Things can change again this weekend. Tonight’s rankings are only semifinal, and leapfrogging can happen. With that said, tonight should give us some ideas on three matters of import, and one matter of curiosity:
1. Where’s USC?
Does USC jump Oklahoma? Does USC jump Iowa State? The Trojans are undefeated heading into a Power Five conference championship game. We don’t know exactly what that means. Which is why we’re curious where the Trojans will fall.
2. Where’s Florida?
The Gators, as we’ve mentioned, had to do a lot wrong to lose on Saturday to LSU. How significantly will the committee punish them? Is there any hope for the Gators of making the field with an upset of Bama? And perhaps more importantly, how much worse is Texas A&M’s best win now?
3. Where’s North Carolina?
Do the Tar Heels jump Coastal with that blowout of Miami? If so, it narrows the Chanticleer path to a New Years Six berth ever so slightly, as a scenario in which Notre Dame or Clemson goes to the Orange Bowl would leave UNC ahead of CCU in line for one of the untied berths.
4. Buffalo? San José State?
The last two unranked undefeateds could climb into the field tonight, and while that’s mostly just a curiosity, as we called it, it could have ramifications in how many “top 25” wins schools in the power conferences have. So, worth watching.
