Debate: Which conference has the best shot at getting two in the Playoff?

The two conferences that have been left out of the College Football Playoff in each of its first two installments are both in danger of missing the third edition.

The Big 12’s two unbeaten teams, No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 West Virginia, aren’t getting much love in the AP Poll compared to the undefeateds from the other four major conferences: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Washington.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the Bears’ three non-conference opponents were Northwestern State, SMU and Rice. The only other ranked Big 12 school is No. 16 Oklahoma, and neither the Bears nor Mountaineers have faced the Sooners yet. Baylor and West Virginia won’t meet until the regular-season finale.

Out West, the Pac-12’s only hope is Washington (7-0), but the Huskies are on thin ice. That’s because Chris Petersen’s surprising squad only faces one more ranked team the rest of the way, and that’s this week at No. 17 Utah, which is the next-highest ranked team in the league. A one-loss Washington is not likely to get in over a potential one-loss Alabama, Michigan, Clemson or even current one-loss teams Louisville or Ohio State.

The SEC, ACC and Big Ten all have multiple strong contenders still in the running for the Playoff. Which of these three conferences has the best shot at getting two representatives?

That’s something our crew debated this week.

Answer: This makes SEC fans throw up in their mouths, but the ACC is in the best position to get two teams into the CFP.

Based on the eye test alone, Clemson and Louisville are two of the premier squads in the country. They played each other down to the wire, with the Tigers turning the Cardinals away on their final drive.

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Most important, they feature a couple of Heisman Trophy candidates that move the needle. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson are two of the most electrifying players in the country. And make no mistake about it: The CFP is a television show as much as anything.

If the Tigers run the table, they’re in no matter what. The Cards, assuming they win out and finish 11-1, would have an awfully strong case, too. Their only loss would be on the road to an undefeated powerhouse.

Quarterback play alone makes Clemson and Louisville national title contenders. Now, it’s all about résumés.

— John Crist, senior writer

Answer: The conference primed to get two in the College Football Playoff isn’t the SEC or the Big Ten. It’s the ACC.

However, if a one-loss Texas A&M and undefeated SEC champion Alabama are both sitting there, it’s likely that the committee will choose the Aggies and the Crimson Tide. But it’s much harder for Texas A&M to win out than it is Clemson or Louisville.

The ACC’s Clemson and Louisville are the two teams that have the best chance to get in from the same conference, and losing early (like Louisville) has historically shown to be forgiving in voters’ eyes. Will it play different with the committee? We may find out. It also doesn’t hurt that the one-loss Cardinals have the nation’s most electrifying playmaker, too, in Lamar Jackson.

However, if Clemson loses, the ACC’s chances for two teams are shot. If the Aggies win out — along with Alabama, the SEC could certainly get two teams in.

It’s going to be a wild finish for the College Football Playoff.

— Jon Cooper, director of operations

Answer: John is right about the ACC eye test. Louisville certainly looks the part, and Clemson isn’t getting left out if it runs the table. But Louisville can run the table and it’ll have one win vs. a Top 25 team and no conference title. With one loss, that might not be good enough.

Yes, the B1G still has four teams alive in the Playoff hunt. By week’s end, it’ll likely be three, but the argument for two teams is an obvious one.

Ohio State can still run the table and get into the field, seeing as how the Buckeyes would have at least five wins over consensus top 25 teams. OSU beating Michigan would create the two-team scenario for the B1G.

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, if the Wolverines run the table, they’re in with the No. 2 seed. But if they lose that game to Ohio State, that final spot isn’t a lock. While Michigan’s schedule has been favorable, the Wolverines do have three wins over teams in the current Top 25 (Colorado, Wisconsin, Penn State), and they won those games 108-45. Michigan has the most-lopsided point differential in all of FBS, too. That’s worth something.

Wisconsin and Nebraska are long-shots and would need a world of help. Wisconsin would basically need to run the table and have Washington and Baylor lose a game they shouldn’t. Nebraska would also have to win the B1G title, but the Huskers wouldn’t have to run the table. They could win at Wisconsin or Ohio State in the next two weeks and take down Michigan/Ohio State in the B1G Championship and get in as a one-loss team. But that obviously wouldn’t create a two-team scenario.

I’d still give the B1G the edge in the “get two teams in” argument because if chalk plays out, Michigan, if it were to only lose to Ohio State, would have a better one-loss résumé than Louisville.

Call that a homer argument if you want, but the B1G has the most-likely two-team scenario.

— Connor O’Gara, senior editor of SaturdayTradition.com

Answer: There was quite an uproar when Ohio State only moved down four spots after its road loss to Penn State. While it’s true that Louisville, in its own right, only moved down four spots a little less than a month ago, that was after a road loss to Clemson.

A road loss to a top five team and a road loss to an unranked team don’t equate, so I understand the frustration from OSU haters and others, but it shows the respect that voters have for Ohio State. Meanwhile, Michigan is the only school other than Alabama to get at least one first-place vote each week and sits at No. 2, so I think the Big Ten has the best shot at getting two representatives.

As Connor said, the Buckeyes running the table and beating the Wolverines on Nov. 26 could very well ensure the Big Ten will bring two to the show.

The Cardinals’ loss to the Tigers was as respectable a loss as you can imagine, but there are no ranked teams left on Louisville’s slate now that Houston — seen as the stepping stone the Cards needed — has now lost two of its last three games to Navy and SMU, falling off the face of the Earth from No. 11 to unranked.

Plus, Louisville’s best win of the season — a 63-20 thrashing of Florida State — has lost its shine since the Seminoles have dropped a couple games also.

The Cards’ only shot is to run the table and win the ACC title (a necessity in their case, in my opinion), but that would require Clemson to drop two games, which won’t realistically happen. Even if that scenario played out, a two-loss Clemson isn’t likely to make it in.

For those reasons, the Big Ten has the most legitimate shot in my eyes.