Florida Gators

5 One-Loss Teams that could still reach College Football Playoff

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 1, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) rushes in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

There’s still a ton of football that’s left to be played and a lot that has to be decided.

The college football season is a little over a month old, and we’ve seen some great games. This season, just like every other season, has given us a little bit of everything. Just when you feel like you have a grip on things, theories all seem to go out of the window as quickly as they came.

The Florida State Seminoles opened the season by taking the measure of the Ole Miss Rebels, but as soon as you start to think they had some momentum building, they lost two games in three weeks. The Oklahoma Sooners, a preseason favorite in the eyes of many, now have their fanbase wishing that there was a reset button they could push. Yes, things are starting to come into focus, but we all know these rankings will change quite a few more times before it’s all said and done.

With that being said, before everyone hands the Alabama Crimson Tide the trophy with over a half a season to go, here are five one-loss teams that could still reach the NCAA college football playoff.

Oct 1, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver James Quick (17) carries the ball during the second quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Louisville Cardinals

Everybody calm down. They’re a good team that lost in a great game to another good team. Somebody had to lose.

The Cardinals didn’t fall too far in the rankings because they shouldn’t. On Saturday night, two of the best teams in the country locked up to play one another, and when the game clock reached zeros in the fourth quarter, Louisville found them selves on the wrong side of the score.

In a game that had everything, Louisville took the team that many believed would be in the national championship game to the brink before the Clemson Tigers were finally able to rid themselves of this pest in red, white and shiny helmets.

Louisville now looks to regroup, but what may make Cardinals fans smile is the fact that the majority of difficult part of their season is over. To get into the playoff, they’ll now need the Tigers to lose at least two games in the ACC (highly unlikely but stranger things have happened). They still have a date with the Houston Cougars on November 17th, but if they can win that one and a few things swing in their favor, the Cardinals may still get a shot to play some important football in January.

Oct 1, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers tight end Troy Fumagalli (81) runs the ball at Michigan Wolverines safety Dymonte Thomas (25) in the second half at Michigan Stadium. Michigan won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

2. The Wisconsin Badgers

On Saturday afternoon, it appeared the Badgers were making one last attempt at a comeback in Ann Arbor. Then Jourdan Lewis channeled his inner Odell Beckham Jr, came up with one of the most amazing interceptions you’ll see and sent Wisconsin packing.

Yes, the Badgers will face the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend. Yes, the Buckeyes are playing on another level, but this may also be one of those times during the course of the season where we’ve seen Ohio State lose that game you can’t explain or figure out. It seems to happen every year. The Badgers are too good to be considered a “trap game”, but beating Ohio State would clearly be an upset.

They’re capable. They’ve already beaten the LSU Tigers, a team that’s better than their record indicates, and the Michigan State Spartans,last year’s Big Ten representative in the college football playoff. If the Badgers can force a turnover or two and they get some favorable bounces, the complexity of this one can change pretty quickly.

Don’t look now. Paul Chryst is building something special in Madison.

Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) rushes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Stanford Cardinal

If you said that Stanford’s loss to the Washington Huskies may end up being their lone loss of the season, many a college football fan would step up in your defense.

Stanford got throttled by Washington on Saturday night, but history has shown us that early season losses are much easier to overcome than those that occur later in the season. Stanford sits at number 15 in the polls, but who knows? If the Huskies drop a couple and Stanford gets on a roll, it could be the Cardinal sitting at the top of the Pac-12 when it’s all said and done.

Every game remaining on their schedule is very winnable. David Shaw has done an excellent job since taking over. They have, arguably, the best player in college football in Christian McCaffrey, and even if you disagree on the theory that he’s the best, you can’t deny he’s the most versatile. He probably should win the Heisman Trophy, but he probably won’t. That’s another story for another day.

As it sits now, the Huskies are the most talented team out west. They may be the conference’s best shot at the playoff, but the Cardinal still may be able to surprise some of us late. They need Washington to lose two Pac-12 games as they now hold the tie-breaker.

Oct 1, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina Tarheels kicker Nick Weiler (24) celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

4. The North Carolina Tar Heels

Last year’s representative from the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship game isn’t getting any love.

Their only loss of the season was their first game of the season, and it was to a very good Georgia Bulldogs team. On Saturday, they beat the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee and put themselves back in the public eye. They may be headed back to another ACC Championship game.

There aren’t any major tests coming up for the rest of their season. Yes, the game with the Miami Hurricanes isn’t too far off, and you never know what will happen. Still, if this team gets to another ACC Championship game (probably against Clemson) and they win, everything changes.

This team can score with anyone, and they may have to. The defense gives up too many points. Head coach Larry Fedora isn’t going anywhere for a while. In the off-season, he signed an extension that keeps him in Chapel Hill until 2022. Now, with some consistency at the top, the sky’s the limit for the Tar Heels, with or without a dominant defense.

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) dives across the goal line for a touchdown during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Florida Gators

It makes people angry when it’s said, but the SEC is the best conference in all of college football. To survive this gauntlet with one loss can seem like a daunting task, and as a result, the voters grade losses from the teams in this conference a little differently.

Florida has already fallen to the Tennessee Volunteers. They still have their perennial games against the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs on the schedule. Then there’s a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks (a team who could have easily made this list). They finish up, like they do ever year, with a game against their rivals, the Florida State Seminoles. Just reading all of that can give someone a headache.

Truthfully, you may see an SEC East team with two losses in the SEC Championship game. All roads probably lead to a loss in that game to the Alabama Crimson Tide, but just say Florida gets there and they beat Alabama. They have to be put in they playoff don’t they?

Georgia’s probably got the easiest remaining schedule of teams from the SEC East, but they’ve already got two conference losses as well. Florida, along with Tennessee are the favorites to come out of the East.

Honorable Mention: The Arkansas Razorbacks