Who Will be the Final Four?

To determine who qualifies for the College Football Playoff, a committee will decide, based on a set of criteria, which will clench a top four spot to compete for the coveted National Championship.

Several factors play into who will qualify for the playoffs, one being conference games. The games will be played this weekend to determine the champions of each conference, which can help the Committee determine who is likely to qualify. Although a conference win does not guarantee that a team will qualify for the playoffs, it does help with ranking teams, especially in competitive conferences. The most competitive conference game will be the SEC, held at the Mercedes Benz Stadium, where #1 Georgia and #4 Alabama will compete, allowing both contenders to secure their spot in the playoffs. It is important to note that each conference is not limited to just one team to qualify for the playoffs. In years past, the SEC has typically had more than one team contending or qualifying for the playoffs, and both teams competing in the SEC game will still qualify. Another anticipated conference game will be #4 Oklahoma State playing #9 Baylor in the BIG 10 championship. If #9 Baylor can pull out a win, that will make a devastating end to Oklahoma State's season and take them out of the running for a potential spot in the playoffs. However, if Oklahoma State wins, this will likely secure a spot as one of the top four teams. Edited.

Another determining factor is looking at the strength of the regular season schedule. Strength in game schedules plays mainly to the advantage of the Power 5 conferences; nonetheless, no conference or team ultimately controls how competitive their conference will perform in any given season. For example, #12 ranked SDSU in the Mountain West Conference has a current record of 11-1, but because they play less credible teams, they cannot beat teams that play in the Power 5 conferences. Currently ranked #6, Notre Dame struggled for several years; they were not affiliated with any conferences claiming themselves as independent, which made it difficult to have a consistent schedule and play competitive teams. Now Notre Dame is joining the ACC; they have proven themselves in the past few years as a strong team.

#2 Michigan is another team that has benefitted from its competitive conference. The Wolverines only suffered one devastating loss against rival Michigan State early in the season; however, the team pulled out a huge win against Ohio St. right at the end of the season before the playoffs. The Wolverines played top contender Ohio State in a nail-biting game on a frosty Saturday in the Big House, pulling out a 42-27 win. Unfortunately, this will likely but the end of the road for Ohio State's fight, and the worst part, they aren't even the best team in Ohio anymore…. Michigan was awarded a #2 seed, and if they can beat #13 Iowa State in the BIG 10 championship, Michigan's odds are looking high for a playoff spot.

Here is what you should know about the top contenders and how they can claim their spot in the 2021 College Football Playoffs.

SEC Georgia 12-0

The Bulldogs are the top dogs this year and have done everything they can to prove they deserve it. Georgia has not had an undefended season since 1982, and there has been no competition to take away their 12-0 season. The Clemson Tigers, who have not found any consistency this year without QB Trevor Lawrence, gave the Bulldogs the closest competition they had all season in a low-scoring game where Georgia pulled out a 10-3. Overall not impressive for either team. After this rocky start, Georgia blew out every game after allowing 83 points scored against them in a single season. Not only has their defense proven notable, but their offense has been unstoppable, exhibited in the 45-0 win against state rival Georgia Tech. Although there is no doubt this powerful team has affirmed their spot in the Playoffs, The only thing standing in front of them and an official undefended regular season is the Nick Saben and the Crimson Tide. With Alabama having the most appearances in the CPF, they are familiar with a high-tension atmosphere, just pulling out a nail-biting 4OT win, all thanks to freshman QB Bryce Young against Auburn. Georgia will play Alabama next in the SEC championships determining if Georgia is truly the top contender in the playoffs. If Georgia wins, they should not doubt that a championship is shortly, and Alabama will suffer another loss and potentially lose their spot in the playoffs. However, if Georgia loses, although they will still make the playoffs, their number one spot will be up for grabs if Michigan and Cincinnati win their conference games.

Although Georgia is an SEC team, I hope the Bulldogs can outplay the Crimson Tide in the SEC conference championship and continue their winning streak giving up a spot where another non-SEC team has a chance to make the CFP this year.

BIG 10 Michigan 11-1

Until last week nobody knew if Michigan had the potential to make it into the CFP this year; however, if you heard anything about last Saturday, it likely was about Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines putting away the Ohio St. after their eight years losing streak and for the first win against the buckeyes under Harbaugh's in his last five years of coaching. Michigan now sits comfortably in the #2 spot going into this week's BIG 10 conference championship with only one loss to Michigan State. I believe that Michigan also has the best fan base right now because they have not only been the underdogs but are also the only big ten teams in the running to earn a spot in the playoffs now that Ohio St has suffered two losses. Michigan doesn't need another show-stopping game like Ohio State to make the playoffs. The Wolverines have proven themselves as a championship-worthy team. All they need to do is pull out a conference title win against #13 Iowa and Michigan should maintain their spot and could even move up to the top ranking going into the playoffs, depending on how the SEC game goes.

AAC Cincinnati 12-0

Cincinnati is the only other undefeated team in the AP Top 25 rankings. While some may argue the Bearcats should be ranked higher than #3, especially with Michigan suffering a tough loss earlier in the season to Michigan State, Cincinnati's only notable win has been their game against #6 Notre Dame. Every team has its problems, and although Cincinnati has proven their continents to play in the championship, unfortunately, the Bearcats don't play ranked teams that often with their schedule. It will be difficult for the Committee to decide if the bearcats will qualify for the playoffs, mostly because nobody can deny the impressive numbers. Still, as all the teams know, numbers are not everything the Committee considers. The Bearcats will host the #24 ranked Huston Cougars in the AAC championship, and if they can pull out a win against a top 25 team, they will likely maintain their top 4 spots going into the playoffs.

For me, it's hard to disregard this team because of their impressive and unbeaten season, but they haven't had any crazy upsets or super competitive games to create a lot of buzz.

SEC Alabama 11-1

Alabama has had yet another impressive season per usual, beating four other top 25 ranked teams and only one loss against Texas A&M. It wouldn't be fair to talk about the Crimson Tide without mentioning potential Heisman trophy winner freshman Bryce Young, who now has the most passing yards in a single season. Although Alabama is undoubtedly a powerhouse team, the Crimson Ride has endured a few roadblocks on the way to the playoffs. Alabama surprisingly lost to Texas A&M in a close battle, ending in a score of 38-41. Last week the Crimson Tide also seemed to struggle against rival Auburn, barely winning in a 4OT game against rival and unranked team Auburn. Although Alabama won, this made people question why this game was challenging for the Crimson Tide to win, especially this game being played the same day as Michigan had a spectacular win against Ohio State. Although Alabama has a top-four spot right now, there is no assurance that this team will keep its spot, especially if they suffer another loss to Georgia in the SEC title. Alabama can only guarantee their spot if they beat the Bulldogs or keep the game close. If Alabama loses and #5 ranked Oklahoma or #6 ranked Notre Dame wins their conference title, either could easily take that coveted #4 spots that Alabama holds right now. If anyone has watched Alabama in the past, although they are the underdogs, the crimson tide can do just about anything when the pressure is on. This game for Georgia could be exactly what they need to prove their abilities. If all goes according to plan, we could see the crimson tide and the Bulldogs match up again in the championship game.

BIG 12 Oklahoma St. 11-1

Oklahoma sits at the dreaded #5 spot going into the BIG 12 conference championship this week. With a successful season winning all but one loss against iowa state, Oklahoma State has as good of a chance as any of the other top four teams to make the CFP this year. Oklahoma will face #7 ranked Baylor with a record of 10-2 in the BIG 12 conference championship, and if Oklahoma can pull out a win against another credible team like Baylor, they deserve as much as any of these other top 4 teams to be considered. Oklahoma State has proven itself to showing resilience and credibility, beating revelry #10 ranked team Oaklahoma in a close 37-33 win. In the best-case scenario, Alabama loses, and Oklahoma State can beat Baylor; the team will have a good chance of making the playoffs. Otherwise, Oklahoma State is looking at another bowl game against another ranked team to end their season.

ACC Notre Dame 11-1

After a strong season, Notre Dame is now sitting at a #6 ranking, only losing to #3 ranked Cincinnati. Typically Notre Dame playing Stanford can give the Irish more creditability; however, with Stanfords not even ranked in the AP 25, winning against the Cardinal was not impressive enough to move past the #6 ranking. Notre Dame's chances of clenching a playoff spot are based on the outcome of the other conference games this weekend. Notre Dame will match up against it because they do not have any more games before the playoff standings come out. Because of this, it's unlikely that Notre Dame will be able to clench a top-four spot and will have to settle for another bowl game. Being in the ACC did not play to Notre Dame benefit this year because they lacked a more competitive schedule like these SEC teams are guaranteed. However, there is a chance the fighting Irish are better off preparing for their match-up in a bowl game instead.

This coming weekend will help or hurt these six teams trying to clench their spot in the CFP this year, and anything can happen.