10 teams still have a shot to make the College Football Playoff with one week to go

Washington (11-1)

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Playoff ranking before the weekend: 5

Vegas odds to make playoff: 9/1

FiveThirty Eight’s chances to make playoff: 65%

The case for making the playoff: If Washington beats Colorado to win the Pac-12 championship, they will be a one-loss champion of a Power-5 conference. In addition, their one blemish would be a 26-13 loss to USC who have arguably been one of the best teams in the country the second half of the season.

The case for being left out of the playoff: The biggest knock on Washington is trying to shed the label of being a champion of a weaker conference. That may have been true earlier in the season, but the Pac-12 has been better of late and currently has three teams in the AP top 10. Still, if Penn State or the winner of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State make a strong case for being included in the playoff, it seems Washington would be the most likely team to be left out.

How they can make the playoff: Washington’s path to the playoff is a lot like Clemson’s, but with a twist. If Washington wins the Pac-12 championship, they are probably in the playoff. If they lose, they are out. But even if they win, there is going to be a discussion of whether or not Washington should get in ahead of a second Big Ten team (Penn State, Wisconsin, or even Michigan).