Clemson Football: Five teams that could wreck the College Football Playoffs

Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes the ball in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes the ball in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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Big 12- Oklahoma Sooners

Some of you might be rolling your eyes because I am listing a blue-blood football program as someone who could wreck the CFP, but in my estimation, they qualify for a couple of reasons.

First, they weren’t picked by very many people to win the conference this season. The vast majority of pundits were pointing at Texas. If I heard people picking someone other than the Longhorns, I heard defending champ Kansas State or national runner-up TCU as often as I heard Oklahoma.

Secondly, they are the only team other than Texas that is undefeated. Oh, by the way, they play the Longhorns this weekend in Dallas. This is a game where the favorite is not a lock in most years. It isn’t unusual to see the higher-ranked team bite the dust.

I see a handful of teams that could play spoiler this season in the Big 12. West Virginia is sneaky good. Kansas, BYU and Kansas State are all stalking with one loss as well.

If Oklahoma does beat Texas, then they will have the target on their back, and they will still need to play all four of those teams I just mentioned plus UCF and in-state rival Oklahoma State. They control their own destiny, however, and have a chance to bounce back big from their 6-7 final record in Brent Venables’s first season.

Schedule

Schedule