College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Pitt looks to emerge from ACC's pack, simplifying chaotic title race

There are major implications in the ACC in Week 10, along with a couple one-loss bubble teams in great shape.

The cloak of anonymity as college football's lowest-ranked Power Four unbeaten this season is like honey for Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi — sweet enough to enjoy in small squirts, but potentially dangerous if lathered too heavy. The 18th-ranked Panthers haven't found a spot in any projected playoff brackets just yet, but that would change with a victory Saturday at No. 20 SMU in the playoff bubble watch game of Week 10.

SMU is one of four ACC teams entering November unbeaten in league play, but only Pitt controls its own destiny in getting to the conference championship game. SMU, Miami and Clemson do not play each other this fall, which means there could a be three-team tiebreaker if all finish without a conference loss.

If we get to that scenario, ties are broken based on the conference record of common league opponents. And since all would've beaten Florida State and Louisville, the league office would have to go further down the schedules to determine which two teams play in Charlotte.

Wild, right? Pitt can interrupt this chaotic potential predicament if the Panthers win this weekend and setup a showdown with Clemson later next month.

MORE: Projected College Football Playoff bracket in Week 10

Odds for each bubble team to make the College Football Playoff via FanDuel Sportsbook. Check out the latest FanDuel promo code to get in the game. 

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Week 10

Kentucky vs. Tennessee (-160): The one-loss Vols are included in most updated playoff projections, but there's still much to sort out for Josh Heupel's team, and trips to Georgia and Vanderbilt next month are treacherous. A loss to either complicates at-large consideration since Tennessee will be grouped with other 10-2 hopefuls. The Vols are securely off the bubble if they're able to keep it up in SEC play and avoid another upset like they had at Arkansas.

Texas Tech vs. Iowa State (-140): Will the Big 12 be a two-bid league this season? For now, you're either a believer in BYU or these Cyclones as the conference's remaining unbeatens. They're on a crash course to meet in December's league title unless Iowa State succumbs to a considerably tougher slate down the stretch.

Alabama (+100) at LSU (Nov. 9): It all comes down to this for the Crimson Tide and Tigers, who will play a playoff elimination game of sorts in Baton Rouge in two weeks. Since Alabama and LSU each have multiple losses, winning out is essential to reach the playoff.

Kansas State (+165) at Houston: Written off after losing its Big 12 opener by 31 points to BYU, the Wildcats have won four straight conference games since and have played themselves back into position coming out of a nail-biting victory over Kansas. If Kansas State can beat Houston, Texas Tech and Arizona State, then the home finale against Iowa State on Nov. 30 likely decides a spot in the league title game.

Alabama at LSU (+200): The Tigers failed to hold a 10-point lead at Texas A&M and saw their six-game winning streak come to an end in disappointing fashion. Brian Kelly can't put a finger on his team's execution struggles in the second half and players said the defense was unprepared for Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed. That's a bad look.

Pitt at SMU (+200): Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs keep advancing in the polls and that will continue Saturday if SMU hands Pitt its first loss of the campaign. SMU's lone setback came against BYU on Sept. 6.

Air Force at Army (+800): The unbeaten Black Knights watched fellow service academy Navy whiff on its opportunity to beat Notre Dame over the weekend after the Midshipmen dropped it on the turf early and often against the Fighting Irish. Army will trump Boise State as the Group of Five representative if the Black Knights are able to stay unblemished and beat Notre Dame in a few weeks.

Others in the mix: Ole Miss (+200), Pitt (+500) and Colorado (+600) are others worth keeping an eye on in November. Despite being one of the ACC's two remaining unbeatens, the Panthers are a 7.5-point underdog this weekend at SMU. The winner of that one provides a great deal of clarity in the conference title picture alongside Miami and Clemson at the top.

In Boulder, the Buffaloes are one of four teams separated by a game near the top of the Big 12 standings coming off their win over Cincinnati. Deion Sanders' program is now bowl-eligible for the first time in his tenure, a notable feat considering the Buffaloes' preseason win total was set at 5.5 this fall.

About the expanded CFP

The first College Football Playoff Rankings from the selection committee will be released on Nov. 5, then every Tuesday night through Dec. 3 leading up to Selection Sunday (Dec. 8). The top-ranked team in the first CFP Rankings has gone on to win the national championship only twice since 2014. 

In the first season of the 12-team playoff format, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes in December. Remaining teams, including the fifth conference champion, will be seeded 5-12 based on the selection committee's opinion. 

First-round games on campus start Dec. 20 with CFP quarterfinals at bowl sites beginning Dec. 31. The semifinals at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will be played Jan. 9 and 10, respectively. The national championship is set for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.