Five unbeatens remain in college football, and now none from the Group of Six after James Madison's 34-31 overtime loss at Appalachian State on Thursday night in a Sun Belt showdown. Entering Week 8 with the CFP selection committee's first set of rankings set to debut on Nov. 3, the pecking order has changed with various scenarios now coming into play. The highest-ranked Group of Six team at season's end gets an automatic berth in the 12-team bracket, but the possibility of two potential entries has weakened.
However, the Pac-12's introduction of its "flex week" schedule this season in Week 13 now has extreme significance. The eight-team conference plays a seven-game conference round-robin schedule during the regular season before the final weekend is now designated for a "repeat" matchup, which does not count toward conference standings or deciding who reaches the Pac-12 Championship Game. That flex week is designed to strengthen the Pac-12's playoff hopes by putting the onus on the league to assess its best teams late in the season and which programs have the most realistic paths to the CFP.
Dynamically adjusting their schedules would increase odds of earning a CFP berth. Most important game remaining: vs. Oregon State, Nov. 14 Ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25, the Broncos have won five straight games since their season-opening loss at Oregon and are doing all they can to win the Pac-12.
They're a two-touchdown favorite in Saturday's matchup at Washington State and are coming off a 38-31 victory at Fresno State in the toughest game since that loss to the Ducks. Boise State was the preseason favorite to be the Group of Six representative (+750) and carried two-thirds of the vote from our panel of experts. It's clear at this point, with the Broncos ranked, winning out would secure the CFP bid.
After JMU's loss, Boise State is the only Group of Six team we can confidently say controls its own destiny over the second half of the campaign. The Broncos currently lead the Group of Six in strength of record (25th), strength of schedule (59th) and game control (20th) — all metrics the CFP selection committee looks at. North Dakota State, Saturday Like Boise State, the Lobos' only setback came against a quality Power Four opponent early on the road, a 14-6 loss at Oklahoma.
What hurts threats in the Mountain West is resume metrics and lack of quality wins. Maybe the CFP Selection Committee has a different opinion of New Mexico than AP voters in a few weeks, but looking the part is critical for Jason Eck's team moving forward. The Lobos hold the highest strength of record (38th) in the conference right now, with North Dakota State (43rd) second, but their strength of schedule is 108th.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
