College Football Playoff Stakes Soar in Massive Weekend

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

High-Stakes Matchups Could Reshape the Championship and Playoff Picture

This weekend’s schedule could reveal a great deal, with several games carrying championship and playoff implications. USC-Indiana is another notable matchup, but the schedule is loaded even beyond that game.

BYU and Utah will meet in the Holy War, a game that could help decide who reaches the Big 12 championship. Texas also faces a crucial road game at Missouri. In my mind, Texas cannot afford another loss. If Texas loses to Missouri, Texas is out.

Kentucky and Tennessee is another important matchup. Kentucky is in right now, while Tennessee may be able to play its way in. The Volunteers are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play, and they need to win out. Missouri is also 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

Georgia could eliminate Ole Miss by taking care of business. Miami’s game against Notre Dame will also be significant, although both teams are off this week and the matchup is in two weeks. If Miami wants to be the No. 1 seed, it needs to win because its resume is not good.

Alabama-LSU is another potential elimination game that was not included on the original list. I have tickets on Alabama to win more than 8.5 games, make the playoffs and win the national championship at 25-to-1 odds. All three could be dead if Alabama loses at LSU.

Alabama’s road trip to LSU is massive for the Crimson Tide. The game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Pacific and 3:30 p.m. Eastern in the SEC on ABC window, with the entire country watching.

For Kellen Deboer, the question is whether he can go on the road and beat Lane Kiffin. Alabama fans feel about Lane Kiffin the way Tennessee fans do. They dislike him because of his cocky approach, his departure, and the way he has talked about Saban and Alabama.

Kiffin was especially confident at the beginning of the year at LSU, arriving with sunglasses and celebrities around him. LSU then lost to Ole Miss and Kentucky before preparing to host Alabama.

LSU crushed Clemson 51-10 the last time it had a massive home game with so much attention. After that opening game, it appeared this could be a coronation year for LSU. Now the Crimson Tide is coming to town, but Alabama enters at 6-2 and has not been great on the road.