We have seen college football teams back into the College Football Playoff, losing their last regular-season or conference title game and still earning a spot in the four-team field.

This happened to Alabama in 2017 after losing the Iron Bowl and to Ohio State after it lost to Michigan in 2022. That was the same season TCU of the Big 12 became the first team to lose its conference championship game (to Kansas State) and still get in. In all those cases, that loss was the team’s only loss.

Now with a 12-team CFP, backing into the Playoff has a whole new meaning. Looking at you, Ohio State (10-2). Miami (10-2), too.

What we learned about the College Football Playoff in the last full weekend of the regular season is we have a pretty good idea of who will be in the College Football Playoff heading into championship weekend.

Playing for a bye

No. 2 Ohio State’s faceplant against Michigan opened the door for No. 4 Penn State to reach the Big Ten Championship Game against No. 1 Oregon. Side note: Congratulations to the Ducks (12-0) for being the only FBS team to get through 12 games unscathed.

The matchup is set 🦁🦆

Early thoughts on who will win the B1G title game?#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/F5josIsL2T

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 30, 2024

The Nittany Lions (11-1) and Ducks look to be safely into the bracket, with the winner getting a bye. Worst case for the Ducks is hosting a first-round game. Penn State could fall all the way out of a hosting spot, depending on how other championship games work out.

The SEC has a similar situation with No. 7 Georgia (10-2) facing No. 3 Texas (11-1), which clinched a spot after beating rival Texas A&M. We doubt the committee will punish Georgia for reaching the championship game, though it would be in the Bulldogs’ best interest to not get blown out by the Longhorns.

GEORGIA. TEXAS.

THE REMATCH FOR A TITLE. 🏆#SECChampionship pic.twitter.com/xpIiXZ65Rk

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 1, 2024

Coming off that great escape against Georgia Tech on Friday night in eight OTs, Georgia doesn’t want to give the selection committee any reason to reconsider Alabama or Mississippi, both of which beat the Bulldogs.

Winner gets in, loser goes home

A wild Big 12 race ended somewhat routinely. All the favorites won this weekend, putting No. 18 Iowa State (10-2) and No. 16 Arizona State (10-2) in the conference title game. We’ll see what the penultimate rankings say Tuesday, but the committee has not been overly kind to the Big 12, which means only the winner will make the field as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

Sun Devils. Cyclones.

🏆
📍 Arlington, Texas.
📅 12.7.24
📺 ABC

🎟️🔗: https://t.co/O7OY7wQRck pic.twitter.com/K5FENUTn1U

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 1, 2024

Same goes for the Mountain West, where No. 11 Boise State hosts No. 22 UNLV on Friday night. The American Athletic Conference will argue for Army (10-1) if it beats Tulane in that title game, but the Cadets failed their Notre Dame test badly and played one of the weakest schedules in the country.

🏈 Highlights from UNLV’s 38-14 win over Nevada!#MWFB | #BEaREBEL | #MWPathToThePlayoff pic.twitter.com/gUUX1K6wBB

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 1, 2024

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An interesting race has developed between the Mountain West and Big 12 for the No. 4 seed and bye.

Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos (11-1) have held that spot in the last two rankings, comfortably ahead of the highest-ranked Big 12 team. How much the Big 12 can close the gap — if at all — is something to watch Tuesday.

The Broncos beat Oregon State 34-18 on Friday. On Saturday, Iowa State knocked off No. 24 Kansas State 29-21 and Arizona State thumped Arizona 49-7.

UNLV also being ranked — with two victories against Big 12 teams — makes it seem unlikely that the Big 12 title game winner will slingshot past Boise State if the Broncos win. And the Rebels will probably have a good case to make a big leap forward if they win on the Blue Turf.

Bid-stealer

Clemson had a weird day.

The Tigers lost 17-14 to rival South Carolina, with Cade Klubnik throwing a brutal interception in the waning moments when Clemson (9-3) was in position to tie it with a short field goal.

South Carolina holds off Clemson for its sixth-straight win‼️ pic.twitter.com/UOTr9dGWAv

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 30, 2024

But the Tigers did get the help they needed to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game when Syracuse rallied from 21-0 down in the first half to beat No. 6 Miami 42-38.

“Hey, Dabo Swinney, congrats. I got you in, baby!” Orange coach Fran Brown said.

The Tigers will face No. 9 SMU (11-1). The Mustangs appear safely in the field no matter what happens in Charlotte, N.C. Win the conference, earn a bye. Easy.

Clemson has no path with a loss but shouldn’t have a problem being one of the five highest-ranked conference champions if it wins the ACC. Whether that’s good enough to get a top-four seed and a bye is iffy.

But if Clemson is in along with SMU, then another team looking good for an at-large spot right now is getting bumped.

Safe

Ohio State’s latest loss to Michigan was the worst one yet during this four-game skid in The Game.

Still, the second-ranked Buckeyes (10-2) are in a group that looks safely into the bracket even though they won’t play championship weekend.

No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) closed the season with 10 straight victories. The Fighting Irish can’t earn a bye because they’re not in a conference but should have no trouble getting the first-round home game that they have been pointing toward since the end of last season.

Whether the Irish are seeded No. 5, 6 or 7 will be determined by the conference title games.

No. 8 Tennessee (10-2) wiped out an early deficit and beat Vanderbilt 36-23 on Saturday, giving the Volunteers a fairly stress-free week of waiting to find out if they will go on the road or host a first-round game.

As for the Buckeyes, being in position to back into the Playoff seemed to be no consolation for losing to Michigan again.

“I’m not there right now, quite honestly,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said when asked about resetting for a possible playoff run. “Still trying to digest everything that just happened, and I got a locker room full of guys who are just devastated.”

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Kinda safe

As we said, if Clemson wins somebody is getting bumped.

Who will be that someone?

How about Miami? The Hurricanes already handed the Tigers their spot in the ACC title game. The Canes had several great escapes early in the season but closed the year losing two of four. On the bright side, losing one-score games to Georgia Tech (7-5) with Haynes King and at Syracuse (9-3) is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Canes don’t have a bunch of wins against highly ranked teams, but the resume looks better than expected with Tech, Louisville (8-4), Duke (9-3) and Florida (7-5) all closing well.

“This team won 10 football games against some really good teams,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal told reporters after the loss to Syracuse.

What about Indiana?

This committee seems unlikely to turn away an 11-1 team, with its only loss at Ohio State, but the fact remains that outside of the Buckeyes, the only team the Hoosiers played that finished above .500 was Michigan (7-5).

Hey, Ohio State couldn’t beat the Wolverines at home and Indiana did. So that’s something.

Both the Hoosiers and Hurricanes should become big SMU fans.

SEC on the bubble

The committee hasn’t shown much interest in giving these three-loss SEC teams the benefit of a doubt, but the company line is every week the group starts with a blank sheet of paper, so we should be open-minded to a big shift.

The hot team is No. 15 South Carolina, which closed the season with six straight victories.

“If the committee’s job is to pick the 12 best teams, you tell me?” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said.

Ironically, South Carolina’s case gets even better if Clemson wins the ACC, but Clemson winning the ACC also clutters the list of at-large teams by adding SMU.

The other issue South Carolina has is losses to the two teams ranked directly ahead of it: No. 13 Alabama and No. 14 Mississippi.

“Well, I think everyone’s aware of our schedule, and I don’t know the exact stats, but I know we beat four Top-25 teams throughout the year. And I don’t know how many, if anyone, has done that,” Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said.

It’s actually three since LSU dropped out. Still, victories against Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina are nice. Those losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt? Both finished 6-6.

Surely, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will have something to say about it, but his opinion doesn’t count.

(Photo of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers running the ball against Clemson’s T.J. Parker: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona State Sun Devils gathered at midfield, an enormous mass of maroon and gold celebrating Saturday’s 49-7 win against rival Arizona at Arizona Stadium. Suddenly, Cam Skattebo broke from the pack, lifting the Territorial Cup in his right hand and charging for the stands where Arizona State fans awaited.

Skattebo had just rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns, lifting No. 16 Arizona State to its 10th win and a place in the Big 12 Championship Game, an improbable tale for both the bruising running back and the program he represents.

Heisman Trophy ballots are sent out on Monday. Like his team, Skattebo began the season as an incredible long shot. Also, like his team, Skattebo has shown he belongs.

“He has to be one of the best backs in yards from scrimmage in all of Power 4 football,’’ Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said outside the locker room. “How are there many players more impactful than him and what he’s done for this program, picked dead last to playing potentially in the conference championship?”

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is the favorite for this season’s Heisman, given to college football’s top player. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel are strong contenders. The top four finalists travel to New York for the Dec. 14 Heisman ceremony.

Skattebo has never been to the Big Apple. Has it entered his mind?

“I never thought I would be (in this position),” he said.

Does he think he deserves to go?

“Potentially,’’ Skattebo said. “We got more work to do. But, yeah.”

Man of the hour. pic.twitter.com/rSfIoUAH8v

— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) December 1, 2024

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As Skattebo held up the Territorial Cup, the oldest rivalry trophy in the sport, his teammates gathered around him in the corner of Arizona Stadium. Dillingham told officials to get the players already in the locker room to return to the field. Once they did, Dillingham and the Sun Devils sang the school fight song. After the last word, they took the celebration inside.

Skattebo stayed on the field.

He looked down the length of the field and noticed Arizona State fans lined the entire way, from one end zone to the other. Skattebo started making his way down, signing autographs, posing for photos and living in the moment. In the locker room, his coaches and teammates celebrated. Skattebo wasn’t concerned.

“I see those guys every day,’’ he said. “We’ll have our fun later.”

Elite players in college football enter the sport in high regard. Hunter was a five-star high school prospect, the top player in his class. Jeanty was a four-star running back. Coming out of Rio Linda High School in California, Skattebo barely registered, a running back who played like a linebacker.

Skattebo signed with Sacramento State, the only school that offered him a full scholarship. After two seasons, he transferred to Arizona State. In his first season with the Sun Devils, he rushed for 783 yards and nine touchdowns behind a banged-up line. This season, slimmed down and determined, he’s been among the country’s most improved players, the only back who entered Saturday with 1,000-plus rushing yards and 350-plus receiving yards.

“It’s funny because those of us who have watched him grow up — and I talked to his brother last week about it, too — it looks exactly the same,” Skattebo’s high school coach, Jack Garceau, said by phone during Saturday’s game. “It was this way in high school. This way at Sac State. And now it looks this way at ASU. Nothing’s changed. He’s just gotten better and better and better.”

Near the stands, Skattebo grabbed a maroon hat and scribbled “Skatt” in black ink. He shuffled to his left, slapping fives, stopping at a blonde-haired boy who asked him to sign his maroon jersey. Skattebo shifted the boy to the side so he could use his shoulder for support. A security guard informed co-workers that Skattebo was still on the field. A photographer informed the running back that his family waited not far down the line.

Arizona State achieved bowl eligibility after a Nov. 2 win at Oklahoma State. After that game, Dillingham said the Sun Devils (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) were playing with house money. Quarterback Sam Leavitt said that’s when the expanded College Football Playoff first popped into his mind.

“Why not us?” he thought.

Arizona State hasn’t lost since, winners of five in a row, each win bigger than the last, the most memorable march this program has experienced since the Sun Devils went 11-1 during the 1996 season. Leavitt has developed quicker than expected. The offensive line has stayed healthy. The defense has made plays.

“They still surprise me,” Dillingham said. “They’re just a unique, goofy group of misfits that somehow came together and are accomplishing things that are special.”

Skattebo has been the engine. Earlier on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Nick Saban called him his favorite player in college football.

“This guy, he’s rugged,” the former Alabama coach said. “Tough. I just love a great competitor. He’s all that.”

Skattebo grabbed a cell phone. He held it out as far as his right arm could extend, making sure the fans behind him were in the frame and smiled. He posed in the middle of nine Arizona State cheerleaders. Twenty minutes after the game, Skattebo hugged his family. After a brief conversation, he turned and jogged to the locker room. Fans serenaded him along the way.

“Skatt for Heis-man!”

“Skatt for Heis-man!”

(Photo of Cam Skattebo (left) and Kenny Dillingham: Christopher Hook / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A report commissioned by FIFA has concluded football’s governing body “has a responsibility” to compensate workers who suffered during the hosting of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The long-awaited report from FIFA’s sub-committee on human rights and social responsibility — finally published on Friday at midnight Central European Time — says the governing body “took a number of steps to seek to meet its responsibility to respect human rights” as part of the delivery of the tournament two years ago.

However, FIFA failed to meet one of the report’s primary recommendations of using the Qatar Legacy Fund to remedy workers impacted by human rights abuses, instead announcing they would donate the money to several other programmes which will not directly compensate workers in Qatar.

FIFA insisted the study was not “a legal assessment of the obligation to remedy”.

The independent study, commissioned by the sub-committee and developed by the business and human rights advisory firm ‘Human Level’, notes that “a number of severe human rights impacts did ultimately occur in Qatar from 2010 through 2022” for a number of workers connected to the tournament.

This included “deaths, injuries and illnesses; wages not being paid for months on end; and significant debt faced by workers and their families reimbursing the fees they paid to obtain jobs in Qatar.”

While acknowledging that “the main responsibility to rectify such shortcomings lies with the direct employers of these workers as well as with the Qatari government” the sub-committee “endorses the view expressed in the Human Level Study that FIFA too has a responsibility to take additional measures to contribute to the provision of remedy to these workers.”

World Cup organizers have put the number of deaths directly linked to the delivery of the tournament at 40. Human rights groups have long estimated that thousands of workers died.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “All reports and recommendations were considered during a comprehensive review by the FIFA administration and relevant bodies. While all recommendations could not be met, practical and impactful elements were retained.

“It should be noted that the study did not specifically constitute a legal assessment of the obligation to remedy.”

The report recommends that FIFA should use its Qatar Legacy Fund to remedy workers impacted or, for those who died, their family members.

The sub-committee advises them to “act upon the intention, as indicated by FIFA in a press release of 19 November 2022, to dedicate the FIFA World Cup 2022 Legacy Fund in full or in part to further strengthen the competition’s legacy for migrant workers.”

However, two days before the report’s publication FIFA announced the $50million fund would instead be used on a series of social programmes globally in collaboration with Qatar and three organisations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, instead.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “The creation of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Legacy Fund was unanimously endorsed by the FIFA Council following a proposal made by the FIFA governance, audit and compliance committee.

“A Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was established in Qatar in 2018 and FIFA believes the new Legacy Fund, endorsed by recognised international agencies, is a pragmatic and transparent initiative that will encompass social programmes to help people most in need across the world.”

Following the award of the World Cup to Qatar, FIFA has added human rights as a consideration as part of its bidding process for tournaments.

On Friday FIFA’s evaluation report for Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid declared the risk assessment for human rights to be “medium”.

A vote on the hosts for the tournament — where the Saudi bid has no rival — will take place at the FIFA Congress on December 11.

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(Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images)