5 Surprise Teams Making a Serious Push in the College Football Playoff Hunt

Yes, the College Football Playoff committee said it’ll care more about schedule strength, but to pull back the curtain, it already does that.

It’s now going to use a different stat/metric thing as part of the puzzle. 

The rules still apply (probably). Five conference champions get into the top 12, and going by the 11-year history of the CFP rankings, you’re not getting in as an at-large team without at least ten wins.

With what happened so far, and with the remaining schedules, these five have a real shot at slipping into the tournament as long as they win all the games they’re supposed to. | @PeteFiutak

5. Michigan Wolverines

It's Michigan. Of course, it should be in the playoff discussion, but it's just not.

Have you seen the Wolverines' schedule?

The team hasn’t looked good, and they’re coming off a meh performance in a loss to Oklahoma a few weeks ago. It’s 2-1, and it’ll lose to Ohio State to close the season - really, it will.

But there’s no Penn State, Oregon, or Illinois to face. What’s left? At Nebraska, Wisconsin, at USC, Washington, at Michigan State, Purdue, at Northwestern, at Maryland. 10-2 gets it done.

4. Louisville Cardinals

This isn’t easy, but the 2-0 Cardinals don’t have to face Florida State or Georgia Tech.

Bowling Green, at Pitt, Virginia, at Miami, Boston College, at Virginia Tech, Cal, Clemson, at SMU, Kentucky. That’s a 10-2 schedule, and maybe 11-1 if everything breaks right.

3. Cal Golden Bears

That 27-14 win over Minnesota late Saturday night meant everything. And why?

At San Diego State is up next - that’s a layup. At Boston College is dangerous, but the Eagles just lost to a miserable Stanford team.

After that … Duke, North Carolina, at Virginia Tech, Virginia, at Louisville, at Stanford, SMU.

It’s Cal, but it’s experienced, has a great young quarterback in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, and with that schedule - no Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, or Miami - 11-1 isn’t an insane dream. Speaking of ACC schedules …

2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

That was it. That was the game Georgia Tech had to win, taking out Clemson 24-21.

The program has had issues over the past few years winning all the games it’s supposed to, but it doesn’t play Florida State, Miami, SMU, or Louisville, and again, it just took down the Tigers.

Temple, at Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, at Duke, Syracuse, at NC State, at Boston College, Pitt.

If the Yellow Jackets don’t faceplant, they could and should be 11-0 going into the regular season home finale against Georgia. By that point, even with a loss to the Bulldogs, and let’s throw in a loss in the ACC Championship, it’s still in.

1. Iowa State Cyclones

The Cyclones were a Big 12 Championship loss to Arizona State away from being in the College Football Playoff last year, and it’s still not being taken seriously enough in the rankings or the CFP discussion.

But they’re already 4-0, took out Kansas State and Iowa, and everything else shapes up fine with no Utah or Texas Tech on the slate, and with almost all of the remaining big games at home.

Arizona, at Cincinnati, at Colorado, BYU, Arizona State, at TCU, Kansas, at Oklahoma State. They might lose to the Horned Frogs, but they’ll be favored against everyone else.