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5 steps for Group of 5 team to make 2018 College Football Playoff

By Luke Feliciano

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: McKenzie Milton #10 of the UCF Knights reacts after defeating the Auburn Tigers 34-27 to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: McKenzie Milton #10 of the UCF Knights reacts after defeating the Auburn Tigers 34-27 to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FL – DECEMBER 02: Devin Singletary #5 of the Florida Atlantic Owls carries during the Conference USA Championship game against the North Texas Mean Green at FAU Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL – DECEMBER 02: Devin Singletary #5 of the Florida Atlantic Owls carries during the Conference USA Championship game against the North Texas Mean Green at FAU Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

2. There have to be multiple two-loss teams

While Group of Five teams hold their fate in the balance each week, they also would have to hope Power Five teams beat up on each other throughout the year in order to slide into a potential playoff spot.

The College Football Playoff committee has sent the unofficial message that it was unwilling to accept two-loss teams into the mix: even if the same two-loss team won a Power Five conference championship outright.

There are only four playoff teams selected which means that those are the four squads that finish the season either without a loss or with one loss.

UCF concluded the 2017 season as the No. 6 ranked team in the country and they even received first-place votes. Ohio State, who placed a ranking ahead of the Knights, closed out the regular season with two losses. Therefore, for a Group of Five team to even have a decent shot at the playoff, it would have to complete every step before this one in addition to the field having more than one two-loss team.

In a strange way, the hopes of a Group of Five team taking the miraculous jump actually might be contingent upon the way the first 5-6 teams play.

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