I couldn't find a thread like this, forgive me if this is a duplicate.
The obvious candidates right now are Kansas State, ND, and Oregon. If all 3 take a loss, then it is wide open.
Looking at schedules, I'd say the following:
- KSU: I'm not knocked out by their work so far, except for Oklahoma and WVU, which were nice wins. Their schedule seems back-loaded, and any one of Ok St, TCU, Baylor or Texas could beat them. If they win out, they deserve the slot. But they will probably lose one.
- ND: Some nice, consistent wins. The bulk of their schedule is already in the books. Their only remaining challenge is USC. They have the best chance of winning out.
- Oregon: They've played the weakest schedule of these 3 candidates so far, and they still have to beat USC, Stanford, and Ore St.
Since these teams do not play each other, I'll say if they all win out, KSU should get the slot. Between ND and Oregon, it is a tough call: Oregon will have the most recent quality wins, but ND is a voter favorite. It would probably be ND.
The obvious candidates right now are Kansas State, ND, and Oregon. If all 3 take a loss, then it is wide open.
Looking at schedules, I'd say the following:
- KSU: I'm not knocked out by their work so far, except for Oklahoma and WVU, which were nice wins. Their schedule seems back-loaded, and any one of Ok St, TCU, Baylor or Texas could beat them. If they win out, they deserve the slot. But they will probably lose one.
- ND: Some nice, consistent wins. The bulk of their schedule is already in the books. Their only remaining challenge is USC. They have the best chance of winning out.
- Oregon: They've played the weakest schedule of these 3 candidates so far, and they still have to beat USC, Stanford, and Ore St.
Since these teams do not play each other, I'll say if they all win out, KSU should get the slot. Between ND and Oregon, it is a tough call: Oregon will have the most recent quality wins, but ND is a voter favorite. It would probably be ND.