and a bit about what you can expect to see upon kickoff.
No. 1 Texas @ No. 3 Ohio State
The best game of the weekend also happens to be the first of the three on the schedule. Texas and Ohio State also met in last year’s College Football Playoff, so there’s no love lost between the two.
Two of college football’s premier talents will be on display, too: Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith. Both players rank near the top of the Heisman Trophy odds and will likely be big reasons why their teams win or lose this game.
A loss probably won’t be the end of the road for either team, but each has challenging schedules that would become even more difficult to navigate. Notably, Ohio State will play No. 2 Penn State and No. 14 Michigan, while Texas has No. 5 Georgia and No. 19 Texas A&M.
We’ll likely see both teams in the College Football Playoff, but it’s certainly possible that this outcome is a deciding factor in determining which side gets a first-round bye.
No. 9 LSU @ No. 4 Clemson
Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET
LSU is entering its fourth year under Brian Kelly, and he’s yet to lead the team to a College Football Playoff appearance. One sticking point? LSU has not won a season-opener in the previous three years.
This time around, LSU will visit Clemson in what could be Kelly’s most challenging task yet. Clemson rarely loses at home and rosters one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik. Last season, he threw 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
Clemson may be able to survive another loss if it falls to LSU. The ACC doesn’t feature many talented teams. LSU, on the other hand, would have a nearly impossible road ahead. Seven of its 12 opponents are ranked inside the top 25, so unless it goes perfect from here on out, its only path to the playoff would be via the SEC Championship.
No. 6 Notre Dame @ No. 10 Miami (FL)
Perhaps the most “true” elimination game of Week 1 is Notre Dame vs. Miami (FL). Unlike most other teams, Notre Dame is one of a handful of FBS Independents. Therefore, it doesn’t have the opportunity to play in a conference championship, eliminating a potential qualifying route.
Notre Dame doesn’t have the most difficult schedule, but because of the extra hurdle, it would likely need to win out following a loss to Miami. On the other hand, Miami would at least have a chance to make it to the ACC Championship.
Notre Dame is the betting favorite and is coming off a loss in the National Championship to Ohio State. It managed to overcome an early loss to an unranked opponent at the beginning of the season, but it had to go undefeated the rest of the way to get there.
