Following the best week so far in college football, we move into yet another significant week. With many enormous games taking place, the hunt for the top continues. With the recent change in the college football playoffs now allowing 12 teams to participate, the field may have widened, however the fight to qualify is still immensely competitive.
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The SEC has always been a powerhouse of college football with the Alabama and Georgia dynasties. This week, No. 10 Alabama will host undefeated No. 16 Vanderbilt in a huge SEC rivalry game. In last year’s match, Vanderbilt not only upset then No. 1 Alabama but also snapped their 23-game losing streak to the Tide, marking their first win over a top five ranked opponent. This game was marked as one of the biggest upsets in SEC history as the Crimson Tide would go on to miss the college football playoffs later that season. This year, the Tide struggled Week 1, falling short to Florida State on the road. Since then, they’ve gotten back on track with a three-game win streak following a win on the road over No. 5 Georgia this past week. This top 25-matchup, with heavy playoff pressure along with rivalry and payback, is sure to bring the energy.
Next, SEC No. 6 Texas A&M will host a Mississippi State team who just lost a tough contest to No. 15 Tennessee in overtime. This was Mississippi State’s first loss of the season putting them at 4-1 overall, (0-1) in the conference. With a tough SEC schedule visiting many top ranked schools, another slip up could be the difference in falling short of the college football playoffs. On the other hand, Texas A&M will look to build their resume and keep their undefeated streak alive as they prepare for a tough SEC schedule. With a tough conference comes tough schedules, and sometimes only one slip up is enough to keep a team out of the conference championship and not qualify for the postseason. This requires top ranked teams to strive for perfect seasons if they want a chance for a national championship.
Another power conference that shares this pressure and goal for perfection belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC is home to big football names like Clemson, who controlled most of the conference in the 2010’s, and Florida State who found success in the 80’s and 90’s. Although Clemson has struggled to find their spark this year, Florida State had seemed to be all gas and no breaks. This is until they acquired their first loss of the season last week on the road against unranked Virginia. This game had everything from last minute touchdowns to double overtime ending in one of the craziest field storms of the year. Although this is a slight setback for the Seminoles, especially losing to an ACC opponent, they are gifted with the opportunity to take down the No. 3 Miami Hurricanes. This in-state rivalry is sure to add some heat as both teams are fighting for the top of the conference and a spot in the ACC championship.
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Ohio State continues to defend their national championship title after handing Washington their first loss of the season last week. Although it was a rough first half with Ohio State leading only 7-3, they came out of the locker room determined to finish the job winning by a final score of 24-6. This game started their streak against Big Ten opponents as the final 8 games of the season will all be against in-conference rivals. The Buckeyes will travel to Minnesota this weekend for what should be a high intensity matchup as Minnesota looks to continue their perfect conference play against the No. 1 team in the nation.
All of these and much more will take place this weekend as we head into Week 6 of college football. Every game becomes increasingly important as the march to the national championship continues and the season progresses. In-conference rivalry games show the greatest importance as winners of each conference are guaranteed a spot in the postseason. There is still lots of football to be played as many teams fight for their spots, but no team has truly separated themselves from the others, ending with the question of who has what it takes to win the national championship?