Kirk Herbstreit names his College Football Playoff contenders

College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit ranks Clemson, Alabama, Florida, and more among his College Football Playoff contenders.

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ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit names his latest rankings of the top College Football Playoff contenders. There weren’t many upsets in Week 13’s action. Mel Tucker, a former Georgia Bulldogs assistant coach, helped the Michigan State Spartans defeat Northwestern to eliminate one of the Big Ten’s remaining undefeated teams.

Ohio State’s game against Illinois was postponed/canceled. Clemson crushed Pittsburgh in Trevor Lawrence’s return; the Tigers will be a tough to beat with Lawrence at the helm. Alabama dominated Auburn in an easy Iron Bowl victory without head coach Nick Saban. Florida won an SEC game against Kentucky, and Cincinnati’s game at Temple was canceled. Texas A&M won 20-7 over LSU.

Overall, Michigan State’s win and Alabama’s win were the two biggest storylines of the week. The Georgia Bulldogs do look like College Football Playoff contenders with J.T. Daniels at quarterback, but with two losses, their chances are slim at best.

In the SEC, Alabama and Florida are almost set to play each other in the SEC Championship. Will either team be tested in their next games? Florida plays Tennessee this week, and Alabama plays the LSU Tigers.

In the ACC, Notre Dame and Clemson are likely to play each other in a rematch in the ACC Championship. Ohio State looks like the only other serious College Football Playoff contender. Texas A&M could get in if Florida loses in the SEC Championship Game.

Here’s who Kirk Herbstreit puts in his top six schools:

Notably, Herbstreit doesn’t put the BYU Cougars or Texas A&M Aggies in the top six. Both teams need some help to make the College Football Playoff. BYU played too easy of a schedule for serious College Football Playoff consideration.

Cincinnati would need help in the form of a Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Clemson or Florida loss before the conference championship games.

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