The race for the College Football Playoff has hit its peak as we were given the first College Football Playoff rankings this week revealing where every team stands in the race. While the College Football Playoff committee ranks their Top 25 teams, heading into Week 12 there are truly 37 teams still with a chance to make the Playoff.
This weekend should see the list of teams in the hunt get slimmer as Playoff hopefuls will face off while we’re always bound to see shocking upsets at this time of the year. In the end, only 12 teams can make the College Football Playoff, but having 37 teams still in the hunt makes for such an exciting finish to the season.
These 37 teams are still in the hunt for the College Football Playoff
ACC (7):
Duke Blue Devils
Despite already having 3 losses, Duke is very much still in the race for the ACC Championship with just one loss in league play. Duke's final 3 league games present a test against Virginia as the Blue Devils could hand them their first loss in league play, but games against Wake Forest and North Carolina should be games Manny Diaz can win.
Georgia Tech
The ACC broke perfectly for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, yet they were stunned by an NC State team playing without their two best offensive weapons. After this weekend's bye, Georgia Tech gets to bounce back against a very bad Boston College team before facing a red-hot Pitt team, which could decide the ACC Championship field. If the Yellow Jackets run the table, which would include beating Georgia in the finale, they'd make the Playoff as an at-large team otherwise, their best chance is at winning the ACC.
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals kicked off the chaos in the ACC when they handed Miami their first loss of the season. The final 3 games of ACC play are tricky as Cal, Clemson, and SMU have had shaky seasons, but they can certainly knock Louisville out of the race for the Playoff.
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes have done significant damage to their College Football Playoff stock over the last three weeks losing games to Louisville and SMU. The biggest thing working for Miami right now is the fact that they beat Notre Dame which gives them big resume building win. Down the stretch, Miami is going to need to win with some style points while also hoping for help around the Country.
Pitt Panthers
After making a change at Quarterback, Pitt has jumped into the College Football Playoff race. The bad news for Pitt is that this final stretch couldn't be much tougher as they'll face Notre Dame in the Non-Conference before facing Georgia Tech and Miami to close out ACC play. The Panthers will have every chance to prove they're a Playoff team, but it's definitely not an easy path.
SMU Mustangs
After making the College Football Playoff last season, it started to look like SMU would miss the Playoff before their pivotal win over Miami. While they're 6-3, SMU is 4-1 in ACC play which gives them a chance to make the ACC Championship especially if Virginia takes a loss. The Mustangs have a game against Louisville left which could end up deciding one of the bids into the Conference Championship game.
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers are in the best place of any team in the ACC as the lone unbeaten team in league play as their loss was in a Non-Conference game against NC State. Having a win against Louisville only helps while this final stretch is manageable with tougher games against Wake Forest and Duke before facing a Virginia Tech team that'll be motivated to try and knock their In-State rival out of contention.