How it affects the College Football Playoff

Thanksgiving football brought the first clarity to the playoff race in the final week of the regular season and proved to be a devastating moment for would-be Group of Five contender Tulane.

All the Green Wave had to do was knock off AAC challenger Memphis and perform well in the conference championship game to catch the attention of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Instead, Memphis upset the Green Wave on Thursday night with a stunning 34-24 decision that could have important implications for their future playoff picture.

Going into the game, there was a slim chance that Tulane could have emerged as the fifth conference champion and thus received consideration for the College Football Playoff.

Tulane moved up to No. 17 in the selection committee’s latest rankings this week, having already secured a spot in the AAC Championship Game.

And while the Green Wave wasn’t ranked in the top ten in the most recent projection, there was a chance that a win against Memphis and another against Army to secure the AAC title would have been enough to be more credibly considered for the playoffs .

Now, after Thursday’s big upset ended the wrong way, that (admittedly unlikely) chance has been effectively snuffed out regardless of how Tulane plays in the AAC title game against Army, paving the way for the Big 12 champion to emerge to secure an automatic win bid in the playoffs.

Clarity is something the Big 12 desperately needs this weekend.

There are currently four teams — Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State and Colorado — tied for first place in the Big 12 standings, and nine schools are technically in contention for the league title.

Of those teams, Arizona State and Iowa State control their proverbial destiny better. If both win their games this weekend, they will play for the Big 12 championship.

But if both lose, there are plenty of other teams waiting to take advantage.

Another big winner from Tulane’s loss? That’s UNLV, which can now qualify for College Football Playoff contention if it beats Nevada this week.

By doing so, it would clinch a spot in the Mountain West Championship Game against Boise State, the winner of which would clinch a playoff spot as the top-ranked team in the five.

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. SMU
10. Indiana
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
15. South Carolina
16. Arizona State
17. Tulane
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. Missouri
22. UNLV
23. Illinois
24. Kansas State
25. Colorado

Playoff placement does not necessarily correspond to position in the CFP Top 25 rankings, as some teams receive higher rankings as conference champions

Bye in the first round

#1 Oregon
Projected Big Ten champion

No. 2 Texas
Projected SEC Champion

No. 3 Miami
Projected ACC Champion

No. 4 Boise State
Projected Mountain West Champion

First round games

No. 12 Arizona State under
No. 5 Ohio State
The winner will play No. 4 Boise State

No. 9 Tennessee at
No. 8 Georgia
The winner will play No. 1 Oregon

No. 11 Indiana at
No. 6 Penn State
The winner will play No. 3 Miami

No. 10 SMU at
No. 7 Notre Dame
The winner will play No. 2 Texas

First team elimination: Clemson

Second team is out: Alabama

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