The top five teams in the college football playoff Rankings are unchanged, but there was a shake-up at the bottom. With two elite Big Ten teams losing (Penn State and Ohio State), a playoff spot for the conference took a major hit. Six teams in the top ten match up against one another this Saturday, so this list will look a lot different next week.
Top four teams currently in the playoff
1. Georgia 9-0 (#1 last week) - After a big win against South Carolina, the Bulldogs get a major test this Saturday against #10 Auburn. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm continued to impress for Georgia last week, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 16-22 passing.
Auburn has lost just two games this season by 12 points to #4 Clemson and #24 LSU. Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham has put up 52 and 42 points the previous two weeks.
2. Alabama 9-0 (#2 last week) - The Crimson Tide defeated #24 LSU Tigers 24-10. Despite the 24 points by Alabama, it was a defensive battle between the two teams. Jalen Hurts threw for 183 yards on just 11-24 passing and a touchdown. He was also the leading rusher for the Tide with 44 yards. #16 Mississippi State is next on the docket. They’re 7-2 on the season, with their losses coming against #1 Georgia and #10 Auburn.
3. Notre Dame 8-1 (#3 last week) - The ESPN 30 For 30 documentary "Catholics vs Convicts" expertly depicted the rivalry between these two teams in the 1980s.
And history is about to repeat itself this Saturday when Notre Dame travels to Miami. A one-point loss to #2 Georgia is the only thing separating the Fighting Irish from an undefeated season. Notre Dame is in total control of their playoff destiny. If they win out the rest of the season, they’re in.
4. Clemson 8-1 (#4 last week) - The Tigers survived 38-31 against a formidable NC State Wolfpack squad.
Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant was solid, but not spectacular, throwing for 191 yards and rushing for 88 more. He accounted for three touchdowns, but was just 20-38 passing with an interception. What was supposed to be clash of the titans this Saturday against Florida State has been rendered moot with the Seminoles 3-4 record.
The defense for Florida State is still elite, but it’s been a struggle offensively since quarterback Deondre Francois went down with an injury. With little left to play for this season, expect the Seminoles to treat this matchup like their Super Bowl.
Teams on the outside looking in
5. Oklahoma 8-1 (#5 last week) - Heisman-favorite, Baker Mayfield, was sensational against Oklahoma State. He threw for 598 yards and five touchdowns in the 62-52 win. Their only blemish on the season is a loss to Iowa State. With #6 TCU coming to Norman this Saturday, the winner may leapfrog Clemson (even if they win) into the final four.
6. TCU 8-1 (#8 last week) - Like Oklahoma, the only loss TCU has experienced this season is against a surprise upstart Iowa State Cyclones.
But the Horned Frogs bounced back to take down Texas last Saturday. The loser of their game against #5 Oklahoma will remain on the outside looking for the rest of the year
7. Miami - 8-0 (#10 last week) - The Hurricanes’ win against #17 Virginia Tech took Miami fans’ expectations to unforeseen heights. The schedule lines up for the Hurricanes to play two teams currently in the top four. They get Notre Dame this Saturday and Clemson potentially in the ACC Championship.
8. Wisconsin - 9-0 (#9 last week) - The Badgers are the Big Ten’s last chance at a playoff berth. With all of the top ten matchups this week, Wisconsin will certainly move up if they can earn a victory over #20 Iowa. The Hawkeyes blew out Ohio State last Saturday, all but ruining the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes.
They’ll try to do it again against the Badgers this week.
9. Washington - 8-1 (#12 last week) - Will the Pac-12 get any love once everything shakes out? Probably not. The Huskies have a big game this Thursday against Stanford. If they defeat the hard-nosed Cardinal, they have Utah and Washington State before the Pac-12 Championship. But Washington will need a lot of help with several of the above teams losing.
10. Auburn - 7-2 (#14 last week) - The only two-loss team in the top ten, the Tigers have a chance to play spoiler in their final two SEC games. They get #1 Georgia this week and #2 Alabama in the final week of the season. Crazier things have happened in college football than a two-loss team catapulting into the top four.