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Ranking one-loss Playoff contenders by best path t

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Ranking one-loss Playoff contenders by best path t

Week 9 is here, and the one-lo s-or-fewer crowd is dwindling among the college football ranks.A total of eight Power 5 schools remain unbeaten: Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma and Baylor. But what about that one-lo s crowd?MORE: Before you get there, you can trim off all the Group of 5 schools knowing that the College Football Playoff committee hasn't shown a willingne s to place such a team in the final four. Also remember that no two-lo s team has made the Playoff.That leaves these seven one-lo s Power 5 schools; we'll throw in Notre Dame Romeo Okwara Jersey as an independent because the Irish have been to the Playoff. Which one has the best chance to crash the Playoff? We ranked those teams based on the best and worst paths back into the CFP mix.Here's a closer look:1. Georgia (6-1)Lo s: 20-17 vs. South Carolina (Oct. 12)Schedule: BYE, vs. Florida, vs. Mi souri, at Auburn, vs. Texas AM, at Georgia TechThe is bad, and the hangover game against Kentucky on Saturday was brutal, too. The Bulldogs still have enough prove-it games left on the schedule that they can work back into the top five by eliminating Florida and Auburn en route to the SEC championship game. That would be a Playoff play-in game, most likely against Alabama or LSU. Georgia still controls its destiny, giving it the least complicated scenario among the one-lo s teams.2. Oregon (6-1)Lo s: 27-21 vs. Auburn (Aug. 31)Schedule: vs. Washington State, at USC, BYE, vs. Arizona, at Arizona State, vs. Oregon StateThe head-to-head lo s to Auburn hurts, Jarrad Davis Jersey but the Ducks have a much better chance of running the table than the Tigers at this point. Oregon controls its destiny in the Pac-12 North after a , and the Ducks will be favored in the remainder of their games. It wouldn't hurt if Utah ran the table in the Pac-12 South to set up a Pac-12 championship game between 11-1 teams.3. Notre Dame (5-1)Lo s: 23-17 at Georgia (Sept. 21)Schedule: at Michigan, vs. Virginia Tech, at Duke, vs. Navy, vs. Boston College at StanfordGiven these rankings, Irish fans should either root for Georgia to win the SEC or lose a second game and get out of Notre Dame's way. The second scenario might be easier. The Irish will be favored the rest of way, but it wouldn't hurt to blow out Michigan in the Irish's most visitible game left. That lack of a conference championship game could hurt, too.4. Florida (7-1)Lo s: 42-28at LSU (Oct. 12)Schedule: BYE, vs. Georgia, vs. Vanderbilt, at Mi souri, BYE, vs. Florida StateThe Gators have Shane Zylstra Jersey two open dates in the last six weeks, and they will use the first to prepare for a de facto elimination game against the Bulldogs. If Florida wins there, then it's a good bet it takes an 11-1 record into the SEC championship game. There, LSU would be the preferred opponent knowing the Gators could avenge their only lo s of the season. It also means they avoid the Crimson Tide, who routed the Gators in their last two SEC championship appearances.MORE: 5. Auburn (6-1)Lo s: 24-13 at Florida (Oct. 5)Schedule: at LSU, vs. Ole Mi s, BYE, vs. Georgia, vs. Samford, vs. AlabamaCan the Tigers go down to Death Valley and beat LSU? That Austin Bryant Jersey 's the big question, because if the answer is yes Auburn will have the advantage of playing the rest of its games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That includes the showdowns against Georgia and Alabama, whom the Tigers swept in 2017. At minimum, Auburn will knock one of LSU, Georgia and Alabama off. We don't think they can beat all three.6. Wisconsin (6-1)Lo s: 24-23 at Illinois (Oct. 19)Schedule: at Ohio State, BYE, vs. Iowa, at Nebraska, vs. Purdue, at MinnesotaThe Badgers , and they're going to end up paying for it. The trip to Ohio Stadium goes from top-10 showdown to elimination game for the Badgers. They might have to beat Ohio State twice if they manage to win the Big Ten West. That would certainly warrant Playoff consideration, but there are just too many ifs for that scenario to work out not to mention, Wisconsin has the worst lo s of any team on this list.7. Utah (6-1)Lo s: 30-23at USC (Sept. 20)Schedule: vs. Cal, at Washington, BYE, vs. UCLA, at Arizona, vs. ColoradoThe Utes have a favorable schedule aside from the trip to Washington, so they need the conference championship game to be against Oregon, given that weak nonconference schedule. The Utes will need some chaos in the other Power 5 conferences, but they are still alive.8. Wake Forest (6-1)Lo s: 62-59 vs. Louisville (Oct. 12)Schedule: BYE, vs Michael Brockers Jersey . N.C. State, at Virginia Tech, at Clemson, vs. Duke, at SyracuseThe Demon Deacons bounced back from a shootout lo s to Louisville to down Florida State 22-20 in Winston-Salem on Saturday. Wake Forest faces N.C. State after a bye, then has back-to-back road games at Virginia Tech and Clemson. We don't like those odds.

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