Outside Looking In

Three weeks down into the college football season and the members of the College Football Playoff Committee already can breathe a little easier.

The Big Ten is on life support.

If Michigan State, Ohio State, or even Wisconsin were to run the rest of their table and head into the bowl season with just one loss on their resume, they'd still need a lot of help to get into the playoff. Granted, Michigan State's loss at Oregon is not that damaging a loss. However, the rest of the conference has been so atrocious that when it comes to the discussion of "Strength of Schedule", what will the Big Ten champion have to say.

They can't look to the SEC for much help. The SEC champion could have two losses and they're still getting in the playoff. They might be able to pull it off with three; given just how strong the credibility of the league is. More than half of the SEC West sits in the AP Top 10.

The SEC West hasn't lost to anyone outside of their own division. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops famously challenged the strength of the bottom-tiered teams in the SEC. The team picked last in the West, Arkansas, rolled into Lubbock, took on a Texas Tech team picked to finish sixth in the Big 12, and promptly demolished them to the tune of 49-28. In other words, Stoops (and the rest of the nation) got the message.

As for the East, they lack the overall teeth of the West. However, Georgia did handle Clemson with ease, which means that, should Clemson stun Florida State this weekend and then go on to win the ACC, the SEC could attempt to get two teams in. However, the last weekend of the regular season would have to feature a lot of SEC teams beating down their ACC rivals and I don't think anyone is betting on Florida to take down the Seminoles.

So the Big 10 isn't going to get any love from the SEC. The situation looks impossible if favorites Oklahoma, Oregon, and Florida State run the table in their respective conferences. Florida State's ranking, along with a solid non-conference win over Oklahoma State, helps their cause. Oregon's beatdown of Michigan State definitely holds leverage for themselves and the Pac-12, as well.

As for Oklahoma, they got an important win over Tennessee, but will need some help if they slip and things end up in a tiebreak. No doubt, the Sooners are all wearing purple on Thursday, hoping Bill Snyder can pull off the upset over Auburn. A Wildcat win would go a long way in sealing a slot in the playoff for the Big 12. A KSU win could save a team like Baylor, whose non-conference slate is a feast of various cream puffs.

The Big Ten can't afford any Cinderella stories as well. That's why even a team like BYU has to lose to help their slim cause. The Cougars don't get the luxury of a power conference to help their cause. However, a 41-7 drubbing of Texas raised some eyes and gives them a shot to make the last four should they run the table. Admittedly, the chances then are still slim, but a 12-0 BYU team would still likely have an edge over a Big Ten champion at this point.

That is the rock bottom level that the Big Ten has reached. That's how much the last two weeks have affected them as a conference. Rarely, if ever, has a power conference had such a lousy stretch (with exception to Penn State's reversal of fortune with the NCAA). Regardless, the Big Ten has to have lots of help to climb back to the top. Just three weeks into the season, they're on the outside looking in.