College Football Playoff: Where we are halfway through the season
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock hands the trophy to Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer as his wife Shelley Meyer (middle) looks on after the 2015 CFP National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at AT&T Stadium. Ohio State defeated Oregon 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan State finds itself 6-0 halfway through its schedule. Just where they wanted to be, right? Well not so much. With a rash of injuries and each game more tightly contested than is ideal, the shine has come off of the MSU brand a bit.
Must Related: Michigan State vs. Michigan: Get to know the Wolverines
Most prognosticators have the Spartans out of their playoff projections. State has dropped to No. 7 in the AP poll — despite winning every game — and now they face a Michigan team that has all the momentum in the world and the college football world’s attention.
As national pundits fawn over the greatness that is Jim Harbaugh and this Michigan resurgence, Michigan State is once again an afterthought. As annoying as this might be to MSU fans, it is actually exactly what the doctor ordered for MSU’s playoff resume. Michigan is favored by Vegas, by ESPN Football Power Index, by national and local reporters — all of whom are to the point of saying Michigan has an even chance with Ohio State to win the B1G.
But how did we get here? And what else is going on around the country? The halfway point of the season — for most teams — is a great place to take stock of what’s happening around the country with regard to the college football playoff races. As I argued in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Preview, the CFP is best analyzed via the Power Five conferences.
Notre Dame and Boise State were the only non-Power Five teams that had a shot at the playoff prior to the year. Both have lost and are more or less out of the picture with Notre Dame still hanging on because of matchups with USC and Stanford still to come on their schedule.
We’ll take a look at each conference as it stands now halfway through the season.
Next: ACC