Top 5 College Football Playoff Chase Rankings
5. Oregon Ducks (9-1)
Utah, Utah, Utah, Utah, Utah.
Ohhhhhhhh, no. We’re not going to dismiss the idea that Oregon State could royally screw up the fun by strolling into Eugene on Thanksgiving weekend and leaving with the Pac-12 hating its guts, but this is really about whether or not Oregon can beat Utah twice.
The Ducks finally came up with a strong overall performance where it looked and played in command. It wasn’t easy in the 38-24 win over Washington State, but that was a good win over a strong team in a game that let everyone know that the Ducks really might be able to get this done.
Yeah, and now it has to go to Utah.
Chalk up last week’s Ute underwhelming performance against depleted Arizona as a case of the look-aheads. The lines are crushing everyone, the running game has been fantastic, and this is exactly the type of November road trip that Oregon usually biffs to ruin its chances at greatness – at least since 2015.
Even if Oregon comes away with a win in Salt Lake City, it gets that rivalry date with Oregon State, and then it likely has to deal with Utah once again in the Pac-12 Championship.
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1)
I’m putting the jinx on Oklahoma State because I’ve been telling everyone who will listen – and most who won’t – that this team is going to be what we’re all talking about over the next few weeks.
Now watch Texas Tech drop a rock on Oklahoma State’s head next week in Lubbock.
The defense continues to be among the best in the country – it hasn’t allowed more than 24 points all year – the offense is stepping up with 63 last week against a TCU team that stunned Baylor, and now the chance is there to do something special.
If it beats Texas Tech, it gets Oklahoma in Stillwater with a chance to go to the Big 12 Championship at 11-1. If Baylor beats Kansas State and Texas Tech to close, it’ll play the Cowboys in this scenario – OSU won 24-14 in the first meeting.
Or, Baylor loses one of its last two games and Oklahoma State has to beat Oklahoma two weeks in a row.
Going back to a previous segment, has Oklahoma shown you anything yet to make you believe it can get by a team playing as well as Oklahoma State is playing?
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1)
Yeah, the offense is ripping everyone to shreds, and yeah, the team is getting better as the season has gone on, but the defense has shown just enough issues and holes to keep from fully believing it’s just going to roll on through the final three games.
Would you be totally stunned if Michigan State repeated the Michigan game against Ohio State?
By that I mean that Ohio State could roll up a bazillion yards, outplay the Spartans in a lot of ways, and lose because Kenneth Walker and company find some extra play-with-heart gear in the fourth quarter when everything matters.
It’s not going to be easy.
Outside of the Oregon loss, Ohio State is going to play its three toughest games of the year, and it has to prove it’s now consistent enough to get this done against Michigan State, at Michigan, and then – likely – Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship.
With the way the Badgers are rolling, you 100% sold that the Buckeye defense can deal with that running game and that defense with ease?
Even so, win three games, be the 2-or-3 seed in the College Football Playoff. Or the four if Oregon wins out and there’s a massive win by …
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1)
The win over LSU was way too scary, and the 31-29 win over Florida looks awful now, and there’s still the loss to Texas A&M that hangs over the team’s head.
However, when Alabama is on – like It was in the 49-9 win at Mississippi State and in the second half of the 52-24 win over Tennessee, or in the 42-21 win over Ole Miss – of course it can beat anyone.
But if it plays against Arkansas like it did against LSU, it’s going to lose.
Auburn QB Bo Nix is hurt and expected to be out for the Alabama game, but that’s still a dangerous road game if the Tide are off.
Those two games are hardly two-foot putts, and then there’s that Georgia thing to deal with in the SEC Championship.
Don’t put it past the College Football Playoff committee to invoke the “because it’s Alabama” clause if the SEC title game is a close thriller, but it’s going to have to take something weird for Bama to be in with two losses, no matter what.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (10-0)
The Georgia defense was supposed to be tested by Tennessee.
41-17 Dawgs.
Going to Auburn was supposed to be difficult.
34-10 Dawgs.
The fully functional Clemson defense held the Bulldogs to ten points in the seen opener, and no one else has been able to come within 17 points of this team.
No one has been able to score 17 points on this defense.
Charleston Southern isn’t going to do it, and neither will Georgia Tech. Win those two games, and get into the College Football Playoff no matter what happens in the SEC Championship.
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Week 11 Roundup
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Week 12 Early Line Predictions | Heisman Race
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 11 Scoreboard, Predictions
Big Game Reactions: Baylor, Mich, Ole Miss, more
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