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CFB Crash Course Week 9: The underachievers already out of playoff contention
2016 has been a season to forget for Mark Dantonio and his Michigan State Spartans. Bobby Ellis/Getty Images

CFB Crash Course Week 9: The underachievers already out of playoff contention

Good-bye, Ohio State.

OK, the Buckeyes lost on a freakish play and no longer unbeaten, but they are still in the hunt for a national championship. That's the good part of having a playoff. The bad part is that someone — rather, a lot of someones — will miss out. Think about teams like Texas A&M, Louisville, Ohio State, Baylor, West Virginia and/or Boise State not getting the opportunity despite great seasons. Major disappointment.

This week, we will look at the other big disappointments in each conference. Some are shocking while others may just be works in progress. Either way, time is running out to salvage their seasons.

1-SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: ALABAMA
Well? Bama crushed Texas A&M and made it through that stretch of Arkansas, Tennessee and A&M with three blowouts. Impressive. While that was the hard part, there is still work to do. The Tide travels to LSU next week and ends the season with Auburn.

GAME OF THE WEEK: AUBURN AT OLE MISS
Sure, you look at Ole Miss's 1-3 conference record and four losses and you think the Rebels are having a bad year. Well, those losses came to Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Florida State so it isn't like they've had some tough times vs. subpar foes. Well, in the SEC West you are usually staring at another tough one, and the Rebels have that with Auburn this week. The Tigers have been on fire of late, losing only to Clemson and Texas A&M. The defense has been unbelievable, and Auburn is coming off a 56-3 thumping of Arkansas.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME:  FLORIDA VS. GEORGIA
Huge game with SEC championship ramifications. Georgia has struggled a bit, but Florida is in the driver's seat in the East division and still has an outside shot at getting into the College Football Playoff. Even with that brass ring still out there to grab, this game is a must for the Gators, who still have to travel to Arkansas, LSU and Florida State this year. Florida has dominated this series, winning 20 of the last 26.

HEISMAN WATCH: CHAD KELLY, OLE MISS
Ole Miss's schedule has been brutal and continues to be. Despite that, Kelly has been masterful. He's thrown for over 2,000 yards and 15 TDs. He won't win the Heisman, but he's staring down what could be a nice NFL career.

STORYLINE
We've talked about Ole Miss a bunch here thus far, but the biggest disappointment may be in Athens. The Georgia Bulldogs had a lot of buzz heading into the season. They got a new coach in Kirby Smart, running back Nick Chubb was a Heisman-type kid who got off to a fantastic start and the SEC East felt a bit open. The Dawgs have lost three of their last four games, including a Hail Mary to lose to Tennessee and a shocking loss to Vanderbilt in their last game. They only have three league games left, and they are all tough, so this skid could continue. Still, it is a process that Smart and the school are going through at a program that let go the last coach who won 10 games in four of his last five seasons.

2-BIG TEN CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: MICHIGAN
Ohio State was stunned in Happy Valley, and you'd think that'd be good news in Ann Arbor. Well, it was, but it doesn't help that Michigan will still have to travel to Ohio State in one month to take on an angry team that will need that game in order to compete for a National Championship. OK, but right now it is all about Michigan, and the Wolverines also control their own destiny for a title.

GAME OF THE WEEK: NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN
These are the two best teams in the West Division, and the Badgers need this game. Wisconsin is in the middle of the schedule from hell and has two losses — albeit to Ohio State and Michigan — to show for it. Nebraska is undefeated right now, but despite the Huskers having a two-game lead on Wisconsin, this is a must-win as well. Nebraska still has a trip to Columbus coming up, and losing this one and to Ohio State would get Wisconsin back into the lead.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN STATE
This was supposed to be a big game, but Sparty's free-fall has made this more of a laughable contest  Still, it is a rivalry game so we could either see Michigan State give its best effort or Michigan just roll over the Sparans. Either way, it should be a sight to see.

HEISMAN WATCH: JABRILL PEPPERS, MICHIGAN
Despite not being mentioned here before, Peppers has been among the top of the Heisman list. With J.T. Barrett having some tough games for Ohio State, Peppers now holds the lead in the Heisman race in the Big Ten. Could a defensive player win a second Heisman? Hard to say, but this is a season in which anything could happen.

STORYLINE
Before the season started, we were all staring at that triumvirate of Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State battling each other late in the year for the Big Ten title. Well, the Buckeyes and Wolverines held up their end of the bargain. The Spartans have been shockingly bad. After opening with wins over Furman and Notre Dame, Michigan State has lost four straight games. It isn't like it's been a "who's who" of teams it's lost to; Indiana, BYU and Northwestern have been among the opponents. The Spartans gave up 54 points to Northwestern at homecoming in East Lansing. Shocking.

Look down the road, and they get Michigan and Ohio State, whom the Spartans beat last season in tight games. A bowl game is becoming a lost cause. Amazing.

3-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: CLEMSON
Clemson has gotten by in some close games, but the Tigers are sitting here still undefeated. This week they get their toughest test remaining for the season and, if they win, could coast to the ACC title game. Of course, with the Tigers' penchant for squeezing out wins, they still could be upset.

GAME OF THE WEEK: CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE
Here it is. Sure, it has lost some of its flair due to FSU's loss to North Carolina and spanking at Louisville, but it should still be fun. As mentioned, a Clemson win should make it a clear run to the ACC Championship Game and another College Football Playoff berth. Florida State would love nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off Clemson's face and get back to the elite status it held for the two seasons prior to Clemson's run.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: MIAMI AT NOTRE DAME
Sure, this has lost a lot of its luster, but it is still Miami-Notre Dame. The Convicts vs. Catholics. Anyone who remembers the 1980s and 1990s will recall a time where this was a rabid rivalry, but this year it features two programs just trying to stop some bleeding and make bowl games.

HEISMAN WATCH: LAMAR JACKSON, LOUISVILLE
It seems that the gap between Jackson and the rest of the field is widening.

STORYLINE
The ACC has no shortage of disappointments. There's Duke, who is 0-4 in conference play, and Miami, who is currently 1-3. You also have Florida State with two losses before the Clemson game. But the biggest surprise isn't technically an ACC team but a satellite member — Notre Dame. This Irish team had thoughts of a national championship but has been anything but title-worthy. The Irish are 2-5 with games left at Virginia Tech and USC, as well as games vs. Navy and Miami. They've lost to Duke in South Bend, N.C. State in a hurricane, and their losses to Texas and Michigan State look worse every week. Two more losses and they are shockingly bowl-ineligible. Wow.

4-PACIFIC 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: WASHINGTON
Keep undefeated and stay in the hunt. The Pac-12 has lost a lot of luster when you compare it to the rest of the Power 5, but the Huskies have not only been winning, but looking damn good while doing so.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WASHINGTON AT UTAH
While many have been looking at the Apple Cup, this may be Washington's biggest test. Utah is a very solid squad, and Salt Lake City is a tough spot to win a game as an opponent. Washington rolls into this game with QB Jake Browning playing some of the best football in the nation while Utah comes in with once-retired running back Joe Williams coming off a 332-yard rushing effort against UCLA. What? Let's see him against this tough Washington defense.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON STATE
Well, there are some duds on the slate this week, so check out Washington State if you haven't gotten a chance to. The Cougars are most likely the third best team in the conference. The Beavers have been giving up a ton of points of late, so we could see some exciting action.

HEISMAN WATCH: JAKE BROWNING, WASHINGTON
Browning has been one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He's efficient and been consistently putting up solid numbers.

STORYLINE
I talked about the sad state of Oregon football a couple of weeks ago, so I'm going to use this opportunity to talk UCLA. The Bruins were a favorite of the Pac-12 South but have bottomed out of late. They've had no embarrassing losses, really, but they've not exactly been impressive in defeat. Close? Yes, but losing close games gets you no points here, especially for a team that had bigger expectations than this.

5-BIG 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: BAYLOR
The Bears came back from their bye week and blasted Kansas ... the Big 12's version of an extra bye week.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEST VIRGINIA AT OKLAHOMA STATE
The Mountaineers just keep on chugging along, but they are wandering into the meat of the schedule. Oklahoma State is solid and gave Baylor a run for its money a few weeks back. West Virginia's dominant win over TCU got people thinking that the Mountaineers are for real. Well, show and prove time is here.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: BAYLOR AT TEXAS
Charlie Strong: If you want to save your job, do it here.

HEISMAN WATCH: SETH RUSSELL, BAYLOR
Russell has every shot to quickly move up or off this list. Baylor is staring down Texas, TCU and Oklahoma in the next rack of games and West Virginia to close the season. Russell hasn't had to play elite defenses yet this year, so this will be a test for not only him, but his undefeated Baylor Bears team.

STORYLINE
Really, there haven't been any egregiously disappointing teams. If I had to settle on one, it would be TCU. I figured the Horned Frogs would be ready to challenge for the Big 12 title. Losing to Arkansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia isn't at all shocking, but not being able to topple the better teams in the league you thought you could win is a bit troubling.

6-GROUP OF FIVE

FAVORITE: BOISE STATE
There are two teams that are on the watch list: Boise State and Western Michigan. Houston, who ran this spot most of the season, is done after losing to SMU.

GAME OF THE WEEK: BOISE STATE AT WYOMING
Boise State is trying to get to one of those New Year's Six games, and this game at Wyoming could be the biggest threat to that happening. This looks like another Boise State win (the Broncos won the previous 10 meetings), but Wyoming is no slouch. The Cowboys can control the game with their rushing attack and could frustrate and tame the Broncos.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: NAVY AT SOUTH FLORIDA
This could be a preview of the AAC Championship Game. Navy is ranked and riding high from its win over Houston. South Florida has been playing well this season but has struggled stuffing the run. Navy, as we know, loves to run the football.

HEISMAN WATCH: DONNEL PUMPHREY, SAN DIEGO STATE
Pumphrey is the best player in the nation that seemingly no one pays attention to. He's rushed for 1,242 yards and 13 TDs this season. He's topped 220 rushing yards in a game three times this season and only missed rushing for 100 yards once ... and that was a 98-yard effort in a blowout win over New Hampshire.

STORYLINE
Well, what happened to Houston? After beating Oklahoma in the opener, the Cougars have had a horrible month. They lost to Navy, which essentially ended their quest for a spot in the College Football Playoff. They lost to SMU, which pretty much ended any shot at the AAC title and a New Year's Six game. Add to it the Big 12 decided against expansion and Houston ... who was deemed a favorite to be added to the league ... goes back to the American Athletic Conference feeling slighted.

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