College Football Playoff Rankings Predictions for 11-20-18
1. Alabama (11-0) (-)
Alabama outscored The Citadel in the second half 40-7 to win 50-17 at home. After the first half, the score was tied 10-10, with many thinking Alabama could lose their first game of the season to a FCS team. QB Tua Tagovailoa had a rough first half, but rebounded with the rest of the team in the second half. The offense never stopped and the defense was solid. Their eye is now on the Iron Bowl against rivals Auburn, who have been one of the biggest disappointments of this season. If they win, they have a great chance to solidify the top spot with a win against 5 Georgia for the SEC.
2. Clemson (11-0) (-)
Clemson defeated a good Duke team 35-6 on Saturday staying undefeated for the year. Going into the game, Clemson were the favorites, but there was a small chance that Duke could beat them, with their record at the time being 7-3. But QB Trevor Lawrence threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns leading the offense to another successful night. Their final regular season game is against South Carolina, so I don't see Clemson moving unless the Roll Tide lose to Auburn. This might be a theme this week for the second week in a row, so I am sorry for little change in the rankings.
3. Notre Dame (11-0) (-)
The Fighting Irish had a resume building win, defeating 12 Syracuse 36-3. Some thought that the Irish would show some cracks in the foundation and lose to the Orange, but it was the total opposite. The struggles they have had at times this season seemed to vanish, and they totally annihilated an excellent Syracuse team. They are now 4-0 against ranked teams, with signature wins against Syracuse and Michigan. Their final game of the season is against USC before having a week to pray to the committee to keep them in the top four.
4. Michigan (10-1) (-)
The Wolverines survived a small scare when they closely defeated Indiana on Saturday afternoon. The game was never too blown open, and each team was in it til the very end. To give credit to the Hoosiers, they were playing their best football and are hoping for a bowl game of their own with a win this weekend. Michigan now peaks ahead towards their game this weekend against 10 Ohio State, which will decide who will go to the BIG TEN Championship and also who is out of Playoff contention.
5. Georgia (10-1) (-)
Georgia took care of business last weekend, defeating UMass 66-27 at home. The game was never going to be too challenging for the Bulldogs, with UMass only being 4-7 at the time. The star of the show again was the defense and the running backs. With both of those firing on all cylinders, they look to defeat state rival Georgia Tech this weekend. They should focus a little bit for this weekend, but most of the focus will be for next weekend's title game against 1 Alabama. With a win, they should be in the top 4.
6. Oklahoma (10-1) (-)
To be real, Oklahoma's chances of making it to the Playoff dropped drastically last weekend. They played average, defeating Kansas 55-40. But the result that hurt them was 9 West Virginia losing to Oklahoma State, a team the Sooners beat just a week ago. There is one detail that I have been incorrect on in previous articles, and that is the fact that the BIG 12 now have a conference title game, which has hurt them in years past. It is still a big blow that their hardest opponent loses the week before they play them, but Oklahoma still has a chance if chaos erupts.
Ranks 7-10:
7. LSU (9-2) (-)
They defeated a now 1-11 Rice team, so nothing really impressive.
8. Washington State (10-1) (-)
Had an impressive win against Arizona, and looking forward to the Apple Cup against 18 Washington this weekend.
9. UCF (10-0) (+2)
Had a great win over 24 Cincinnati, and still a National Champion at heart.
10. Ohio State (10-1)
Had the option to have them bump up to 9 with West Virginia losing, but they barely beat Maryland, so...
Dropped out of Top 10: West Virginia (9)
