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College Football Playoff: Week 8 results from a Michigan State perspective

By Thomas Nikundiwe

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Michigan State football gets a much needed break this week, but the rest of the college football world keeps on trucking. Last week saw some upsets that ultimately helped MSU. A lot of the talking heads were dismissing MSU’s chances even if they won out.

Some national pundits were actually saying that if MSU ended undefeated after wins at Ohio State and the Big Ten crown, they would get left out. The thinking went like this — imagine an undefeated Clemson, an undefeated Baylor, an undefeated Utah and either an undefeated LSU or 1-loss Alabama and MSU would be left out.

We’ve contended that as long as they win all their games, MSU will be in. Stanford and especially Notre Dame have been included in the mix lately, as well.

Beyond the one-loss teams that could derail the Spartans’ dreams, some “Group of Five” teams (non-Power Five conferences) have been making noise. And though most analysts say that an undefeated “Group of Five” team will not be able to overtake a Power Five conference, those teams should be watched, as well.

The undefeated “Group of Five” squads include Memphis, Houston, Toledo and Temple. Memphis probably has the best shot with their win over Ole Miss. Toledo beat Arkansas, but that’s looking less impressive every week. Temple has a chance at big upset against Notre Dame which would seriously bolster a resume that includes a win against Penn State.

Since the College Football Playoff selection process is subjective, MSU could, in fact, go 12-0 with a win over the No. 1 team in the country on the road and be left out. So, as the Spartans get rested and healthy for the last quarter of their season, it would help if we saw some more upsets in the coming weeks.

Let’s get to the results.

Most important result

Oct 24, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) scores a touchdown against Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jonathan Crawford (9) during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

No. 7 MSU 52, Indiana 26: The first three and a half quarters gave MSU doubters more fodder, but at the end of the day this looks like a 26 point win against a team that was seven yards away from beating Ohio State. And as much as the fans can and will speculate about what is going on around the country, MSU can only worry about the team in front of them.

Results that help

October 24, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) moves in to score a touchdown ahead of Utah Utes defensive back Justin Thomas (12) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

USC 42, No. 3 Utah 24: In the nightmare scenario described above Utah was undefeated and taking an MSU spot. Well, USC did MSU a solid and knocked off the great Utes and did so in convincing fashion.

Georgia Tech 22, No. 9 Florida St 16: The more ranked teams with losses, the better for MSU. Florida State‘s loss also means that MSU fans could root for the Seminoles to beat Clemson.

UCLA 40, No. 20 Cal 24: Cal wasn’t really a threat for the playoff, but another loss in a power conference is generally helpful and now Cal can beat Stanford with no worries for MSU fans.

No. 24 Ole Miss 23, No. 15 Texas A&M 3: This might seem like a result that will probably matter but too early to tell, but despite its two losses, Ole Miss can still win the SEC West. A two-loss SEC champ would be great for MSU. And again Texas A&M can now play spoiler when it takes on LSU.

Results that could have helped but then they didn’t

Oct 24, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) carries for a touchdown against Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. (34) during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

No. 8 Alabama 19, Tennessee 14: Tennessee took a fourth quarter lead, but couldn’t hold in the last five minutes. The national narrative had been that Alabama was the “best one-loss team” and better than several undefeated teams. This win takes some luster off the Alabama shine, but nothing they can’t overcome.

No. 22 Temple 24, East Carolina 14: Temple has a very outside shot at the playoff if it can upset Notre Dame. However, close calls against the likes of East Carolina won’t help their cause. East Carolina was up 14-10 through three quarters, but Temple scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter.

No. 19 Toledo 51, UMass 35: This one looks like a laugher, but Toledo was down 28-10 at halftime. UMass had a drive near the goal line to pad the halftime score, but threw a pick in the end zone. Toledo used that interception to grab momentum and score 41 in the second half.

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