Editor’s note: This article was originally published in USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.
The way Alabama has decimated its past four opponents — beating Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Auburn by a combined score of 174-33 — is mirrored by Notre Dame‘s own gains since late October. Behind an seemingly impenetrable run defense and the improved play of quarterback Ian Book, the Irish have overcome an uneven start to the regular season to mold an argument for No. 1.
That’s not the only decision on the committee’s plate heading out of Week 13.
There’s also the debate between Texas A&M and Florida, which may again be settled by the Aggies’ head-to-head win in October but might require more deliberation after a scuffling, ugly victory against LSU.
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That 20-7 win was a reversal of last year’s 50-7 loss, illustrating the program’s growth since the end of last season. (And the Tigers’ plummeting fall from grace.) But it also saw A&M fail to move the ball effectively on offense and included by far the worst game of quarterback Kellen Mond’s otherwise successful senior year.
Meanwhile, Florida continued to pour it on against SEC competition with a 34-10 win against Kentucky, the Gators’ fifth win in a row by 16 or more points.
In the end, look for the Aggies to remain ahead in the rankings and stay in strong position to claim a second playoff berth for the SEC should there be room in the top four.
Here’s how the top four would look today, followed by the four teams just on the outside: