Fansided

Projected College Football Playoff rankings after Louisville loss to Houston

By John Buhler

Nov 17, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars safety Garrett Davis (1) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars safety Garrett Davis (1) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals were stunned on the road by the Houston Cougars. Here is what the Top 10 of the College Football Rankings could look like.

The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals saw their 2017 College Football Playoff dreams evaporate on Thursday night, as they lost horribly on the road to the unranked Houston Cougars.

Louisville could have been the first at-large team to reach the College Football Playoff, but will now have to wait until next year to play for a National Championship. Here is what the Top 10 of the 2017 College Football Playoff rankings could look like after Louisville’s loss to Houston.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume this was the lone upset in Week 12.

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Clemson Tigers
  4. Michigan Wolverines
  5. Washington Huskies
  6. Wisconsin Badgers
  7. Oklahoma Sooners
  8. Penn State Nittany Lions
  9. Colorado Buffaloes
  10. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Alabama should steamroll the Chattanooga Mocs to get to 11-0 on the season. The Crimson Tide will be the No. 1 team every week until they lose, if they do. Ohio State would be No. 2 again if they knock off the struggling Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State has fallen from grace in 2016, but this is still a big rivalry game for the Buckeyes.

Clemson would get back to No. 3 by handling a bowl eligible Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday. Michigan would slip to No. 4 by beating a 5-5 Indiana Hoosiers team. It doesn’t help the Wolverines to not have quarterback Wilton Speight the rest of the way.

Coming in at No. 5 would be Washington, assuming that they knock off the Arizona State Sun Devils. Moving up to No. 6 would be Wisconsin, the best two-loss team in the Power 5. Wisconsin’s two losses are to Michigan and Ohio State.

More on FanSided:

The No. 7 team in the country would be Oklahoma. A big win over the No. 14 West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown would have the Sooners leapfrog Penn State, who should clobber the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Nittany Lions would be the No. 8 team.

No. 9 would go to Colorado if they can take care of business against the No. 22 Washington State Cougars. If the Buffaloes crush the Cougars, they could go up as high as No. 7 or No. 8.

Next: Best college quarterback born in every state

The No. 10 team would be Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are the underdogs on the road against the TCU Horned Frogs. If Oklahoma State falls in Fort Worth to the Horned Frogs, maybe Louisville comes in at No. 10? If not Louisville, it could be the Utah Utes rounding out the Top 10, assuming they boat race the awful Oregon Ducks on Saturday.

Home/College Football Playoff