GRAPEVINE, Texas – Extend a warm greeting to Tulane, participants in the College Football Playoff.
The No. 20 Green Wave overpowered No. 24 North Texas, delivering the selection committee its initial outcome of the conference championship weekend.
The committee convened Friday evening at their headquarters within the Gaylord Texan resort, observing the Group of 5 conference championship matches that will influence their definitive rankings on Selection Day. This marked the commencement of conference championship weekend; the unfolding of these games under the committee’s scrutiny will shape the hierarchy of the five highest-ranked conference champions — and subsequently, the positioning of contenders in their vicinity.
Here’s an initial assessment of the implications of Friday night’s results on the playoff landscape, commencing with the Sun Belt and the American Conference.
Tulane 34, North Texas 21
Following Tulane’s victory over North Texas, the American champions secured their place in the playoff, expected to be recognized as the committee’s fourth-highest ranked conference champion. The Green Wave are projected to receive the No. 11 seed, setting the stage for a first-round encounter on the road against the committee’s No. 6 team. Should the committee uphold Ole Miss’s No. 6 ranking, Tulane would face a rematch against the Rebels. Ole Miss previously defeated Tulane 45-10 on Sept. 20 in Oxford, retaining home-field advantage as the higher seed.
James Madison 31, Troy 14
Given JMU’s victory over Troy, their route to the playoff is relatively clear: Duke needs to emerge victorious against Virginia and secure the ACC title. Should this transpire, the committee is expected to award JMU the No. 12 seed as its fifth and concluding conference champion — a decision that would sideline the ACC champion. The question remains whether the conference will be entirely excluded, or if No. 12 Miami might still gain entry, despite not participating this weekend. This could materialize if BYU suffers a defeat against Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, causing them to fall behind Miami — positioning the Canes just below No. 10 Notre Dame. In that scenario, the committee could evaluate Miami’s season-opening triumph against the Irish as one of several tiebreakers to distinguish between teams of comparable standing.
