9 faculty soccer convention champions will likely be topped by the tip of the weekend. There are many inquiries to be answered, together with: Who will earn automated byes within the Faculty Soccer Playoff and who will likely be unnoticed?
However maybe the largest query of all is that this: Are these video games needed?
The attract of the convention championship weekend is a day and a half of soccer between among the greatest groups. A lot of the video games, together with the SEC title sport between No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia in Atlanta, will likely be performed in entrance of packed homes at NFL stadiums. A lot of the video games have playoff implications.
That sounds good, however with this 12 months’s expanded, 12-team playoff, it is time to admit the reality: Convention championship video games aren’t wanted. For instance, take SMU (11-1), whom the CFP committee on Tuesday ranked three spots ahead of No. 11 Alabama (9-3).
SMU’s solely loss is an 18-15 defeat Sept. 6 in opposition to BYU — a staff that was extremely ranked and a first-round bye a number of weeks in the past. SMU has crushed a pair of ranked groups since then (No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Pitt).
Alabama has ridden a rollercoaster this season, beating ranked Georgia, Missouri and LSU however dropping huge at unranked Oklahoma in addition to at unranked Vanderbilt and at Tennessee, then ranked seventh.
Alabama will likely be watching video games on tv this weekend. On Saturday at Financial institution of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., SMU will play No. 17 Clemson (9-3) within the ACC Championship Recreation. CFP chair Warde Manuel mentioned Tuesday that an SMU loss might be detrimental to its playoff hopes.
“Doubtlessly, sure. They usually can transfer above groups, as nicely. Once more, it simply will depend on the result of the sport,” he said when asked if SMU may drop beneath Alabama ought to it lose the ACC Championship sport.
