A little over two weeks ago, our own Will Petersen laid out an 11-step plan to get the Colorado Buffaloes into the College Football Playoffs.

While a lot has happened since then — including a wild Saturday night last weekend — one thing is clear: That 11-step plan is a lot shorter.

When the original piece was written, the College Football Playoffs were, admittedly, a bit of a pipe dream. Clocking in at No. 15 in the first CFP Rankings of the year, the idea of climbing 11 spots in just over a month was a daunting task.

And yet here we are …

Today, with the Buffaloes now ranked 10th in the nation, there’s a very simple pathway towards the Playoffs. In fact, there are only three steps:

  • Win out
  • Oklahoma loses to either No. 14 West Virginia or No. 11 Oklahoma State
  • Michigan beats Ohio State or Penn State loses to either Rutgers or Michigan State

Not so daunting now, is it?

Let me explain how it happens …

IN

Alabama (Currently No. 1)

Alabama’s in, and they’re No. 1, no questions asked. They could lose their last two games — they won’t; they play Chattanooga on Saturday — and probably still hold onto their top spot.

Clemson (Currently No. 4)

Barring a huge upset to Wake Forest or South Carolina in the next two weeks, Clemson will be back in the Playoffs, likely at No. 3.

Big-10 Champion

Michigan’s loss to Iowa on Saturday threw the Big 10 into a bit of a tailspin. And for the Buffs to sneak past three of the four Big-10 teams currently in the CFP top 10, one thing needs to happen: Penn State can’t play in the Big-10 title game.

If Penn State plays, especially if Ohio State beats Michigan next Saturday, there’s a very good chance the Big 10 will get two teams in the College Football Playoffs, pushing the Buffs out of the picture.

Because Penn State upset Ohio State earlier this season, even if the Buckeyes finish the regular season at No. 2, it’ll be the No. 8 Nittany Lions facing off against No. 7 Wisconsin in the Big-10 Championship Game; whoever wins that game is likely to jump up into that fourth spot.

If, though, Penn State is kept out of the title game — either by the Wolverines winning next week or the Nittany Lions losing one of their last two (Rutgers and Michigan State) — the Big 10 is all but assured that only one team will make the final four: the loser of Michigan-Ohio State will be knocked out and so will the loser of the Big-10 Championship Game.

I have no doubt that a Pac-12 champion Buffs teams will leapfrog even a two-loss Penn State team, as long as they aren’t carrying the tag of Big-10 champions as well.

OUT

Louisville (Currently No. 5)

With the loss to unranked Houston on Thursday night, Louisville has all but been eliminated from Playoff contention.

Washington (Currently No. 6)

For the Buffs to win out, they’ll almost definitely have to go through Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game. A win there, and the Huskies are gone.

Oklahoma (Currently No. 9)

This is the scary one. Oklahoma is currently one spot above the Buffs, and if they win out, there’s no way CU jumps them. Luckily, they have two top-15 teams on their schedule. A loss to either of them puts Colorado in prime position.

The Big 10

See above, but the Big 10, with four teams in the top 10, look to be the biggest road block in Colorado’s way. Fortunately, they’re likely to cannibalize themselves in the last three weeks.

COLORADO BUFFALOES

Of course, all of this rests on the Buffs ability to keep the ride going and win out against three top-25 teams. One slip up and the dream is gone.

The odds are still stacked against CU, but the door continues to creak open. And honestly, the fact that we can even have this conversation on November 18 is amazing.

So gather around your television this Saturday — even better, drive up to Boulder and give the Buffs a real home-field advantage against the Cougars! — and get your RISE on.

Sko Buffs!