Why Utah Utes need to go undefeated to make Playoff

If the Utah Utes want to make if to the College Football Playoff, they have to avoid the upset that a traditional power can overcome.

Before the season started, the AP top 25 college football poll was announced, and the top three were exactly who you expected. Number one was the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes, then came the TCU Horned Frogs and in third place was the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama is a favorite of the media in general and especially of ESPN, a network that broadcasts SEC games in primetime. Whether the SEC is overrated as a whole or not is debatable, but the fact that a team’s preseason ranking and expectation can legitimately affect its ability to make it into the Playoff is not.

Look at what happened last year. At the end of the regular season, there were six teams undefeated or with only one loss who were ranked in the AP top 25. Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Baylor, and TCU. Only four teams make it to the Playoff. Florida State, Alabama, and Oregon started 1, 2, and 3 in the poll at the beginning of the season.

All three made it to the playoffs. Ohio State started fifth and they also made it. Baylor was 10th and TCU was unranked. Both of those programs were excluded. Media members blame the lack of a championship game in the Big XII, but it was the lack of preseason hype.

This is why the Utah Utes, currently undefeated and ranked fourth in the AP poll, face an uphill battle to make it to this year’s final four, despite the eye-opening destruction of last year’s championship runner-up, Oregon, and an early season victory over resurgent Michigan. Winning against previously unbeaten California might have helped, but even the smallest slip will be held against this team, where other traditional powers will be given a pass. Just look at this college football playoff projection from CBSSports.com.

More from Pac-12

Ohio State, Clemson, TCU, and Alabama are the four schools picked to meet in the playoff. Utah is nowhere on that list. Alabama is ahead of the Utes, despite the Crimson Tide already losing a game this season. Why, if not due simply to Alabama’s preseason ranking and the aura of a traditional powerhouse program? After all, Utah has played the No. 12 team, Michigan, and the No. 23 team, Cal, and beat them both. Alabama lost to current No. 13 Ole Miss in the only game against a current top 25 team.

What sense does it make to put Alabama in and leave Utah out?

This is why the Utes have zero margin for error the rest of the way. It does not matter how many impressive wins they rack up. One loss and they will be left out of the party. This is the life of a non-traditional power in the current college football landscape.

Perfection is the only hope you have of playing in a game that matters and even then you still might be left out.

The big names have a monopoly on the sport, despite alleged improvements from the hideous BCS era. The only truly fair way to go would be to include only conference champions in the playoffs, but that idea has faced stiff resistance from the traditional powers.

So until that happens, teams like Utah face the unrelenting pressure of a perfect season just to have a shot at playing the blue bloods. Of course, the last time the Alabama Crimson Tide faced the Utes? Utah won handily, despite being an underdog.

Next: 30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/Pac-12