Predicting the College Football Playoff Rankings After Week 12
By Michael Luciano
We lost two more unbeaten teams in Week 12 of the college football season, as Minnesota and Baylor both suffered their first losses of the season in dramatic fashion. Those shocking losses, coupled with one of the most heartbreaking injuries you'll ever see, should cause the college football playoff rankings to shake up in a major way.
10. Florida
Kyle Trask and the Gators just barely edge out the now-beaten Golden Gophers in these rankings. While they have two losses on the ledger, losses to LSU on the road and Georgia at a neutral site are nothing to hang your head about. Dan Mullen's crew might have lost out on an SEC East title and a playoff spot, but a New Year's Six Bowl is still very much within reach.
9. Penn State
Penn State took care of business on Saturday, overcoming another up-and-down performance to knock off a surprising Indiana team in Happy Valley. Their season-altering battle with Ohio State is on the docket for next week, but Penn State should go into that massive matchup with at least some momentum given how well Sean Clifford played down the stretch against Indiana. It goes without saying that pulling off the upset would catapult Penn State into the Top 4.
8. Oklahoma
When you beat an undefeated team on the road after being down 28-3, you get a little bump in the ratings. Jalen Hurts and that offense were on fire in the second half, erasing deficits of 28-3 and 31-10 to come back and win 34-31 in Waco. Hurts and the Sooners will almost assuredly get another crack at Baylor in the Big 12 Championship. With another win, Hurts and the Sooners might just sneak back into the college football playoff on the back of another historically efficient offense.
7. Utah
It might have just been UCLA, but Tyler Huntley finally started to show he can win games with his arm alone. Huntley threw for 335 yards as the Utes stomped UCLA. Zack Moss and the offense will run you into the dirt, while Leki Fotu and Bradlee Anae lead a ferocious defense that gets after the quarterback. Kyle Whittingham's group are by no means flashy, but they just keep winning, and a Pac-12 title would be really hard for the committee to ignore.
6. Alabama
Alabama already had an uphill climb to make it into the playoffs with Tua Tagovailoa, but losing the Heisman contender makes it all but impossible. Mac Jones has shown that he can win you games, but the odds of both beating Auburn and that defense as well as making it into the Top 4 without a conference title game appearance have all but evaporated. Still, they've earned at least a Top 6 spot here given their resume before Tua's season-ending hip injury.
5. Oregon
Justin Herbert and the Ducks picked the right time to get hot. Mario Cristobal turned Herbert loose against Arizona, and he responded by tossing four touchdown passes, while Troy Dye and the defense are looking much more physical than earlier in the year. The Ducks have run the table after barely losing to Auburn in the first game of the season, and should be considered the team most likely to take up one of the four spots in the playoff after either LSU or Georgia loses in the SEC championship game.
4. Georgia
Ugly, inexcusable loss to South Carolina not withstanding, Kirby Smart and Georgia are playing some simply excellent football at the moment. Jake Fromm is playing efficiently under center, while D'Andre Swift is juking out any defender that gets near him. With an SEC East crown already secured, things are looking up for the Bulldogs. The only serious problem the committee will have to wrestle with is the fact that their loss at HOME to South Carolina looks worse and worse by the day now that the Gamecocks are no-longer bowl-eligible.
3. Clemson
Wake Forest was probably the last team that could have given Clemson a run for their money, and the Tigers proceeded to destroy the Demon Deacons 52-3. The only game left on the schedule for Trevor Lawrence and Clemson is a rivalry game against South Carolina. While the Gamecocks took down Georgia, Clemson is a totally different beast. The ACC is a joke that's probably not as good a conference as the AAC this year, but an undefeated Clemson is going to man one of the four spots, so don't bother fighting it.
2. Ohio State
Ohio State might not have covered their 52-point road spread against Rutgers, but Justin Fields and the Buckeyes still did what everyone expected them to do in their glorified scrimmage. Ohio State has some telling games ahead, as they play both Penn State and Michigan in back to back weeks, with a matchup against Minnesota in the Big Ten Championship the most likely outcome. If Ohio State runs the table, they have a case for the No. 1 spot in the playoff after a historic regular season.
1. LSU
Another day, another five-touchdown performance from Joe Burrow. While they let up more points than most expected against Ole Miss, Ed Orgeron's Tigers once again proved they are the best team in the country. LSU has Arkansas and Texas A&M on the schedule, and dismissing of these two coupled with a win in the SEC Championship game against Georgia should push LSU to the forefront of the college football playoff rankings.