This past weekend only had one marquee game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Its the weeks where you least expect it that end up the craziest as Texas A&M, Clemson, and Iowa State all lost putting their College Football Playoff hopes on the brink.
After a hectic week of upsets here's how we predict the College Football Playoff field will end up shaking out ahead of one of the biggest weekends of the year.
Rank | Team | Why They're Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Oregon Ducks | Big Ten Champions | 1st |
2. | Georgia Bulldogs | SEC Champions | 2nd |
3. | Miami Hurricanes | ACC Champions | 3rd |
4. | BYU Cougars | Big 12 Champions | 4th |
5. | Ohio State Buckeyes | At Large | 6th |
6. | Texas Longhorns | At Large | 5th |
7. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | At Large | 7th |
8. | Tennessee Volunteers | At Large | 11th |
9. | Penn State Nittany Lions | At Large | 9th |
10. | Indiana Hoosiers | At Large | Unranked |
11. | LSU Tigers | At Large | Unranked |
12. | Boise State Broncos | Mountain West Champions | 12th |
The top four teams remain the same as they all didn't lose this weekend and remain the best candidates to win their conference. The biggest case for change that can be made is Miami moving up to the second seed as its more likely they win out the rest of the way than Georgia does. BYU has put itself in a nearly perfect spot to make the Big 12 Championship as has Miami while the Big Ten and SEC are still up for grabs.
Ohio State moves ahead of Texas in our prediction as the Buckeyes will most likely make the Big Ten title game after an impressive win over Penn State while Texas still has a massive battle against Texas A&M left.
Notre Dame seems like a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff as they hold a massive win over Texas A&M and will only face one ranked opponent in Army.
After surviving against Kentucky this weekend, Tennessee has found itself in a great position to make the College Football Playoff. The Vols still have to face Georgia and Vanderbilt but, with the way their defense is playing no one would be surprised if they won that game.
Penn State stumbles to ninth after their loss to Ohio State but, their schedule the rest of the way will result in James Franklin making the College Football Playoff. The toughest game remaining for the Nittany Lions is against Minnesota meaning they'll in all likelihood make the Playoff as a one loss team.
Indiana is one of the biggest winners of all of the chaos around the country as its clearing a path to the Playoff for the Hoosiers. If Indiana plays the way it is playing the rest of the way they should only suffer one loss and it'll be hard for the committee to leave a one loss team out of the playoff.
In the 11th spot we have the LSU Tigers grabbing the last at-large bid as the winner of this weekends game between Alabama and LSU will make the Playoff if they handle the rest of their business. The Tide are 0-2 on the road in SEC play and playing in Death Valley at Night may be their toughest task yet.
Finally, Boise State remains the best candidate to make the College Football Playoff via the Group of Five's automatic bid. The best piece on Boise State's resume may not be a win as their close loss to Oregon who'll likely finish as the top seed is as impressive as it gets in a loss.
On the bubble for the College Football Playoff are Alabama depending on this weekend's game, SMU if they can beat Miami in the ACC Title Game, Ole Miss if they win out and get help, Texas A&M, and Iowa State if they can play their way to a Big 12 Championship.
A massive weekend for the College Football Playoff race
This weekend, the Saturday Night game between LSU and Alabama will have the biggest implications on the College Football Playoff as the loser is eliminated from contention. In the afternoon we'll get a massive game for the Playoff race between Ole Miss and Georgia with the winner getting a massive resume builder while the loser may be in serious trouble. Indiana will have a tough test against a physical Michigan team and BYU's undefeated season heads to Utah at night which is one of the toughest places to play.