College Football Playoff rankings: Oklahoma or Clemson could be snubbed

Projecting the College Football Playoff after six weeks of football.  Who makes the cut?

The college football landscape will really start to take shape in the coming weeks. Right now, teams are starting to get into conference play, and the gauntlet that some teams will go through will prove to the committee whether they belong in the College Football Playoff or not.

One of the big dominoes has already fallen as far as playoff contenders go. No. 7 Auburn traveled to The Swamp to take on the Florida Gators, and the game did not disappoint. Florida road to victory on the play of their defense, which kept the Auburn offense in check, despite a few turnovers that could’ve been costly.

More dominoes will fall in the coming weeks, especially with Florida and LSU battling next weekend in Baton Rouge.

College Football Playoff rankings after Week 6

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

We aren’t budging from the Tide on top for the moment, and there’s no reason to. Alabama was on a bye this week, and they are gearing up for a tough stretch in the SEC West. Tua Tagovailoa has the offense cooking right now with the top receiving group in the nation, and it will be extremely tough to stop. The defense is still a concern, but the young guys replacing big names will get a ton of meaningful reps before crunch time. If anyone can get a young group of defenders ready for said crunch time, it’s Nick Saban.

The Crimson Tide travel to Texas A&M next week.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Another prime time game for the Ohio State Buckeyes this week, and once again they stood tall. It was tough early on for this group, as the Michigan State defense stood tall with key stops in the first half. However, two big scores before the half, including a 67-yard touchdown run by running back J.K. Dobbins put the game in control.

The 34-10 win was a testament to Dobbins’ improvement in his junior season. He rushed for 172 yards on the evening as the Buckeyes wore down the Spartans defense. Sophomore quarterback Justin Fields wasn’t as sharp tonight, but Dobbins and the defense picked him up. The defense racked up four sacks and an interception on the evening.

The Buckeyes are off next week and travel to Evanston the week after.

3. LSU Tigers

I have to keep this team here based on principle. I still believe they have the best win so far this year with their win at Texas. They absolutely crushed Utah State this week, and it was clear this wouldn’t be a game after a quarter and a half.

Quarterback Joe Burrow threw another five touchdown passes and continues to be the most improved player in the nation. His receiving core, led by Justin Jefferson, is perhaps the most underrated group in the country. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire got the ground game going with 72 yards on 14 carries.

The defense forced top quarterback prospect Jordan Love into three interceptions on the day. Safety Grant Delpit‘s was the most impressive. The secondary locked things down while the defensive line completely shut down the run game and put pressure on Love all day.

They get Florida next week at home in the match-up to watch of week seven.

4. Georgia Bulldogs

Yeah, yeah, I know. It won’t finish this way. But I’m hard-pressed to not believe that Georgia isn’t one of the top four teams in the country right now. They probably have the second-best win of the season, a road trip to South Bend.

Things looked shaky early against the Tennessee Volunteers, but the unit as a whole put the hammer down late in the game and got the win 43-14. Quarterback Jake Fromm was efficient once again, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns with just five incompletions. It wasn’t D’Andre Swift‘s most impressive game on the ground (just 72 yards on 17 carries), but he got in going as a receiver, leading the way with four catches for 72 yards. Running back Brian Herrien had 88 yards rushing and a score as well.

The defense racked up three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. The unit put the clamps on in the second half, allowing no points to the Volunteers.

The Bulldogs host South Carolina next week.

Just Missed: Clemson, Oklahoma

The Clemson Tigers don’t move after a bye week, which hopefully gets this team back on track to dominating in the ACC. They still have a very high likelihood of making the playoff based on the SEC playing each other down the stretch, but right now, they don’t look like a top-four team in college football. Their “toughest” game left is hosting Wake Forest in November. It’s no secret they have to finish the year undefeated.

As far as Oklahoma goes, they struggled in Lawrence against Kansas early on, but turned it on in the second half, winning 45-20. Jalen Hurts was good once again, but he did throw an interception and faced a little more pressure in the pocket than he’s been used to. Next week is the biggest game for Oklahoma on the season, as they play Texas in the Red River Shootout. We will know a lot more about this team next week.

One of these two teams figures to get in when the SEC continues to cannibalize itself, but it’s a very real possibility one of them doesn’t make it if the SEC finds a way to get two teams in again.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.