What does Louisville’s loss to Houston do to the College Football Playoff picture?
Houston routed Louisville 36-10 on Thursday, a loss that will knock the Cardinals off the No. 5 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings — and open the door for more chaos heading into the rest of Week 12.
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The Cougars built a 31-0 lead in the first half and rattled Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson throughout. Jackson couldn’t lead a second-half comeback on the road, and that puts the Cardinals in with the rest of the two-loss crowd chasing a playoff berth.
Here’s how Louisville’s loss impacts the College Football Playoff picture:
Louisville’s last gasp
If Clemson beats Wake Forest on Saturday, then consider the Cardinals out of the College Football Playoff race. Louisville won’t have the chance to play for an ACC championship, and a two-loss team without that conference title almost certainly isn’t getting in the playoff. The Cardinals might be out regardless at this point: That’s how bad this loss was. But it could be worse for the ACC. If the Tigers win the conference championship, then they are in. If not, then the conference might go without a playoff team.
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Pac-12, Big 12 in business
The rest of the one- and two-loss teams sitting behind Louisville have to be rejoicing, especially in the Big 12 and Pac-12. West Virginia, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State suddenly have more playoff life. The Sooners, which also lost to Houston, might be the biggest winners if they can beat the Mountaineers in Morgantown on Saturday. The mélange of one-loss Washington and two-loss Colorado, Washington State and Utah in the Pac-12 also got a bump up. All those teams still have a chance at the conference championship, and none of those teams lost by 26 points to a Group of 5 school.
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Another B1G step
The four top-10 playoff contenders from the Big Ten benefited from this loss, too. It’s another buffer for one-loss Ohio State if they don’t make it to Indianapolis, and gives one-loss Michigan the drop on Louisville. If the Wolverines and Cardinals were two-loss teams in the end and somehow in the hunt, then the committee probably would go with the Wolverines. Wisconsin and Penn State will also jump Louisville if they take care of business this weekend. The possibility for two Big Ten teams in the College Football Playoff took another step toward reality with the Cardinals’ loss. The ACC does not have that luxury anymore.
