Western Michigan is one win away from playing in the Cotton Bowl.
The Broncos defeated Toledo 55-35 to improve to 12-0 this season. The Broncos are now one win away from likely claiming a New Year’s Six Bowl berth.
Western Michigan was energized early as it picked off Logan Woodside’s first pass of the game and ran it back for an 11-yard score. Toledo tied the game on its next possession, but then Western Michigan answered and never let the lead go. It used a 21-point third quarter to shut the door and remain one of two undefeated teams in the country.
When the College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday, Western Michigan should be the top Group of Five program in the rankings. Both Boise State and Houston, two teams that jumped the Broncos despite having worse records, both lost on Friday and neither will play in their conference title game. One of the caveats for a Group of Five team to play in a New Year’s Six Bowl is that the representative must be a conference winner. The committee has looked down on Western Michigan because of its schedule, but the Broncos have beaten 11 of their 12 opponents by at least 14 points. Its one-point win against Northwestern to open the season is the only outlier.
Still, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to see the committee push Navy up in the standings should the Midshipmen beat SMU this weekend. The Midshipmen have a better strength of schedule and have a win against a Houston team that jumped Western Michigan this week after being previously unranked.
In the end, Western Michigan can only win the games on its schedule. If it defeats Ohio in the MAC Championship, it would be difficult for the CFP committee to justify leaving a 13-0 team out of the upper echelon of bowl games.
If the Broncos are selected for the Cotton Bowl, they would be the first team to play in a major bowl game since Northern Illinois’ Cotton Bowl appearance in 2012.
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