Grapevine, Texas – Welcome to the College Football Playoff, tulane,
No. 20 Green Wave demolished No. 24 North TexasProviding the selection committee with the first answer to conference championship weekend.
The committee gathered at its headquarters at the Gaylord Texan Resort on Friday night to watch the Group of 5 conference championship games, which will influence its final ranking on Selection Day. This was only the beginning of conference championship weekend, but how these games unfold under the committee’s watch will determine its five highest-ranked conference champions – and how that order will impact the contenders around them.
An early look at what Friday night’s results mean for the playoff races starting with the Sun Belt and the American Conference.
Tulane 34, North Texas 21
With Tulane’s win against North Texas, the American champions have clinched a spot in the playoff, as they will be the committee’s fourth highest-ranked conference champion. The Green Wave will earn the No. 11 seed and will face the Committee’s No. 6 team in the first round. If the committee ranks Ole Miss at No. 6, Tulane will get a rematch against the Rebels. Ole Miss defeated Tulane 45–10 in Oxford on September 20 and would again have home-field advantage due to the higher seed.
James Madison 31, Troy 14
With Friday’s win against Troy, JMUThe path to the playoff is straightforward: Duke needs to beat Virginia and win the ACC. If that happens, the committee will award the No. 12 seed to JMU as its fifth and final conference champion – and it will come at the expense of the ACC champion, who will be ousted. The question is whether the conference will be shut out entirely — or if No. 12 Miami will still quietly enter even without playing this weekend. That could happen if BYU loses to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game and falls behind Miami — putting the ‘Canes just below No. 10 Notre Dame. In that scenario, the committee could look at Miami’s season-opening win against the Irish as one of several tiebreakers used to separate comparable teams.
