College Football Rankings 2017: Projected Top 25 after Week 12

No. 10: Penn State

Penn State’s back-to-back losses destroyed its chances at the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Nittany Lions will play out the final week of the season, before potentially receiving a quality bowl game. This year could have been better for James Franklin’s team, but 10-2 won’t be that disappointing, right?

No. 9: Ohio State

Ohio State had a cakewalk game against a weak Illinois team. It moved them to 9-2, before entering the season’s finale matchup at Michigan. This won’t have implications like previous years, as the Buckeyes already clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

No. 8: Notre Dame

One week after Miami blew them out, Notre Dame struggled with Navy in Week 12. It took a fourth-quarter touchdown to secure the win and remain at two losses, before entering the final matchup of the season against a tough Stanford team. That might determine whether the Fighting Irish get a spot in the New Year’s Six.

No. 7: Georgia

Georgia’s crushing loss to Auburn hurt its College Football Playoff hopes. Despite that and one game remaining, a spot in the SEC Championship awaits them in December. A win over Alabama might put the Bulldogs into the playoff, but that’s obviously not a guarantee. Still, though, there’s a chance.

No. 6: Auburn

As a two-loss team, Auburn sits well at the No. 6 spot in the College Football Rankings. It can receive plenty of help from conference championship games, except there’s a battle with Alabama in the final week of the season. A win puts the Tigers in a great position, while losing takes them out of the hunt.