The 2022 college football playoff race is the most wide-open it has ever been since its inauguration. Four top-10 teams fell, and many others looked extremely weak in their games. Only a single word is needed to explain the most recent college football games: pandemonium. 

In the biggest matchup of the season, No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia faced off in a game that nearly guaranteed the winner locked up a playoff spot. In the end, the defending champs in the Georgia Bulldogs convincingly took care of business 27-13. 

For Tennessee, it was the weakest their stout offensive unit has looked all season and quarterback Hendon Hooker may have lost his chance at the Heisman with the loss. 

Hooker went 23-33 for 195 yards, no touchdowns and a pick. Playing one of the best defenses in the country proved the Volunteers to be less than advertised, as losing by only two scores does not do the Bulldogs’ dominance justice. 

With the win, Georgia jumped Ohio State to become the No. 1 team in the nation. The Buckeyes struggled mightily against the then 1-7 Northwestern Wildcats, a game in which they only led by one score with just a few minutes to go. 

If Ohio State wants a spot in the playoff, they need to figure out what went wrong as soon as possible and if they play that poorly against Michigan, it will be worth it not to show up to avoid an embarrassing loss.

C.J. Stroud, like Hooker, potentially choked his Heisman candidacy with his performance. Playing in rain and wind, he went 10/26 for 76 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite adding 79 yards on the ground, having such a poor statistical performance will make his bid for the award an uphill battle. 

A playoff favorite in the Clemson Tigers proved to be massive frauds in a 35-14 loss to Notre Dame, a game in which they were down 28-0 at one point and never looked to get anything genuinely going. 

It will be nearly impossible for the team to make the playoff in an incredibly weak ACC, as they will need much to go their way to have a chance. 

Another massive SEC matchup was No. 6 Alabama going into death valley to take on No. 10 LSU. The game went into overtime and the Crimson Tide had the ball first. They scored a touchdown and made the extra point. 

It is too bad that college football does not play by NFL overtime rules, as that would have been the end of the game. But the Tigers got the ball back and scored immediately. 

Instead of playing safe and kicking the extra point to keep OT going, they went for the win. Not only did they go for the win, but they also got the two-point conversion and won the game in a massive upset. 

LSU now controls its destiny as they can make the SEC championship, beat Georgia and potentially be the first two-loss team to make the playoff. 

If things go according to plan, the playoff will likely be Georgia, a one-loss Pac-12 champion, undefeated Big-12 champion, TCU and the winner of Ohio State-Michigan. 

But, knowing the committee’s bias, it will be undefeated SEC champion Georgia, three-loss LSU, two-loss Alabama and one-loss Tennessee.