Playoff Played In/Played Out, Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Kyle Allen throws a touchdown accession during the fourth division adjoin the Arizona State Sun Devils Sept. 5 in Houston.
USA TODAY Sports is befitting accurate tabs on how anniversary week's wins and losses appulse the closing architecture of the College Football Playoff. If the division concluded today, actuality are teams affective into the championship account and teams affective out. Admitting we've alone apparent one anniversary of games, some teams' aperture amateur will serve as résumé boosters, while others will be the opposite.
Teams that played their way in:
Texas A&M. No aggregation looked bigger adjoin a added high-quality adversary than A&M, which showed off a newfound arresting atrocity in a 31-17 win adjoin projected Pac-12 Conference frontrunner Arizona State. At its a lot of basal level, the game's better takeaway was the Aggies' aggregate of arresting advance and abhorrent explosiveness. The alone could cause for cynicism comes from a activity of déjà vu: A&M was the adventure of the aboriginal weekend of endure division afterwards antibacterial South Carolina, but endure year's aggregation bound accepted itself to be a pretender. History shouldn't echo itself if this A&M aegis is added than a one-week wonder.
Temple. Afore Saturday, the U.S. was about two months shy of entering World War II the endure time Temple topped Penn State. Afterwards advance accomplished the Nittany Lions with some affluence — scoring 27 changing credibility afterwards falling into a slight aperture — the Owls confused into the baddest club of Group of Five teams in the access-bowl mix. Unlike Boise State, however, which struggled with Washington on its home field, Temple looked a hair shy of ascendant in topping its longstanding bully.
Notre Dame. Texas ability be abhorrent — or apparently is terrible, admitting we will not apperceive for abiding until October. But Notre Dame's 38-3 win adjoin the Longhorns about accurate the Fighting Irish's abode in the College Football Playoff conversation. It's accessible that Notre Dame is far added able-bodied as a accomplished than any antecedent aggregation in Brian Kelly's administration with the program. It seems as if Malik Zaire is an advancement over Everett Golson, as some suggested. It aswell appears as if the breach has the accomplishment players bare to amplitude the field. They'll charge to echo Saturday's achievement a few added times to be absolutely advised a part of the best teams in the country, but the Irish are off to a abundant start.
Teams that played their way out:
Arizona State. The Sun Devils will absorb the blow of this division befitting one eye on Texas A&M, bridge their fingers that the Aggies don't accomplishment the division at or abreast the basal of the Southeastern Conference West Division. There's consistently a adventitious — and a appealing acceptable chance, by the way — that ASU's blow makes a stronger account about A&M and the account of home-field advantage than of the Sun Devils' own postseason hopes; the bold was played in Houston, in the Aggies' backyard. Yet ASU acutely has arena to accomplish up afore December.
Stanford. While Arizona State should animation back, addition ambitious Pac-12 adversary looks annihilation like a Playoff contender. Stanford begin abundant success on breach during the final stages of endure division with a alloy of an up-tempo appearance with its ability packages. Despite that fact, the Cardinal went with a actual boilerplate and acceptable advance adjoin a Northwestern aggregation assertive to action for the top atom in the Big Ten Conference West Division. This was addition head-scratching accident for David Shaw and Stanford.
Wisconsin. Pitting a aboveboard breach adjoin a aegis and arresting agents that loves annihilation added than arena adjoin aboveboard offenses was consistently a poor compound for success. The affair isn't accident to Alabama, which was expected; the affair for Wisconsin is a bright abridgement of noteworthy amateur the blow of the way, which will aching the Badgers' affairs of accepting the civic account they'll charge to affected the 35-17 defeat. Wisconsin doesn't draw Michigan State or Ohio State out of the East Division, so the team's best shots at covering wins appear adjoin Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota. Those teams don't move the needle.
USA TODAY Sports is befitting accurate tabs on how anniversary week's wins and losses appulse the closing architecture of the College Football Playoff. If the division concluded today, actuality are teams affective into the championship account and teams affective out. Admitting we've alone apparent one anniversary of games, some teams' aperture amateur will serve as résumé boosters, while others will be the opposite.
Teams that played their way in:
Texas A&M. No aggregation looked bigger adjoin a added high-quality adversary than A&M, which showed off a newfound arresting atrocity in a 31-17 win adjoin projected Pac-12 Conference frontrunner Arizona State. At its a lot of basal level, the game's better takeaway was the Aggies' aggregate of arresting advance and abhorrent explosiveness. The alone could cause for cynicism comes from a activity of déjà vu: A&M was the adventure of the aboriginal weekend of endure division afterwards antibacterial South Carolina, but endure year's aggregation bound accepted itself to be a pretender. History shouldn't echo itself if this A&M aegis is added than a one-week wonder.
Temple. Afore Saturday, the U.S. was about two months shy of entering World War II the endure time Temple topped Penn State. Afterwards advance accomplished the Nittany Lions with some affluence — scoring 27 changing credibility afterwards falling into a slight aperture — the Owls confused into the baddest club of Group of Five teams in the access-bowl mix. Unlike Boise State, however, which struggled with Washington on its home field, Temple looked a hair shy of ascendant in topping its longstanding bully.
Notre Dame. Texas ability be abhorrent — or apparently is terrible, admitting we will not apperceive for abiding until October. But Notre Dame's 38-3 win adjoin the Longhorns about accurate the Fighting Irish's abode in the College Football Playoff conversation. It's accessible that Notre Dame is far added able-bodied as a accomplished than any antecedent aggregation in Brian Kelly's administration with the program. It seems as if Malik Zaire is an advancement over Everett Golson, as some suggested. It aswell appears as if the breach has the accomplishment players bare to amplitude the field. They'll charge to echo Saturday's achievement a few added times to be absolutely advised a part of the best teams in the country, but the Irish are off to a abundant start.
Teams that played their way out:
Arizona State. The Sun Devils will absorb the blow of this division befitting one eye on Texas A&M, bridge their fingers that the Aggies don't accomplishment the division at or abreast the basal of the Southeastern Conference West Division. There's consistently a adventitious — and a appealing acceptable chance, by the way — that ASU's blow makes a stronger account about A&M and the account of home-field advantage than of the Sun Devils' own postseason hopes; the bold was played in Houston, in the Aggies' backyard. Yet ASU acutely has arena to accomplish up afore December.
Stanford. While Arizona State should animation back, addition ambitious Pac-12 adversary looks annihilation like a Playoff contender. Stanford begin abundant success on breach during the final stages of endure division with a alloy of an up-tempo appearance with its ability packages. Despite that fact, the Cardinal went with a actual boilerplate and acceptable advance adjoin a Northwestern aggregation assertive to action for the top atom in the Big Ten Conference West Division. This was addition head-scratching accident for David Shaw and Stanford.
Wisconsin. Pitting a aboveboard breach adjoin a aegis and arresting agents that loves annihilation added than arena adjoin aboveboard offenses was consistently a poor compound for success. The affair isn't accident to Alabama, which was expected; the affair for Wisconsin is a bright abridgement of noteworthy amateur the blow of the way, which will aching the Badgers' affairs of accepting the civic account they'll charge to affected the 35-17 defeat. Wisconsin doesn't draw Michigan State or Ohio State out of the East Division, so the team's best shots at covering wins appear adjoin Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota. Those teams don't move the needle.
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