Saturday Blitz
Fansided

5 One-Loss Teams that could still reach College Football Playoff

By Geoffrey Knox

Oct 1, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) rushes in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) rushes in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) rushes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) rushes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

3. The Stanford Cardinal

If you said that Stanford’s loss to the Washington Huskies may end up being their lone loss of the season, many a college football fan would step up in your defense.

Stanford got throttled by Washington on Saturday night, but history has shown us that early season losses are much easier to overcome than those that occur later in the season. Stanford sits at number 15 in the polls, but who knows? If the Huskies drop a couple and Stanford gets on a roll, it could be the Cardinal sitting at the top of the Pac-12 when it’s all said and done.

Every game remaining on their schedule is very winnable. David Shaw has done an excellent job since taking over. They have, arguably, the best player in college football in Christian McCaffrey, and even if you disagree on the theory that he’s the best, you can’t deny he’s the most versatile. He probably should win the Heisman Trophy, but he probably won’t. That’s another story for another day.

As it sits now, the Huskies are the most talented team out west. They may be the conference’s best shot at the playoff, but the Cardinal still may be able to surprise some of us late. They need Washington to lose two Pac-12 games as they now hold the tie-breaker.

Home/ACC