Don’t expect much change in the next College Football Playoff rankings after the Top 10 held serve in Week 11.
Some weeks have all the upsets and others are met with all the favorites prevailing. The latter is what happened in Week 11 with all the top 10 teams winning and leaving little suspense for Tuesday’s next reveal of the College Football Playoff rankings. Expect the status quo for the third release as Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan all won their games. Expect Georgia to maintain their spot as the No. 5 team and despite a one-point win over rival Oklahoma State, don’t expect the committee to penalize Oklahoma for the win.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide came off a dominant performance in Baton Rouge ready to put away thoughts of another close game with Mississippi State. Last year, the game went right to the wire and Alabama escaped with a road win.
This time wouldn’t be like the last. Alabama jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a touchdown drive on their first two possessions. They continued to build a lead after a costly muffed punt by the Bulldogs, and Tua Tagovailoa capped that off with a touchdown pass to Josh Jacobs.
Mississippi State continued to bring pressure on defense, and they eventually knocked Tagovailoa out of the game on a play where a defender’s helmet contacted Tua’s knee. He didn’t return due to a quad injury, but he’s fine, according to Nick Saban after the 24-0 win. With The Citadel on deck, Tagovailoa may sit to make sure he’s as close to 100 percent for the Iron Bowl in two weeks.
2. Clemson Tigers
The Tigers traveled to a very tough environment in Chestnut Hill Saturday night. Boston College looked primed to give the Tigers a big fight, especially with their stout defensive front. It looked like it would be a very difficult test early after a Clemson punt turned into a return touchdown for the Eagles. With a 7-3 lead, some doubt certainly had to creep in.
Clemson didn’t allow another point the rest of the way, shutting down star running back A.J. Dillon and getting constant pressure on the quarterback. Clemson’s Christian Wilkins even knocked out starting quarterback Anthony Brown early in the first half. That certainly contributed to Boston College’s anemic offense, but don’t discount Clemson’s defensive performance. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence will take a lot from this game, where he struggled with pressure in his face.
Clemson has now punched a ticket to the ACC championship game, and it’s hard to see them even struggling the rest of the way. They host the Duke Blue Devils next week.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
It was late in the week where news broke that quarterback Ian Book wouldn’t play for the Irish Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles. Brandon Wimbush would instead get the start, and many wondered if this would turn into a trap game.
Notre Dame dispelled those projections quick and jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. They didn’t let the Seminoles even sniff a game out of it, and won in a rout, 42-13. Wimbush wasn’t perfect by any means on the day (two interceptions), but he got help from a 200-yard day from Dexter Williams. The defense once again turned in a great performance.
They didn’t need Book this week, but next week could be a different story. The suddenly very solid Syracuse Orange come knocking.
4. Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines definitely had the easiest day of the top contenders, as they traveled to face one of the worst teams in the power five. Rutgers is the doormat of the Big Ten, and Michigan made them look like it. Shea Patterson continued to improve throughout the season, and the defense looked good once again, routing the Scarlet Knights 42-7.
The Wolverines control their own destiny in the Big Ten, but a game against Ohio State is sitting in their path. Should they win, they would face the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten championship game.
Before all the hype comes their way playing in Columbus, they still need to take care of business against Indiana. They should be in the top four on Tuesday as well. Michigan is one of the hottest teams in college football right now, and they should be rolling to Indianapolis.
First two out: Georgia, Oklahoma