The plays that changed who made the 2024 College Football Playoff … and who didn’t

You want to torment your favorite college football fan at the next tailgate? Start up a little game of What-if. Over the course of thousands of plays in hundreds of games in a college football season, a few truly pivotal ones define the year and shape a team’s trajectory. Spot those, highlight those, and debate what might have been had those plays gone the other way.

Here are a dozen plays that shaped the 2024 College Playoff field, plays that could well have resulted in a very different field than we have right now. Consider what might have been…

Sept. 14, LSU at South Carolina

The play: Two, actually, but the more egregious and painful one came in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks had two separate pick-sixes wiped off the board because of penalties, and the fourth-quarter one could have put South Carolina up 40-29 with six minutes remaining in the game. South Carolina would go on to lose 36-33, the first of its three losses on the season.

The effect: South Carolina caught fire right as Alabama was flickering out; had the Gamecocks hit December with only two losses (and a win over the eventual ACC champion) they would have made the field.

Oct. 5, Kansas at Arizona State

The play: Down 31-28, and with just 16 seconds left on the clock, Arizona State’s Sam Levitt finds Jordyn Tyson in the end zone for a miraculous go-ahead touchdown. Final score: Sun Devils 35, Jayhawks 31.

The effect: Without that win, Arizona State doesn’t get anywhere near the Big 12 title game, much less a first-round CFP bye.

Oct. 12, Ole Miss at LSU

The play: Down 23-16 with just over two minutes remaining in the game, LSU is facing a do-or-die fourth-and-6 on its own 29. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finds Mason Taylor for a 16-yard completion, and a few plays later, LSU scores a tying touchdown. The Tigers will go on to win in overtime.

The…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-plays-that-changed-who-made-the-2024-college-football-playoff–and-who-didnt-182644878.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-11 18:26:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.