We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2018 college football season, which is crazy, because it seems like the season just started last week.

However, several teams are already bowl eligible, and more are sure to clinch their postseason berths every week from here on out.

But, how does Notre Dame being undefeated change the College Football Playoff picture? And is there even a slight chance UCF can get in? We discuss all that and more in this week’s mailbag.

Without any further ado (unless anyone has some ado? No? Okay then), here are this week’s best questions:

Robert:

At what point do people start wondering if Alabama is bad for the sport, a la UConn women’s basketball? They might play the whole year without Tua getting a fourth-quarter snap. People don’t even seem to mind that Notre Dame is going to take a Playoff bid from a Power 5 champ because it’s all for naught, anyway.

First of all, people are already wondering if Alabama is bad for football. This week, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said the Tide are “sucking the oxygen out of the sport.”

I think we’re already there, but that’s always the case when it comes to dynasties. I wasn’t around back then, but I assume people were hating on the Bill Russell-era Boston Celtics. Just think of today’s NBA — Michael Jordan’s Bulls, Tim Duncan’s Spurs, LeBron James’ Heat and the current Warriors all receive their fair share of hate. UConn’s women’s team, the New England Patriots and other “dynasties” are all hated for their success.

However, I take a bit of an issue with the latter part of your question — I think Notre Dame is going to take a Playoff spot from either a second SEC team or a second Big Ten team over a Power 5 champ.

Here’s how I see the current Playoff picture:

  • Alabama
  • Ohio State
  • Clemson
  • Notre Dame

The two teams who should most be rooting for a Notre Dame loss are Georgia and Penn State. Let’s say Georgia goes undefeated and loses a close SEC Championship Game to Alabama — an undefeated Notre Dame probably gets in before them. Then, let’s say Penn State wins out but doesn’t make the Big Ten title game due to Ohio State going unbeaten — a 12-0 Notre Dame team gets in over them, too.

I think the Pac-12 is basically out of the mix at this point, as is a one-loss Big 12 champion. So, if West Virginia loses, it’ll be up to the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Notre Dame to fight it out for Playoff spots. We’ll see what happens, but it should be exciting.

@SChinni12:

I was accepted into UCF but picked the greener pastures of Missouri. However, I think I’m going to start rooting for my almost-school this year. What is it going to take for UCF to make it to the Playoff?

First of all, since you were my roommate for all four years of college, I’m glad you came up to Columbia. Secondly, don’t give up on the Tigers just yet!

As for your question, the answer is that there needs to be an expansion to an eight-team Playoff. But, in this hypothetical scenario for this season, UCF doesn’t need to reach No. 1 in the polls or anything — the Knights just need to be a top-four squad. They’re currently No. 10 in the AP poll, so they just need a bit more help.

Let’s go ahead and say Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson all go undefeated and lock up the top three spots — that would actually benefit the Knights. Then, they need Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington and Penn State to all lose one more game. That’s all pretty reasonable, right?

Here’s where it gets tricky — both West Virginia and Notre Dame need to lose twice. That’s certainly possible for the Mountaineers, who play Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in a brutal November stretch of games. But if you look at Notre Dame’s schedule, it’s tough to find two losses:

  • vs. Pitt
  • vs. Navy
  • at Northwestern
  • vs. Florida State
  • vs. Syracuse
  • at USC

USC will be tough, but those other games all look incredibly winnable for the Irish. Still, if the three teams above all go undefeated and every other Power 5 school has at least two losses, it’ll be very difficult to leave out an undefeated UCF squad.

The Knights can help themselves by beating every remaining opponent by at least three touchdowns, too. They’re still going to need a lot of help, though.

@515Gator:

You’re playing 2-on-2 pickleball. Which SEC coach is your teammate and which two are you playing against?

Even though I’m sure it would be tense, I want to win. Therefore, give me Nick Saban as my partner (Dan Mullen would be my second choice). Saban’s refusal to lose and attention to detail would be great to have. And pickleball courts aren’t too big, so his age won’t work against him — he’s still pretty athletic, after all.

As for whom I’d play against, give me Matt Luke and Will Muschamp. I feel like they’d be a bad pair in terms of teamwork. Plus, using Muschamp’s intensity against him would be easier to do. Hit every ball at Luke and Muschamp is bound to get frustrated.

This is a winning strategy and I see absolutely no flaws with it. Let’s make it happen.

@TopShelfHome:

If Tua plays in the fourth quarter, does he break college football?

Are you implying that he hasn’t already broken college football? Through six games (even without playing in the fourth quarter at all), Tua Tagovailoa’s numbers are absolutely incredible.

I mean, just look at all he has accomplished in such a short time:

And that tweet doesn’t even mention perhaps the most impressive stat of all — 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s unheard of in modern college football.

Eventually, he’s (probably) going to have to play in the fourth quarter, and I think we can expect more of the same from him — complete and total dominance.

@StevenDWeems:

As an Auburn fan, does anyone know where I could stumble upon $32 million? Asking for a friend!

After yet another letdown in a big game, Auburn fans are understandably upset with coach Gus Malzahn, and many want him out of town. Unfortunately for that contingent of Auburn supporters, Malzahn’s buyout would be a hefty $32 million at the end of this season, as he just signed a seven-year, $49 million contract this past offseason.

Though I don’t have $32 million lying around for you, Steven, I do feel your frustration. Just look at how Auburn has fared as a top-10 team since the start of last season:

The regression in the offense, particularly with QB Jarrett Stidham at the helm, falls mostly on Malzahn’s shoulders. If he doesn’t turn things around soon, his seat will only continue to get hotter.

If you’re looking for a place to start raising all that money, there are a couple of GoFundMe pages raising money for the buyout, and at last check, they had raised a whopping $10.

And now for your non-football question of the week …

Rachel:

I am taking my pup to her first-ever CorgiCon in San Francisco this Saturday. I feel a lot of pressure to make sure she looks awesome. What are some of the worst dog costumes? Any rookie mistakes?

If you find yourself dressing her up as a hot dog, stop. Same goes for tacos. While I have no doubt that your pup would look cute in anything, the whole hot dog/taco thing is played out.

Here’s how I’d rank the worst dog costumes right now:

  1. Hot dog
  2. Taco
  3. Lion
  4. Pumpkin spice latte
  5. Anything with a tutu
  6. Bunny

As for rookie mistakes, I looked up where the San Francisco CorgiCon is, and it looks like it is on a beach. A rookie mistake would be not to know your environment. Therefore, you can probably expect a lot of shark, lifeguard and scuba divers, so you’re going to have to be more creative. If you’re taking your dog to a Halloween parade, you have to be more creative than a witch or a piece of candy corn.

Suggestions for your event:

  • Pirate
  • Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Piece of sushi
  • Sailor
  • Lobster

And, since you mentioned corgis, here’s a pic of my corgi, Moneypenny. She’s sans costume, but that’s because she’s busy with paperwork: