Top 5 College Football Playoff Chase Rankings
5. Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Oregon is going to have a Cincinnati problem very, very soon.
No, not that Cincinnati is necessarily in the way – the committee would likely take a 12-1 Pac-12 champion with a win at Ohio State over the Bearcats – it’s the performance problem.
The team has to play better against relatively weak teams.
There was only one Pac-12 team in the first College Football Playoff rankings – Utah will be there soon – and the way the Ducks have been playing isn’t good enough.
They can’t be so shaky like they were against Cal, Colorado, and Washington, and the Stanford loss is getting worse and worse.
This is a projection – watch out for Oregon to soon need some help to get in if it doesn’t roll through the rest of the slate – Washington State, at Utah, Oregon State, Pac-12 Championship.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1)
The bad 20-14 performance against LSU and the mediocre win over Florida earlier in the year now take away all benefit of the doubt.
Unless something crazy happens, a two-loss Alabama team isn’t getting in – it can’t lose to Georgia no matter how much of a fight that is.
It can’t get in if it loses to Arkansas, or at Auburn, and it shouldn’t get in if it doesn’t cover the 51 against New Mexico State – okay, no on that last one, but take the Aggies and the 51.
Bama has to close with four straight wins. Do that and get the 3 seed – most likely. Nothing else will do.
3. Michigan State Spartans (8-1)
Losing to Purdue doesn’t really matter.
It obviously wasn’t a plus, but realistically, the one game the really is a big deal is Ohio State – now that’s the one Michigan State can’t drop. That doesn’t change after what happened in West Lafayette.
It’s fine. It’s all fine.
The Spartans have the win over Michigan already, and if it beats Maryland, at Ohio State, and Penn State, and then takes care of – likely – Wisconsin or Minnesota in the Big Ten Championship … in.
In over 12-1 Pac-12 champion Oregon. In over 12-1 ACC champion Wake Forest. In over 13-0 Cincinnati. In, in, in.
Win your next four games. Easy peasy.
2. Oklahoma Sooners (9-0)
Don’t get caught up in anything anyone else might say.
Georgia is unbeaten. There’s only one other unbeaten Power Five conference champion, and if it wins out and goes 13-0 with a Big 12 championship, it’s absolutely in the College Football Playoff without even the slightest bit of hesitation.
No, it doesn’t matter what Cincinnati does, or Oregon, or Ohio State, or Alabama.
13-0 Big 12 champion Oklahoma is in the College Football Playoff.
12-1 Big 12 champion Oklahoma is another story.
12-1 OU can’t have Alabama beat Georgia, and it might need a wee bit of help – 12-1 Oregon and a 12-1 Big Ten champion would likely get in over the Sooners if Alabama and Georgia are 12-1.
Realistically, a one-loss Big 12 champ is in, but Oklahoma can’t take that chance.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)
This is the one team that can lose a game and be completely and totally fine.
It doesn’t matter where that game comes. If can be to Tennessee. It can be to Georgia Tech. It can be to Charleston Southern and it doesn’t matter.
And it can be in the SEC Championship game.
As long as Georgia is 12-1 and not 11-2 – or worse – it’s going to be in the College Football Playoff.
[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Week 10 scoreboard
Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff Predictions
Week 11 opening lines | AP | Coaches
College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction
Big Game Reaction: Purdue, UNC, Bama, more