We continue our college football discussion today by talking about some of the most important games this fall. This spring and summer, the cast of writers here at the Student Section will discuss what’s going to happen on the gridiron this season.
Question: What is the one regular season game that will have the most implications on who gets to Tampa?
Kevin Causey
On Twitter @CFBZ
There will be a lot of great non-conference games early in the season. When teams lose early in the season, they still have time to recover. So when looking for the regular season game with the biggest impact on who will get to Tampa, we have to look deep into the season.
Oklahoma/Oklahoma State could be a very big game for the Big 12. Michigan/Ohio State on November 26th might be the biggest game due to hype, storylines and also due to records/rankings.
The game I’m looking at is week nine. Clemson at Florida State. These two teams are clearly the class of the ACC. Clemson made it to the College Football Playoff final game last season. They year before, FSU made it to the final four and the year before that they won the Championship.
The ACC has been a factor in the last three National Championships and it’s fair to say that the winner of Clemson/Florida State will be in the final four this season.
Bart Doan
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
I think college football is still more a game of perception and spin than reality when it comes to rankings, and probably too often we take one result and let it linger into our decision making from September when it happened to December. Such is the nature of a sport where schedules are not even close to even.
With that, I’d imagine that if you fast forward to December and look back on what game shaped perception more than any other, the answer will come from the first weekend: Alabama. USC.
Lane Kiffin versus his old team has enough juice, but you’ve got probably the two best recruiting teams from the two probably best conferences over the last few years top to bottom. Both obviously have a real shot at winning the conference and being in the CFB Playoff come this January.
More than anything, though, without even schedules and a public thirsty for projections of the many based on the results of the few, this game could easily be a referendum not only on each team, but their conferences, especially if USC wins. Both programs tend to shine on the largest of stages. The most important game of the season shifts on a weekly basis once the season starts, but going in, it’s without question this one. It will shape so many fortunes and ideas, unfairly for the most part, based on the result.
Joe Dexter
On Twitter @BuckeyeRadio
While the biggest statement game might be Florida State and Clemson, the week three non-conference match up between Ohio State and Oklahoma could be an early playoff eliminator or resume booster for two teams that are favored to win their respected conferences.
Ohio State returns only six starters and witnessed Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Vonn Bell, Eli Apple, Darron Lee, Adolphus Washington, and Michael Thomas leave early for the NFL Draft.
To say that facing a high-level power five opponent in week three will be a challenge is an understatement.
Yet the Buckeyes find themselves in a barometer game that could propel them to playoff contenders. Every team has a moment where things come together.
If Ohio State wants to make their second trip to the National Championship game, they’ll need to start their peak towards a championship in week three.
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
Kevin has the right conference but the wrong game. I believe that the ACC Championship Game will have the biggest impact on the College Football Playoff.
That’s not to say that Clemson at Florida State won’t be one of the five best games of the year because it will be (so circle you calendar for October 29). After all, both teams will likely enter the contest with unbeaten records and top five rankings. Few regular season contests – if any – will offer that type of excitement.
However, I think the league championship game will have a bigger impact on the four-team playoff. While the Clemson – Florida State winner will have the inside track at capturing one of the four coveted postseason berths, the Coastal Division champion could really make things interesting. If – and it’s a big if – Miami/North Carolina (or any of the other worthy contenders) were to pull the upset, it could have a tremendous impact on who plays for a crystal football and who receives some lovely parting gifts. That definitely would have been the case last year, as a UNC victory in the ACC Championship Game likely would have knocked Clemson out of the playoff picture, and moved Stanford into the field.
For those of you that like chaos – and you know who you are – consider the following scenario. Clemson beats Florida State to win the Atlantic, while Miami loses to the ‘Noles but finishes the year with only one loss. In the league championship game, the ‘Canes pull off the upset. Who would go to the College Football Playoff? The league champion, the regular season champion, or FSU, which would have handed the league champion its only loss?
Or does it open the door for another conference champion??
The short answer is, “I don’t know”, which is why I will tune into the ACC Championship Game with great interest. The outcome could impact several championship contenders, both inside and out of the conference.
