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ESPN separates ‘contenders and pretenders’ among undefeated teams
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Midway through the season, only a handful of college football teams have maintained an undefeated record. Eleven, to be exact.
While all of those teams have College Football Playoff aspirations, only four teams can reach the ultimate goal. That means, unfortunately, at least seven of those teams won’t get to contend for the ultimate prize.
But before each team’s bubble bursts, ESPN wanted to be the first to deflate the hopes of some of those teams. In a recent story, writer Heather Dinich separated the undefeated contenders from the pretenders. It’s going to stir up plenty of conversation.
Dinich placed the 11 teams in three separate categories: “Win and they’re in,” “Dark horses,” and “Long shots.”
Ohio State, the B1G’s only remaining undefeated team, made the “Win and they’re in” category. Here’s how Dinich graded each team:
Win and they’re in:
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Clemson
- Georgia
Dark horses
- West Virginia
- NC State
Long shots
- Colorado
- UCF
- USF
- Cincinnati
Ohio State has been give a 71 percent chance to win each of its remaining six games, but even if they lose one, the ESPN College Football Playoff predictor says the Buckeyes still have a 67 percent chance to earn a bid.
So it seems as though Ohio State truly controls its own destiny this fall.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB