SEC ROOTING GUIDE

In which we tell you which teams you should root against in the upcoming week.

Before the season, this weekend featured two marquee games without hesitation. A remake of last year’s Big Ten championship is nice, but most people suspected Baylor at Oklahoma would become option 1A, if it didn’t boot everyone else off the podium. Instead, the Sooners are out of the picture and the Bears don’t control their own destiny.

But there are plenty of big-time matchups that will have a major impact on next week’s College Football Playoff poll and beyond.

Notre Dame at Arizona State: A loss by the Fighting Irish here decimates Notre Dame’s playoff chances. A win gives the team an excellent chance at 11-1, arguing against the Big 12 and Big Ten champions as well as a potential second SEC team for the fourth playoff spot, as things stand now. In a vacuum, the Sun Devils are the greater playoff threat — beat USC, Stanford, Utah, Notre Dame, Arizona and Oregon as a one-loss Pac-12 champion and you’re probably in the playoff. But too many tripwires remain, and even that result would just transfer a slot assumed to be Oregon’s to Arizona State. A Notre Dame loss here likely will prove more valuable to the SEC.

Kansas State at TCU: Determining the Big 12 is a mess. A TCU win potentially gives the league three teams at 5-1 in conference play after this weekend. But the SEC would love Kansas State to win here for several reasons. TCU’s remaining schedule features Kansas (2-6), Texas (4-5) and Iowa State (2-6). A win Saturday virtually assures them of at least a tie with Baylor and KSU for the Big 12 title. Auburn beat Kansas State on the road earlier this season, and as long as that’s the only loss for the Wildcats, it benefits the SEC — particularly if those two teams are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot. Plus Kansas State still faces road games against West Virginia and Baylor. Oh, and if TCU did make the playoff, no defense wants to have to compete against Trevone Boykin and an offense that averages 48.0 points per game.

Ohio State at Michigan State: I’ve cautioned against eliminating the Big Ten all season. But, if the Buckeyes pull off the road upset here, it’s pretty safe to write your Big Ten eulogy. It would take major chaos and a flawless rest of the season for Ohio State or Nebraska to become a serious part of the playoff conversation. If the Spartans win, and then take down a rematch with Nebraska to finish the season as a one-loss defending conference champion, Michigan State is a major part of the conversation for the final playoff spot. The SEC doesn’t want that, especially if it wants two teams in the field.

Oregon at Utah: The Ducks tend to shock us when we let our guard down. But this offense is too good, right? Even on the road against a team that’s held USC to 21 and Arizona State to 16 in regulation in its last two outings? Marcus Mariota is a heavy Heisman Trophy favorite as long as he stays healthy, and Oregon is going to be tough to beat. The Ducks are as efficient as they’ve been in many moons. But it would do wonders for the SEC’s second team if Oregon stumbled. Considering Colorado (2-7) and Oregon State (4-4) remain on the schedule, this is the last chance for that to happen in the regular season.