Week 12 was indeed Cupcake Week.

The SEC stuffed itself the most during cupcake week, but it wasn’t like we were looking at many other great matchups. College GameDay went to Michigan-Wisconsin, which was the only game among ranked opponents and one of 2 games among Power 5 teams with winning conference records.

The fact that all top 10 teams won by an average of 44-14 said a lot about what turned out to be the least-meaningful Playoff week to date. Odd it was that it took until Week 12 for that to happen.

So with that in mind, why not turn the page to next week? Let’s look at how rivalry week can impact the Playoff race.

Obviously it starts with the Iron Bowl

Uhhhhhh, no duh.

No game in America has bigger Playoff implications than the one at Jordan-Hare next week. The interesting thing, at least in my opinion, is that an Alabama loss might not doom its Playoff chances, and an Auburn win isn’t necessarily a made season. The Tide could lose a close game and be an attractive 11-1 team for the selection committee. Auburn, on the other hand, isn’t in the clear with a win or even 2 wins.

I still don’t think Auburn is a lock to make the field as a 2-loss team even if it beats Alabama and Georgia twice. That 2-loss barrier has been too huge to ignore in the first three Playoffs. But that won’t matter on Saturday. The only result that absolutely, 100 percent, without a doubt ensures total Playoff clarity is an Auburn loss.

Should there be a rooting interest for non-SEC contenders? Perhaps an Alabama win would undoubtedly clear out Auburn, but there’s still a 2-team scenario for the SEC if Georgia were to beat the Tide in a close SEC Championship. Auburn winning in a blowout could all possibly eliminate Alabama from the field, too. As we know, no Playoff team has lost after the first weekend of November.

Alabama doesn’t even want to think about becoming the first.

S-E-C! S-E-C!

Wait a minute. Is there actually a scenario in which Alabama fans would be watching another game and chanting, S-E-C! S-E-C! Yes.

In case you forgot, 1-loss Clemson is taking on South Carolina on Saturday night. In case you forgot, a 1-loss Alabama team wouldn’t be a lock to make the Playoff. Potentially, the Tide could need some help. Clemson losing and eliminating itself before the ACC Championship game would be some help.

A 1-loss Alabama could benefit the most from Clemson losing for the other obvious factor — Dabo Swinney wouldn’t stand in the Tide’s way of a national title. As weird as it sounds to be talking about Alabama potentially scoreboard watching in the final week of the season, it’s certainly not a crazy possibility.

The good potential news for the Tide is that the game is at South Carolina, and the Gamecocks have played to the level of their competition as much as any SEC opponent. Alabama wouldn’t be alone in cheering on Will Muschamp’s squad to rise to a new level next week.

Don’t assume obvious favorites will roll on the road

OK, so I made it nearly 500 words writing about rivalry week before dropping a “throw out the records” cliché. Give me some credit for that. But don’t be surprised if a contender or 2 falls on its face a week before a potential conference title game. These are the 4 matchups that would fall into that category:

  • No. 2 Clemson at South Carolina
  • No. 3 Miami at Pitt
  • No. 5 Wisconsin at Minnesota
  • No. 7 Georgia at Georgia Tech

All four of those games are on the road. In other words, a home underdog with nothing to lose can potentially eliminate its rival from Playoff contention. Don’t underestimate the power of that.

I wouldn’t be surprised if at least three of those games are close in the fourth quarter. Scoreboard watching will be at an all-time high next week, especially with those games.

So which one goes down?

I’m not banking on Wisconsin losing at 5-6 Minnesota considering the Badgers look better than ever and they’re riding a streak of 13 consecutive victories against the Gophers. Clemson-South Carolina could be one of those too-close-for-comfort 21-14 games, but I’d still be stunned if Clemson didn’t get up to face an improved Gamecocks squad.

Georgia-Georgia Tech could be interesting for the obvious reasons. The Yellow Jackets aren’t easy to prepare for with that triple option and that game is in Atlanta. Also interesting is the fact that against 3 of the ACC’s best (Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech) in the past 5 weeks, Georgia Tech is -9. The Yellow Jackets might be one-dimensional, but they can wear down some elite defenses. That could make Saturday a nail-biter for Georgia fans.

But the game that I think has the most upset potential of those four is Miami against Pitt. Yes, part of that is because of what Pat Narduzzi’s squad did to Clemson last year. They get up to play big-time opponents … or at least they have shown the ability to do that under Narduzzi. Miami, which struggled to distance itself from Virginia until late on Saturday, gave us all a reminder why it was well outside the top 4 as an unbeaten team a couple short weeks ago.

You know what? I’m calling the Pitt upset. Why?

AWKWARD PAT NARDUZZI KISSES ON THE CHEEK > TURNOVER CHAIN

Not really though.

So … how many are alive heading into conference title week?

So I just predicted a Miami loss, but I actually still think the Canes would have a chance to make the field by beating Clemson in the ACC title game. I’ll offer another prediction and say that 6 teams are alive for Playoff spots heading into conference title week.

I’m not willing to predict who all of those teams will be just yet (gotta wait on that bulletin board material). I am, however, willing to say that Ohio State and USC won’t be playing for anything more than a nice trophy and a New Year’s Six bowl in their respective conference title games. Yes, I realize that’s hard for many to realize.

The Playoff isn’t for everyone. In Week 12, we didn’t really get any closer to finding out what the Playoff field will look like.

That’ll be a different story by this time next week.