With three top-ten matchups last Saturday, the college football playoff rankings experienced a major shakeup Tuesday night. The games this weekend don't have quite the same electricity, but for many of these teams, it's win or bust.
Top four teams currently in the playoff
1. Alabama 10-0 - (#2 last week) - The Crimson Tide pulled out a tight one against Mississippi State 31-24. Alabama was down seven in the fourth quarter, but scored two touchdowns in the final 9:49 to pull out the victory. The Crimson Tide's defense has been hit hard by the injury bug, but they'll get a chance to recover this week against the 5-5 Mercer Bears.
But that game is just the calm before the storm in the state of Alabama before the Crimson Tide take on the Auburn Tigers November 25th.
2. Clemson (9-1) - (#4 last week) - Florida State gave Clemson a bit of a scare in the second half, but the Tigers ultimately took care of business 31-14. Clemson has something of a bye week this Saturday going up against The Citadel before finishing off the regular season with in-state rival South Carolina. A victory over Miami in the ACC Championship should get them in the playoffs, but they could still be battling multiple one-loss teams for a spot when it's all said and done.
3. Miami (9-0) - (#7 last week) - The “U" is back, baby! The rivalry in the 1980’s with Notre Dame was coined 'Catholics vs.
Convicts.' And what the Hurricanes did to the Fighting Irish Saturday night was a bully and beat up the Notre Dame offense in a 41-8 massacre that no one saw coming. But as massive as that victory was, the Hurricanes can’t let up. With only four playoff spots, each game matters. Miami passed a big test on Saturday, but can’t blow the next assignment when Virginia comes to South Florida.
4. oklahoma (9-1) - (#5 last week) - After huge wins the previous two weeks over Oklahoma State and TCU, the Sooners get a bit of a reprieve this Saturday against 1-9 Kansas. Heisman-favorite Baker Mayfield will look to pad to his already impressive stats. He’s thrown for 3,559 yards and 31 touchdowns so far this season. In addition to their victory over a top ten team (TCU), the Sooners also improved their schedule resume with some help from Ohio State (who they beat earlier in the season).
The Buckeyes rebounded from their loss to Iowa to blow out Michigan State.
Teams on the outside looking in
5. Wisconsin (10-0) - (#8 last week) - The Big Ten’s last hope for a playoff berth cleared another hurdle with the Badgers' beatdown of the Iowa Hawkeyes 38-14. Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook struggled, throwing three interceptions and two pick-sixes. But his counterpart on the Iowa side didn’t fare much better. Hawkeyes' quarterback Nate Stanley was just 8-24 for 41 yards and an interception. Michigan visits Camp Randall Stadium this Saturday, and it’s such a big game that ESPN’s College GameDay is also coming into town.
6. Auburn 8-2 - (#10 last week) - Talk about a team playing with house money.
Other than losing a close game to Clemson early in the season and suffering a four-point loss to LSU, Auburn has been steamrolling the competition. After the former number one ranked team in the country (Georgia) got in the Tigers' way last week, Auburn will easily move past the 4-5 University of Louisiana-Monroe this Saturday. It’s the November 25th date against Alabama that they have circled on their calendar. If a two-loss team can manage to work their way into the playoff, then that team would be Auburn.
7. Georgia (9-1) - (#1 last week) - Even with Georgia’s loss to Auburn, their playoff hopes aren’t dead. The Bulldogs' game on Saturday was a bad all-around, and with a freshman quarterback, that can happen.
But the nice thing about playing freshmen is that they grow up quickly. Jake Fromm will get a chance rebound at home against Kentucky. If the Bulldogs can finish off the regular season with just the one defeat, a win in the SEC Championship should propel them back into the top four.
8. Notre Dame (8-2) - (#3 last week) - Despite the loss to Miami, it really has been a fantastic season for the Fighting Irish. They’ve had big wins over USC and NC State, but most will only remember what happened in Miami. The raucous atmosphere created by the Hurricanes’ fans shook Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush into two picks and getting yanked from the game. With two wins to finish the regular season, Notre Dame can still play in a major bowl game, but the disappointment will linger; because for the Fighting Irish, it’s national championship or bust.
