College Football Playoffs: Houston Upsets #5 Louisville

Louisville suffered their second loss of the season, and will most-likely miss the college football playoffs

Fifth-ranked Louisville suffered a devastating 36-10 loss on the road Thursday evening to an unranked Houston team and quarterback Greg Ward Jr.

Louisville entered the locker room at half time down 31-0 after seeing Heisman front-runner Lamar Jackson be shutdown by the Cougars. Jackson was held to 33 rushing yards on 25 attempts, but one of the carries was for 20 yards. Through the air, Jackson had a touchdown and 211 passing yards.

Thursday’s game was the third-consecutive game in which Jackson has not thrown for 250 yards, something he’s done six times this season.

The Cardinals as a team failed in two key categories throughout the game: turnovers and penalties. Louisville committed an unacceptable 15 penalties and turned the ball over three times via fumbles.

With Louisville losing as the fifth-ranked team in the country, the college football playoff race becomes even more open. Washington, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Oklahoma were each ranked behind Louisville, and could pass the Cardinals should they win this weekend.

Penn State is looking for a trip to the Big Ten Championship, but will need help from Michigan. The Wolverines lost their starting quarterback Wilton Speight for the season, and have a crucial game against Ohio State to end the season. Should Penn State beat Rutgers and Michigan State and the Wolverines lose one game, the Nittany Lions are in the conference championship, and possibly the playoffs.

Washington is battling Washington State for the PAC-12 North title, but needs the Cougars to lose one of their upcoming conference games. Ranked Colorado and the Huskies remain on the docket for Washington State.

Wisconsin is battling Nebraska for the Big Ten West, but is currently ranked higher by the college football playoff committee.