College Football Playoff Projections After Week 13
By Michael Luciano
Two more Top 10 teams suffered losses against conference foes that will all but eliminate them from the College Football Playoff picture this season, barring some truly outrageous chaos. With the playoff picture becoming clearer with each passing game day, here's is our best stab at predicting how things stand ahead of the final week of the regular season.
10. Florida
With two losses and no title game appearance, Florida is not making the playoff. Having said that, Dan Mullen has constructed arguably the best two-loss team in the country. Kyle Trask has played excellent football after Feleipe Franks went down with an injury, and Todd Grantham's ferocious defense has been running over unsuspecting SEC offensive lines. The Gators might miss out on a playoff game, but they should end up in a New Year's Six game if they can take down Florida State next week.
9. Baylor
That loss to Oklahoma will loom large, but a win against Texas has secured Matt Rhule's group a spot in the Big 12 Championship to put the Bears right back in the playoff picture. Phil Snow's defense was up to their old tricks after forgetting how to play football for a half, while Charlie Brewer was up to his usual, efficient tricks. They'll beat Kansas this week, which will put two one-loss teams in the conference title. The winner of that game has as a legitimate chance of making it into the top four.
8. Minnesota
Minnesota didn't exactly romp over Northwestern, but they prevailed nonetheless, and that deserved a spot in the Top 10 just ahead of a pair of two-loss teams in Penn State and Oregon. Tanner Morgan is leading one of the most underrated passing offenses in the country, while star wide receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman are as unstoppable a tandem as there is in the country. With the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe serving as the de facto Big Ten West title game, the Golden Gophers have their biggest matchup in decades coming up on the docket.
7. Oklahoma
It wasn't the smoothest game in the world, and the Sooners have looked pretty scattershot throwing the ball, but Oklahoma managed to pull out a win against TCU and stay in pole position in the Big 12. Jalen Hurts torched the Horned Frogs defense for 173 yards on the ground as the Sooners managed to steal a win in Norman. Oklahoma has a matchup against Dru Brown and Oklahoma State in the Bedlam game, and probably should come out on top, which would put them in a matchup against Baylor once again. A win would put them in a nice position to sneak into the playoff.
6. Alabama
While it was against a pitiful Western Carolina side, Mac Jones showed that he can command this offense, as he tossed three quick touchdown passes before getting yanked for Taulia Tagovailoa with the game firmly in hand. The Iron Bowl against an Auburn defense that will send half of their starting unit to the NFL this season will provide a much meatier challenge for Jones as opposed to Arkansas or Western Carolina. Jones has shown that the arm talent and accuracy are enough to keep the Tide, who need to beat Auburn and cross their fingers that some utter chaos goes down, firing on all cylinders.
5. Utah
The Utes aren't flashy, they don't have a first round pick at quarterback, and they lack star power. However, they have one loss, one of the most impenetrable defenses in the country, and a head coach that has proven he can lead this team to championship glory in Kyle Whittingham. With Tyler Huntley playing ultra-efficient football and Zack Moss bouncing off any tackler that comes near him, the Utes are now the favorites in the Pac-12. If Georgia loses in the SEC Championship game, Utah should be the team that gets first dibs at a playoff spot.
4. Georgia
The Bulldogs had to scratch and claw to take down Texas A&M, and will head into the SEC Championship game with one loss after they dismantle in-state rival Georgia Tech next week. Jake Fromm is as productive a game manager as there is in the country, while D'Andre Swift has proven why he is going to be a first round pick in next year's draft. They will have a matchup against LSU that could force them out of the playoff picture with a loss, but the Bulldogs have more than proven that they are as good as anyone in the country when every unit on the team is in a groove.
3. Clemson
That sluggish start is a thing of the past for Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers, who have just South Carolina and whomever comes out of the ACC Coastal in the conference title game. Dabo Swinney has Clemson's offense rolling, while Brent Venables is once again overseeing a Top 5 defense. Even though the ACC is laughably poor this year, Clemson going through a major conference unbeaten should earn them a spot in the Top 4, where they'll finally play a team that can match them point for point from an athlete perspective.
2. Ohio State
That one point in the third quarter where they simply forgot how to hold on to the football not withstanding, Ohio State proved they can run with anyone when they bludgeoned Penn State 28-17 in a game that was not as close as the scoreline indicated. While Chase Young is a superhuman, Justin Fields and JK Dobbins kept both of their respective Heisman campaigns alive with solid games against a terrific Penn State defense. Ohio State has physical matchups with Michigan and wither Wisconsin or Minnesota coming up, but they've proven they can put up 50 in an aerial shootout and run the ball up the middle with equal skill.
1. LSU
The Tigers might have a wobbly defense, but they are led by a Heisman favorite at quarterback in Joe Burrow. With four wins against Top 10 teams, LSU continued to steamroll anyone that dares to put up a fight, as Burrow has sliced up Ole Miss and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks. The Tigers have a feisty Texas A&M team and a physical Georgia team up next on the schedule, but LSU should be favored by a wide margin in both of them, as they have the easiest path to a title.