Washington State has quietly been one of the most successful teams in college football this season and has a solid chance to finish the season with an 11-1 record.
But do coach Jake Dickert and the Cougars have a shot at making the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff?
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No. 18 Washington State (8-1), also tabbed as No. 18 in the latest CFP rankings, has remaining games against New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming, each of which it should easily be favored in. That would put the Cougars as a one-loss ranked team with a shot at an at-large bid, although it won’t qualify for an automatic conference championship winner bid as the Pac-12 only has two teams.
While it’ll need some help, Washington State certainly could sneak in the 12-team CFP this season. It’ll hope to reach the CFP and make some noise, led by its high-powered offense led by offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.
Here’s a look at Washington State’s chances at making the College Football Playoff in 2024:
Can Washington State make the CFP?
The short answer is yes, Washington State can indeed make the College Football Playoff this season, however, it’ll certainly need some losses ahead of it in the rankings for a berth.
The No. 18 Cougars (8-1) don’t have the luxury of a conference championship win resulting in an automatic qualification, as the Pac-12 doesn’t count toward the CFP’s bid method as the conference has only two teams in 2024. The top five ranked conference champions, regardless of being Power Four or Group of Five, will automatically qualify for the CFP.
That means Washington State must rely on an at-large bid, which goes to teams already ranked inside the top 12 of the final CFP teams, assuming one of the conference champions that earns an automatic bid isn’t already outside the top 12.
The Cougars will almost definitely need to win out, which they have a solid chance to do so as their remaining schedule includes New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming.
One scenario that would help Washington State would be Boise State winning out and rising above No. 12 in the CFP rankings, so the final seed of the bracket would be freed up, giving Washington State more wiggle room for a potential berth as the last team in. As of now, Boise State is the fifth-highest ranked team projected to win a conference championship.
Another factor playing against Washington State is its weak strength of schedule, as the Cougars have played a makeshift conference slate that includes mostly Mountain West teams, due to an agreement in response to the Pac-12’s lack of programs.
According to ESPN’s CFP predictor, Washington State has a 7% chance to make the bracket, with an 83% chance to beat New Mexico, 70% chance to beat Oregon State and 93% chance to beat Wyoming to end its regular season.
Does the Pac-12 have a conference championship game?
There will not be a Pac-12 Championship game in 2024, as Washington State and Oregon State are the lone two programs in the conference.
The Pac-12 also doesn’t qualify as part of the CFP’s potential automatic bid for conference championship winners, as the league doesn’t meet the CFP’s requirement of eight teams. However, the Pac-12 could regain potential automatic qualification status in 2026, when the conference is set to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, with the conference searching for other programs to reach at least eight.
Washington State football 2024 schedule
Here’s a look at Washington State’s 2024 football schedule:
All times Eastern.
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Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. Portland State (W, 70-30)
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Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Texas Tech (37-16)
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Saturday, Sept. 14: at Washington (W, 24-19)
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Friday, Sept. 20: vs. San Diego State (W, 54-52)
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Saturday, Sept. 28: at Boise State (L, 45-24)
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Saturday, Oct. 5: BYE
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Saturday, Oct. 12: at Fresno State (W, 25-17)
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Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Hawaii (W, 42-10)
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Saturday, Oct. 26: at San Diego State (W, 29-26)
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Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE
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Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Utah State (W, 49-28)
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Saturday, Nov. 16: at New Mexico State | 9:30 p.m.
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Saturday, Nov. 23: at Oregon State* | 7 p.m.
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Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Wyoming | 6:30 p.m.
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Record: 8-1
*Denotes Pac-12 game
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Washington State make the College Football Playoff?
