College Football Playoff projections following Week 13

Predicting the College Football Playoff rankings after Week 13.

Week 13 saw Georgia football beat a talented Texas A&M team to advance to 10-1 on the season.

Georgia looked like it has all season – unable to finish a drive on offense but smothering on defense.

That’s been Georgia’s recipe this season, but how much longer will it work? We will find out in two weeks when the Dawgs take on LSU in Atlanta.

Right now, Georgia is sitting at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings behind LSU (1), Ohio State (2) and Clemson (3).

Right behind the Bulldogs is Alabama, hoping that it can not only win next week vs Auburn but also that LSU will take care of business in the SEC Championship, thus eliminating Georgia from playoff contention.

Behind Alabama currently is Oregon, but that won’t last long after the Ducks lost to Arizona State. The best part about Oregon losing is that now we don’t have to hear about how Rob Mullens, the Oregon AD and the chair of the CFP selection committee, is “recused from the room” when the committee discusses the Ducks. Is it just me, or has that been mentioned way too many times this season?

Ohio State definitely had the most impressive win of the weekend among the teams near the top of the rankings (Arizona State probably had the best win, though, in beating Oregon). I would not expect the committee to swap LSU and OSU, however. LSU’s beaten plenty of top-ten teams itself.

Then there’s Utah, which is 10-1 and needs some help to make it into the final four. The Utes have not really beaten anyone, but if Georgia and Alabama both fall and Utah wins its conference, then it has a much better argument.

Oklahoma, however, assuming it wins out, will be right there with Utah vying for that last Playoff spot if both Alabama and Georgia lose before the final rankings reveal after the conference championship games wrap up.

Here’s our College Football Playoff projections:

Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift tells it how he sees it on offense

Georgia running back D’Andre Swift tells it how he sees it on offense

Georgia football running back D’Andre Swift played in what might have been his final home game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, going out with a W one last time.

Though the Bulldogs were able to beat the nearly ranked Aggies of Texas A&M on senior day, the win wasn’t pretty from an offensive perspective.

Swift mentioned his frustrations with the offense and even got on to Fromm a bit during the game, with love of course.

“For us to get to where we want to go, we have to get better on offense.”

Against the Aggies, Swift carried the offense all game. 19 times and put up 103 rushing yards and 29 receiving yards. However, the offense failed to convert Swift’s yards into points. His frustration was justified, but he and Fromm are fine and understand that it’s just part of the game.

Georgia will have a mini bye-week in Atlanta next week to right the ship against Georgia Tech before facing the daunting LSU offense in The Benz. Time will tell if the Dawgs can turn it around and use better weather conditions to their advantage on the scoreboard.

Ohio State’s win vs. Penn State wasn’t good enough to take LSU’s No. 1 spot

The best we can hope for is LSU vs. Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.

Going into Ohio State’s top-10 matchup against Penn State on Saturday, there was talk of the Buckeyes reclaiming their No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings if they blew the Nittany Lions out.

Although the Buckeyes won, 28-17, some unexpected mistakes against its highest-ranked opponent to date suggests it should stay stay in the No. 2 spot behind LSU, assuming the Tigers wreck Arkansas, the only SEC team without a conference win, on Saturday night.

For the first time this season, Ohio State briefly looked beatable — even as Penn State also beat itself late in the game — in its smallest margin of victory this season. However, it did clinched the Big Ten East with the win and will have a shot at the conference title in a couple weeks.

Overall Saturday, the Buckeyes fumbled four times and lost three. Two lost fumbles in the third quarter led to Penn State scoring drives and allowed the Nittany Lions back into the game.

They entered Week 13 with 14 fumbles on the season, eight lost, for an average of 1.4 per game. After they jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter, running back J.K. Dobbins and quarterback Justin Fields fumbled on back-to-back drives — and that was after Fields’ first-quarter fumble and turnover.

Now, Penn State’s defense is still one of the best in the country, and obviously, the Buckeyes were able to survive with an 11-point win. But they should need more than that to leap over LSU in the CFP rankings in Week 14.

Comparing the top-2 teams

The top-2 teams clearly have two of the most powerful and explosive offenses in the nation, and they’re led by Heisman Trophy candidates: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Ohio State’s Fields and Dobbins.

Going into Week 13, the Tigers and Buckeyes had similar offensive stats. LSU was second nationally in yards per game with 556.0 and third with 7.64 yards per play, while Ohio State was fourth at 541.7 and sixth with 7.26 yards per play. But Ohio State was No. 1 in scoring offense with 51.5 points per game and leads the country with 69 offensive touchdowns, while LSU was No. 2 with 47.8 points per game and third with 60 offensive touchdowns.

Defense is where the Buckeyes have the largest edge. Led by another Heisman candidate in defensive end Chase Young, Ohio State entered Week 13 at No. 1 in scoring defense (9.8 points per game), in yards per play (3.52) and in yards per game (216.4).

The Tigers’ defense isn’t at the level fans have come to expect and gave up an average of 5.39 yards per play ahead of their Week 13 game against Arkansas. They were also tied for No. 48 nationally with opponents putting up 367.8 yards per game and No. 44 with 23.8 points per game.

They crushed Ole Miss last week by three touchdowns, but they also gave up 37 points. Even against then-No. 3 Alabama earlier this month — LSU’s best win of the season so far — they had a 33-13 halftime lead and ended up winning, 46-41.

LSU’s record is slightly stronger and entered Week 13 ranked No. 1 with wins against three teams currently ranked by the CFP committee, and it should get credit for beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Ohio State’s record was ranked No. 2 ahead of this week — though that could change after Saturday — and it now also has wins against three teams in the CFP rankings.

The “eye test” helps Ohio State

The Buckeyes’ advantage to counter LSU’s schedule has been the so-called “eye test,” or which team simply looks better. They’re clearly the most balanced team in college football and, for the most part, have plowed through their opponents.

Though against a tougher schedule, LSU had a seven-point win over Texas, a three-point win over Auburn and then that five-point win against Alabama.

The fewest points Ohio State had previously won by was 24 twice (Florida Atlantic and Michigan State), and they never looked beatable at any point this season. Until the third quarter against Penn State.

And however brief that moment of weakness was, it seems like it might have been enough to keep Ohio State in the No. 2 spot, as LSU will surely destroy the worst team in the SEC on Saturday night.

Of course, the best we can hope for is that LSU and Ohio State will play each other in the College Football Playoff semifinals or national championship game and end this discussion in 60 minutes. But until then, the Tigers at No. 1 and Buckeyes at No. 2 sounds just right.

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Can undefeated LSU, Ohio State and Clemson win out?

As the only unbeaten teams left, they’re headed toward perfect regular-season records.

College football is down to just three undefeated teams going into Week 13: LSU, Ohio State and Clemson. Minnesota and Baylor dropped off the list last week with losses to Iowa and Oklahoma, respectively, so now we’re left with this trio.

Although we’ve looked at just the upcoming week’s opponents for unbeaten teams, it’s late enough in the season to expand that a little to the end of the regular season and the conference championship games. (We’ll also dig deeper into that in a few weeks.)

Will any of the three undefeated teams lose in Week 13? Probably not, especially considering one of them is off. And it’s looking increasingly likely that all three will enter bowl season with perfect records.

So here are our predictions for how the three remaining undefeated teams will play in Week 13 and beyond. They’re based on their upcoming opponents, how they’ve played so far, the College Football Playoff rankings and ESPN’s Football Power Index projections.

(All games are on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

No. 1 LSU Tigers 10-0

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Wins: Georgia Southern, Texas, Northwestern State, Vanderbilt, Utah State, Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss
Chance of winning out: 44.4 percent
Week 13 game: Arkansas (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Undefeated after Week 13: Yes

LSU closes out its regular season against Arkansas and then Texas A&M, two teams it shouldn’t have trouble beating. The Razorbacks have yet to win an SEC game this season, and they’re certainly not going to do it against the top-ranked team in the nation as 42.5-point underdogs. The Tigers have 98.7 percent chance to beat Arkansas and an 84.7 percent chance to take down the Aggies, both of which sound about right.

What is a little puzzling is that LSU still only has a 44 percent chance to of winning out, according to ESPN’s FPI. It’s a metric that includes conference championship games when they’re applicable, so for the Tigers, it goes beyond the next two weeks. Georgia clinched the SEC East last week with a win over Auburn, and if LSU can win this week, it will lock up the SEC West. Presumably, the Tigers’ relatively low chance to win out is because of this likely conference matchup, but it’s not exactly clear why.

LSU’s high-powered offense is led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Joe Burrow, who leads the nation with a 78.6 completion percentage and has 38 touchdowns compared with just six interceptions. As a whole, the Tigers’ offense is second in the country to Oklahoma with an average of 556.0 yards per game and second to Ohio State with an average of 47.8 points. Sure, Georgia’s defense is only giving up 267.2 yards per game (No. 6 nationally), and the Bulldogs have some excellent wins on their schedule. But all this is to say it seems like the Tigers should have a higher chance to win out at this point — at least slightly more than 50 percent, even if they are headed toward a game against the No. 4 team.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 10-0

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Wins: Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Maryland, Rutgers
Chance of winning out: 56.4 percent
Week 13 game: Penn State (Noon ET, FOX)
Undefeated after Week 12: Yes

The Buckeyes close out the regular season against No. 8 Penn State and No. 13 Michigan, two of the toughest teams on their schedule. However, nothing suggests they won’t plow over both teams like they’ve done against every other opponent so far this season. They’re 18.5-point favorites at home against the Nittany Lions with an 83.9 percent chance to win this weekend. They also have a 77.4 percent chance of beating Michigan on the road. And for the record, their chance of winning out seems awfully low too.

With the nation’s No. 1 defense (216.4 yards/game, 3.52 yards/play) and the No. 4 offense (541.7 yards/game, No. 6 with 7.26 yards/play), Ohio State is looking like the most balanced team in the country. And with quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young — who returns to the field after a two-game suspension from the NCAA — the Buckeyes have three of the best and most explosive players in college football on their roster.

However, they might not be able to lose to either team — or eventually in the Big Ten championship game — and still make the College Football Playoff. But that doesn’t seem likely anyway with a team of this caliber — though they do have the most challenging remaining schedule of the the teams on this list.

No. 3 Clemson Tigers 11-0

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Wins: Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Wofford, NC State, Wake Forest
Chance of winning out: 88.5 percent
Week 13 game: Bye
Undefeated after Week 13: Yes (duh)

Clemson is off in Week 13 before closing out the season against South Carolina, a 4-7 team that upset Georgia in October and lost to Appalachian State in November. So really, who knows what could happen here?

Following a rocky start to the season, the Tigers have found their groove and are absolutely destroying every opponent in their path, and they currently have a 92.6 percent chance to beat South Carolina. This could be a blowout — it will probably be a blowout — or the Gamecocks could flirt with pulling off another stunner. Either way, Clemson should still win the ACC without much difficulty.

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Watch: Aaron Murray says Jake Fromm’s experience could be difference maker if Georgia gets to CFP

Georgia football great Aaron Murray says that UGA QB Jake Fromm’s experience could be the difference maker if the Bulldogs get to the CFP.

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No moment is too big for Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, who has played in two SEC Championships, a Rose Bowl and a national title game all in just his first two years.

Now, as Fromm’s third season is coming to an end, he will have a chance to play in at least one more huge game, the conference championship vs LSU in two weeks.

If Fromm is able to guide the Dawgs to a win in Atlanta over the Tigers, then Georgia, assuming it does not drop a regular season game to Texas A&M or Tech, will punch its ticket to another College Football Playoff.

If that scenario plays out, there’s one former Bulldog who thinks Fromm’s experience will be a huge factor in the postseason.

Aaron Murray, the SEC’s all-time leading passer in just about every possible category, discussed Fromm’s experience compared to LSU’s Joe Burrow, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, the players who they predict will fill the other three spots.

“Justin Fields has never played in a championship game, never played in the playoffs,” Murray said on he and Drew Butler’s college football show hosted by CampusLore. “Joe Burrow, never played in a championship game, never played in the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence, two games. Played in the playoffs last year and then he won the national championship.

Jake Fromm has played in multiple SEC Championship Games, played in a national championship game, played in playoff games.

He has more experience than all these guys combined,”

Murray went on to talk about why that experiences is so important, pointing to the fact that’s just a different type of game.

“It’s a big stage, man. These playoff games are not a regular season game. It’s not a game at home, it’s not a rivalry game. Everyone in the country’s watching this.”

In Fromm’s two SEC Championship appearances, he is 41/61 for 484 yards and five touchdowns. In the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, Fromm went 36/61 for 442 yards and three touchdowns.

Angry Tweets: CFB fans react to Georgia’s No. 4 ranking

Angry college football fans tweet after Georgia football checked in at No. 4 in the CFP Rankings.

On Tuesday night, Georgia checked in at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, remaining the highest ranked one-loss team.

According to the most recent edition of the CFP rankings, Georgia’s ranked wins include:

No. 16 Notre Dame

No. 10 Florida

No. 15 Auburn

The full top-six is as follows:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

6. Oregon

Surprisingly, Texas A&M, which Georgia hosts this weekend, remained unranked despite checking in at No. 23 in both the Amway Coaches Poll and the AP Top-25.

Following the release of the rankings, college football fans gave their thoughts on Twitter.

Originally, I was planning on making this an article that included happy tweets from UGA fans. Then, as I browsed Twitter all I saw was triggered fans of other schools…mostly Alabama. 

Enjoy.

Oklahoma climbs one spot in newest College Football Playoff Rankings

After needing a historic comeback to beat Baylor, OU was either staying put or barely moving up in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

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After needing a historic comeback to beat Baylor, Oklahoma was either staying put or barely moving up in this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings.

The College Football Playoff committee made that decision with the release of the Nov. 19 Rankings on Tuesday night, with the Sooners climbing just one spot to No. 9.

Lincoln Riley, Jalen Hurts and the 2019 Oklahoma football team found themselves in a 28-3 hole early in the second-quarter against now No. 14 Baylor before trailing the Bears 31-10 at half. The Sooners scored 24 unanswered in the second half, shutting out Baylor and pulled out a 34-31 win.

Here is how the rest of the top-10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings rounded out:

  1. LSU
  2. Ohio State
  3. Clemson
  4. Georgia
  5. Alabama
  6. Oregon
  7. Utah
  8. Penn State
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Minnesota

Oklahoma State, Oklahoma’s opponent on Nov. 30, jumped one spot to No. 21. The Sooners also gained another top-25 win as Iowa State moved into the top-25 at No. 22.

Oklahoma plays host to TCU on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.

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College Football Playoff rankings released – where’s Georgia football?

Where’s Georgia football in the most recent CFP rankings?

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On Tuesday night, the newest College Football Playoff rankings were released after Georgia’s big road win over Auburn.

In the most recent rankings, Georgia (9-1) remained at No. 4. Surprisingly, Texas A&M (7-3), which Georgia plays on Saturday, stayed unranked despite being placed at No. 23 in the Amway Coaches Poll and the AP Top-25.

LSU (1), Ohio State (2) and Clemson (3) all took care of business, and all held onto the same rankings.

The Dawgs definitely had the most impressive win of the weekend among those teams, beating then-ranked No. 12 Auburn on the road. That victory gives Georgia three victories over top-25 teams.

According to the most recent edition of the CFP rankings, Georgia’s ranked wins include:

No. 16 Notre Dame

No. 10 Florida

No. 15 Auburn

Alabama, which lost star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the season, remained put at No. 5.

Here is the full top-ten:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

6. Oregon

7. Utah

8. Penn State

9. Oklahoma

10. Minnesota

Georgia will look to hold onto that No. 4 spot on Saturday vs Texas A&M. That game is scheduled to kick at 3:30 p.m. ET from Sanford Stadium and will air on CBS.

USA TODAY releases SEC power rankings – where’s Georgia football?

USA TODAY has releases their weekly SEC power rankings ahead of week 13. See where Georgia football ranks among the rest of the SEC.

The buzz around college football has been that after the South Carolina loss, Georgia controls its own destiny… and control it they have.

The Dawgs remain at No. 4 in the rankings following a 21-14 win over Auburn, and secured a ticket to the SEC Championship game.

USA TODAY’s SEC power rankings have Georgia at the No. 2 spot, dropping Alabama to No. 3 and LSU taking the No. 1 spot.

On Georgia, Horka said:

“It surely wasn’t an offensive exhibition from the Bulldogs in their big win over Auburn, but a win is a win regardless. It’s looks likely that Georgia will meet LSU in the SEC Championship game, but it doesn’t look like the Dawgs will be able to go blow for blow with Burrow and company.”

Here is his top-six in the SEC:

  1. LSU (10-0, 6-0 SEC)
  2. Georgia (9-1, 6-1 SEC)
  3. Alabama (9-1, 6-1 SEC)
  4. Florida (9-2, 6-2 SEC)
  5. Auburn (7-3, 4-3 SEC)
  6. Texas A&M (7-3, 4-2 SEC)

Georgia has one more SEC opponent in its way before the SEC Championship.

Texas A&M seems like it should be a Georgia win this Saturday at 3:30 p.m., but the Dawgs need to make sure they don’t play down to the Aggies’ level.

This game has trap game written all over it and if we’ve learned anything this year, it’s don’t take any team lightly.

For the full rankings, click here.

UGA Wire’s Jackson Fryburger predicts the College Football Playoff rankings for 11/19

UGA Wire’s Jackson Fryburger predicts the College Football Playoff rankings for 11/19

The 2019 college football season has quickly flow by, with just two weeks of regular season football remaining before conference championships take place in early December.

The pretenders and the contenders continue to sort themselves out this month, as we find out who truly belongs in the conversation for a playoff spot.

However, there’s still more to play for than just a Top 4 spot and an invitation to this year’s bracket.

UGA Wire’s Jackson Fryburger is here to break down his Top 25 for tonight, just the way you like it.