College Football Playoff: 5 dark horse teams who can make Playoff

Oct 31, 2015; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard (16) leads the offense against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa won 31-15. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Some teams outside the top 10 are not getting nearly enough attention as they deserve for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, and Alabama all made the cut in the first College Football Playoff poll. But Notre Dame, Michigan State, Baylor, and TCU are all breathing down their necks.

There aren’t too many teams that are being given a chance outside that top eight, but there are still a few teams who could make some moves in the final weeks of the season, and catapult their way towards the top.

The way the rankings have compiled, and with the remaining schedules of those in the top 10 of the College Football Playoffs poll, teams that seem on the outside looking in still have a very chance at claiming their spot.

Alabama and LSU have to play each other. Baylor and TCU have to play each other. Ohio State and Michigan State have to play each other, and it only gets more complicated the further you go out.

Some undefeated teams have clearly failed to earn the respect of the committee, and the teams with one loss sitting outside the top 10 seem to be out of the conversation. But when you look at the remaining schedules of some of these teams, many of them have the opportunity to slide into the playoffs as a true dark horse.

Some teams have tough schedules ahead, that are still manageable, and if pulled off, their resume will be among the best in the nation. Meanwhile, there are a few teams that will be able to fend off their remaining schedule, and wait for everyone above them to battle it out and hand out their own losses.

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