The USF Bulls Are A Major Hurdle For The UNLV Rebels Making The College Football Playoff

ESPN believes that the USF Bulls are a huge hurdle for the UNLV Rebels to get past to make the College Football Playoff.

A logo for the College Football Playoff First Round on a pylon during the first quarter between the Indiana Hoosiers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels have begun to make their case to be the G6 representative for the College Football Playoffs. However, there are still a lot of hurdles for them to jump. One of the big ones is the unexpected success of the USF Bulls, who have already knocked off the Florida Gators and the Rebels, Mountain West Conference Rivals, the Boise State Broncos. The issue is that if the Bulls can run the table in the American Conference and win the American Championship, the Rebels can't match their resume. ESPN believes USF is the favorite to be the G6 representative in the CFP.

ESPN On The USF Bulls College Football Playoff Chances

"The Bulls have already defeated the computers, which projected an 0-2 start. Now, with statement wins against Boise State and Florida -- two teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time -- South Florida is leading the race for a Group of 5 playoff spot. ESPN's FPI gives Miami a 72.3% chance to beat South Florida at home on Saturday, but even if the Bulls lose, they will still impress the selection committee with their 2-0 start. If South Florida wins the American Conference, it should earn a spot in the playoff because it's going to be hard for another Group of 5 champion to finish with a better résumé. Things could get interesting if South Florida runs the table but loses in its conference title game. The committee would consider the Bulls for an at-large spot along with the top Group of 5 champion. With regular-season wins against Boise State, Florida and Miami -- especially if the Canes win the ACC -- no other Group of 5 team would beat that résumé. Only two weeks into the season, South Florida is already ranked No. 3 in the country in ESPN's strength of record metric, trailing only Ohio State and Florida State. The selection committee is using a similar metric this season to help evaluate how teams performed against their schedules."

At this point, it's hard to argue with this point. USF has been outstanding, and they have a huge game against Miami this week. UNLV fans need to be rooting hard for the Hurricanes the next two weeks. If they can destroy both USF and Florida, it could help the Rebels' playoff case in a major way.

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