There was some shifting in the college football landscape this weekend, with one key team losing and many just barely surviving. Alabama beat No. 1 Miss. State, which didn’t surprise too many people as the Crimson Tide was the clear favorite. Florida State continued to win, TCU almost lost to Kansas, and Auburn has lost two in a row.
Here are your power rankings for Week 13
Alabama is putting it all together for the stretch run. The offense against Mississippi State still wasn’t as lethal as it was earlier this season, but quarterback Blake Sims led the team on another critical drive late in the game. The defense is playing its best football of the season. The Tide get an easy week with Western Carolina coming to town.
Oregon took a week off and hoped that Arizona wouldn’t lose to Washington. With the Ducks’ only loss coming to Arizona, they need the Wildcats to look good. Oregon gets back to football this week against Colorado in what will be a game for quarterback Marcus Mariota to boost his Heisman campaign.
I’ve stopped betting (figuratively) against Florida State. Its opponents are not the toughest in the country by any means, but the Seminoles continue to get it done week after week. When they went down against Miami, it was just a matter of time before the Seminoles came back and won. The only regular season obstacle remaining is a Florida team who will try to win one last game for the recently fired Will Muschamp.
Ohio State is the hottest team in the country, even when it plays in subzero temperatures. The Buckeyes still have to get past Michigan, but the boost they need to leap into the inaugural College Football Playoff is a convincing win in the Big Ten title game.
Mississippi State won’t fall too far after a close road loss to Alabama. If the Bulldogs win the rest of their games, beating still-ranked Ole Miss, they could conceivably get into the playoff with one loss, even without winning the SEC.
TCU had a major scare against Kansas, which may hurt its chances for the top four. The Horned Frogs have Texas coming up on Thanksgiving, and their other problem is Baylor.
Baylor beat TCU, and has the same number of losses. The decision between including one team over the other (if either team makes it) will be the playoff committee’s first major test of its criteria. Why would Baylor get in over TCU or vice versa? We’ll find out.
Ole Miss has had some tough luck this season, with its losses against LSU and Auburn looking worse each week. But nothing would make its fans happier than to beat cross-state rival Miss. State and ruin the Bulldogs’ playoff aspirations.
Beating Auburn was a great moment, losing star running back Todd Gurley with an ACL injury was not. Georgia can make it to Atlanta as the SEC East champions if Missouri loses.
Michigan State had no problems with Maryland, winning 37-15, but its loss to Ohio State was the game it needed to win. The Spartans are still a top team, they just aren’t a top four team.
