Jimmycat's College Football Playoff Power Rankings: 6th Edition

Saturday, October 22nd, 2016. A date which will live in sports infamy, ladies and gentleman. First the Cubs won the NLCS and are off to the World Series. Then, a half hour later, #2 Ohio State fell to Penn State at Happy Valley, and set off a chain of events that have put me in a conundrum. Because of the Texas A&M loss to Alabama earlier in the day, that left the door wide open for the Buckeyes to claim the #5 spot in the rankings. Then, they lost. Now, I'm not sure who exactly is a good fit for the #5 spot! There's only three undefeated teams that haven't made the rankings that could have a shot. I always dreamed of a week where a top 5 team would get beat. But now I realize that it sucks. Well, here goes nothing.

5. West Virginia (6-0)

Now, let me explain why I have the Mountaineers in the five spot. Baylor is ranked higher than they are, but with the sexual assault controversy that has plagued the Bears, I'm not going to give them the benefit of joining MY rankings. When the "brand" overlooks helping victims of sexual assault, Baylor is no better than Penn State after the Sandusky trials. But, I digress. The Mountaineers are the Big 12's only hope in making the College Football Playoff. Their offense is putting up double digit leads, and their defensive backfield is shutting down opposing passing games. Welcome to the rankings, West Virginia.

4. Clemson (7-0)

Being on a bye week before traveling to Florida State, Clemson still makes the top 4, although they do drop a few spots. But after this week, should they win, Watson, Sweeny, and co. can essentially prep for the ACC title game.

3. Michigan (7-0)

Another impressive win for the Wolverines, but now they play in a possible trap game in East Lansing. I don't expect Michigan State to upset the #2 team in the nation, but then again, no one expected Penn State to beat Ohio State in Happy Valley. I believe if Michigan can blow out a faltering Spartan offense, then the path to the playoffs just got a lot easier, and they'll probably move up to the #2 spot in the rankings. Impress me, Wolverines.

2. Washington (7-0)

The Huskies are still rolling, and now with Stanford and Oregon essentially done for, they're the only hope for a Pac-12 playoff team. But they face their biggest challenge yet: #17 Utah in the mountains. A win, and life will be all good. A loss, and insanity will ensue. Also with a loss, you might have to say goodbye to the top 10 rankings. Good luck, Husky fans. You're gonna need it.

1. Alabama (8-0)

SEC teams, beware: Goliath legally changed his name to Nick Saban. But Alabama fans, beware: Death Valley and the Iron Bowl are where you might potentially fall. LSU is back to form, and Auburn is having the best season since they won a national championship in 2010. The target on the Tide's back is YUUUUUUUGE, and a loss this late in the season to either team (both are 3-1 in the SEC West going into this week) might be too little too late for a playoff birth. Beware, beware, beware.