How realignment affects college football's playoff race

Forty names, games, teams and details that make the news in college football, where no one is K-enough. Kentucky, Kennesaw State and Kent State are on a combined fifteen-game losing streak this season. Two in a row for the Wildcats, six in a row for the Owls and seven in a row for the Golden Flashes. First quarter: twelve angry fans. Second quarter: the tension has disappeared? Third quarter: the sensation is back?

Fourth quarter: what caused the realignment

As we enter the second half of the season and head toward the 12-team College Football Playoff, the confluence of new dynamics in the sport could create some wild scenarios. Simply put, realignment plus an extended brace means there are more variables to consider.

Getting to a conference championship game has never been more important, with five automatic bids. But figuring out who makes those championship plays is more complicated than ever due to larger leagues and fewer common opponents. The Dash attempts to resolve some of the issues that may be looming in the coming weeks.

The lack of overlap between the contenders in the ACC (33). The Clemson Tigers are at the top of the standings at 50. The Miami Hurricanes and SMU Mustangs are tied for second place with 30. No one plays against each other in the regular season. The Pittsburgh Panthers, now 20, have a game remaining against SMU on Nov. 2 and a game against Clemson on Nov. 16. There's a chance the league ends up with three 80 teams and two spots in the championship game.

When it comes to the fourth tiebreaker, the combined conference opponent records among three teams currently favor Pittsburgh, whose opponents are 1,514, and Miami (1,318). Clemson is next at 1218 and then SMU at 1119. Clearly there is still a long way to go.

The Oregon Ducks, Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions will not play each other in the league's regular season. Big Ten (34). All three could finish undefeated, although it would also require all three to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, which would guarantee the firing of Ryan Day and the sacking of Columbus.

If Ohio State beats both Penn State and Indiana, it would be in position for a rematch with the Ducks for the Big Ten title. But the Illinois Fighting Illini and Wisconsin Badgers also have one league loss and are not playing each other. They could create some chaos if either beats Oregon, or if the Badgers beat Penn State.

If the Ducks, Hoosiers and Nittany Lions all finish 90, their current conference opponents' records are: Oregon 1620, Penn State 1522 and Indiana 1323.

(Warning: If all three reach 120, all three will make the play-off, regardless of who plays in the title game.)

The Iowa State Cyclones and BYU Cougars are not playing against each other Big 12 (35). The two undefeated players travel non-intersecting circuits with five matches to play. BYU has the better path to 120. Iowa State could end up in a win-and-go game against the Kansas State Wildcats to end the regular season, if both the Cyclones and Wildcats keep winning.

The varying schedules of the SEC (36) This means that there are seven teams with one or zero losses in the competition. The Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns and Vanderbilt Commodores all have two remaining games against other teams in that bracket. The Georgia Bulldogs have one. And the Missouri Tigers don't have one.

If Mizzou can beat the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, it would do two things: knock the Tide out of the playoffs and catapult the Tigers into it. But Texas A&M at LSU looms even bigger this week, with the winner taking sole possession of the top spot.

Then there are the Army Black Knights, Navy Midshipmen and the American Athletic Conference championship game (37). Two of the best stories in sports are among the service academics at West Point and Annapolis, where both are undefeated. Army is a new addition to the American, which adds a big wrinkle to how that race could go.

Currently, the Black Knights are in first place with a record 60 league games and only two games left to play at the North Texas Mean Green (52) on November 8 and at home against the UTSA Roadrunners (34) on 30 November. has non-conference games against the Air Force Falcons on Nov. 2, Notre Dame on Nov. 23 and the traditional matchup with Navy on Dec. 14, which is a non-conference game.

Navy is second at 40, with league games remaining against the Rice Owls (25) on Nov. 2, South Florida Bulls (34) on Nov. 9, Tulane Green Wave (52) on Nov. 16 and East Carolina Pirates (Nov. 34). ) on November 29. The Midshipmen also play Notre Dame this Saturday.

As it stands now, the most likely AAC title game matchup is Army against the winner of the Tulane-Navy game. That championship game is scheduled for Dec. 6 on the home field of the team that finishes first in the regular season. Aside from the pandemic year, neither the Army nor Navy has hosted an on-campus match against the other since World War II.

The Black Knights and Midshipmen were able to play consecutive weeks, with the second game not even considering the playoffs. The field of participants would be seeded on December 8. If either service academy beats Notre Dame, it would be a huge addition to the playoff slate. If both beat Notre Dame and remain undefeated, the winner of Army-Navy Game 1 would be a lock for the playoffs.

It's clear that none of this will happen for a long time. Army's path to the AAC title game is shorter and smoother. Navy has a better resume after beating the Memphis Tigers. The longer both remain in the picture, the more interesting (and unwieldy) this becomes.

Coach who earned his Comp car this week

Jake Dickert (38)Washington State Cougars. Even though no one is paying attention, the Cougars keep winning. They are 61 in their first season after being left for dead by their former Pac-12 brethren and abandoned by star quarterback Cam Ward. Dickert has done an incredible job in two different difficult circumstances: the first acquisition after Nick Rolovich was fired amid a COVID-19 protocol confrontation, and now after the breakup of the Pac-12s. If you want someone who can keep calm and weather a storm, Dickert is your man.

Coach who has to ride the bus to work

Brent Brennan (39), Wildcats from Arizona. He took over a team with one of the nation's best pass-and-catch combinations in quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. It's been a struggle. Arizona is 34, has lost three straight games and has been down in three straight games, going from 23 to 22 to 19 to seven Saturday in a home game against the Colorado Buffaloes. Fifita has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and McMillan still hasn't caught a touchdown since the season opener.

Point after

The Dash was recently awarded a Beer of the Month subscription, one of the largest humanitarian gestures ever. The first shipment arrived last weekend. The football may be really bad in the state of Oklahoma right now, but the beer is pretty good. If you're thirsty in Oklahoma City, order a Frickin Hazer Beams Pale Ale Roughtail Brewery (40) and thank The Dash later.