College Football Playoff Minefield October 3: Louisville, Stanford, Wisconsin Fall

After a wild weekend in sports, we’d be remiss not to mention the turning of the tides that took place throughout college football in the first weekend of October.

As the College Football Playoff outlook continues to change, here are the latest victims of what we like to call “the minefield.”

Who stepped on a landmine?

Stanford:  After being embarrassed on the road at Washington on Friday night, the Cardinal are no longer the top dog in the PAC-12. Even if Stanford were to win out the rest of the season and win the conference championship, it appears that their hopes of reaching the playoff have dimmed. They would need quite a few things to fall in place in order to have a shot, the first step of which would likely be a Houston loss.

Wisconsin: The Badgers fought hard against Michigan, but as expected, they fell short. The only way Wisconsin would still have a reasonable chance at making the playoff is if they can beat Ohio State on Oct. 15 and then go undefeated the rest of the way, either beating Michigan or Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. If the Badgers can do that, a one-loss season might still be good enough to get into the playoff.

Louisville: The season is not dead and buried for the Cardinals, but Saturday night was as close to a must-win game as can be found in October. Louisville played a great game and proved they belong on the field among the elite teams, but it’s an uphill battle from here. Even if Louisville sweeps through competition the rest of the way, unless Clemson loses, they are out of the playoff picture.

Utah: The Utes started out 4-0, but the loss to Cal proves they weren’t a real threat to sneak into the playoff conversation. Utah can still hope to win out the rest of the season, but even that might not be enough.

Florida State: Whatever slim chance the Seminoles had at salvaging their season for a playoff run were wiped away with the last-second loss to North Carolina.

Who’s still in the hunt?

#1 Alabama (5-0)

#2 Ohio State (4-0)

#3 Clemson (5-0)

#4 Michigan (4-0)

#5 Washington (5-0)

#6 Houston (5-0)

#8 Texas A&M (5-0)

#9 Tennessee (5-0)

#10 Miami (4-0)

#12 Nebraska (5-0)

#13 Baylor (5-0)

#19 Boise State (4-0)

#22 West Virginia (4-0)

Maryland (4-0)

Western Michigan (5-0)

Air Force (4-0)

As of now, we are leaving one-loss teams out of the mix, but a lot can change in a few weeks.

Week 6 Games to Watch

#9 Tennessee @ #8 Texas A&M: After this game, the winner will be the only undefeated team from the SEC other than Alabama.

#1 Alabama @ #16 Arkansas: The Razorbacks could throw a wrench into the playoff picture and become the most-impressive one-loss team if they pull off the upset.

#23 Florida State @ #10 Miami: The Hurricanes can cement themselves as a true contender for the playoff with a win over Florida State.

#6 Houston @ Navy: The Cougars have an easy schedule the rest of the way, but playing on the road in Annapolis will be one of their toughest tests of the season.

My Playoff Picks

If the season ended today, my picks for the College Football Playoff would be:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Washington

Feel free to tweet me your picks @MedleyHoops on Twitter.