How Western Michigan Could Reach the 2016 College Football Playoff

Sep 17, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; The Western Michigan Broncos defense celebrates after the interception by Western Michigan Broncos linebacker Robert Spillane (10) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Western Michigan beat Illinois 34 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports /

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Western Michigan is one of just two unbeaten teams left in the FBS. Here is a scenario that could put them into the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Western Michigan has survived two straight weeks of Tuesday night #MACtion to move to 10-0 on the season, avoiding the pitfalls that befell other unbeaten teams in Week 11. The Broncos are three games away from running the table in the Mid-American Conference, and if they win out they are virtually guaranteed the Group of Five’s spot in the Cotton Bowl. While they are ranked behind Boise State this week in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Broncos out west still need Wyoming to lose another game to even play for the Mountain West championship.

So as long as they keep winning, P.J. Fleck’s team will almost certainly pass their namesakes in the CFP rankings. But could they manage to Row the Boat all the way to an even more lucrative spot in either the Peach Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl? There is precedent for a MAC team getting a major bump in the standings from a series of surprises, so it isn’t entirely impossible for the Broncos to play for the College Football Playoff this season. Here’s what it would take for WMU to make it into the top four of the CFP rankings after the first week of December.

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