Greg McElroy evaluates how many playoff teams Big Ten, SEC could get in

ESPN hosted the second edition of the College Football Playoff: Top 25 show on Tuesday night, offering a potential preview of the playoffs using the current AP Poll. Much of the discussion centered on the Big Ten and the SEC.

More precisely, the panel of ESPN analysts discussed how many bids each of those leagues could receive. Greg McElroy was firm in providing a number for both, starting with the Big Ten.

“Well, Rece (Davis), there is a path to four, but it is a little more thin than it has been in the past,” McElroy said. “The best chance might actually be USC, but USC has the head-to-head loss to Notre Dame, who is also very much in contention. So I think right now with the Big Ten you’re looking at three.”

Those three for the Big Ten are fairly obvious right now. Ohio State and Indiana are running one-two in the nation, both undefeated. And Oregon is not far behind, with its lone loss to Indiana.

The only other team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 from the Big Ten is Michigan. That might take some work, as the Wolverines still face the Buckeyes and already have two losses.

The SEC has more potential contenders, but a lot of carnage on the way with the second half of the season’s schedule. Currently unbeaten Texas A&M and one-loss Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss squads look like the best bets from the league.

“For the SEC right now you’re looking at four, with a very realistic pathway to getting to five,” McElroy outlined. “Now it’s partly dependent on carnage happening in the ACC and the Big 12. It also depends strongly on Notre Dame adding another loss. But in order for the SEC to get to five, they need Georgia to beat Georgia Tech. They need Vandy to win out and finish the season 11-1. They need Ole Miss to hold serve and win out as a favorite in each of the next few games, finish 11-1.”

Vanderbilt’s arguably the biggest wild card in that mix, but Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas are all still in contention despite pretty tough schedules. Could one of them run the table and slip in?

“There’s a handful of opportunities for the SEC to get five in, but there’s very, very few chances for the Big Ten to get more than three in,” McElroy surmised. “And almost all of it is dependent on what happens in the ACC and the Big 12 championship race.”