Week 12 was exciting and significant for teams in the hunt for a coveted spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Alabama won the game of the week at home over Mississippi State. In addition to the Crimson Tide, Oregon and Florida State still both control their destinies, and have a clear path to the Final Four. That last spot, though? Wide open. It could be the Big 12 Champion in Baylor (or TCU), or possibly a 1-loss B1G Champion in Ohio State. We cannot rule out Mississippi State, or even a 2-loss Georgia, who could still find its way to the top of the SEC standings. Arizona State and Auburn suffered losses which likely take them out of the running for the CFP, but each still could have a say in who does make it into the championship tournament. The stretch run figures to be enthralling.
LWOS Week 12 College Football Rankings
| 1 |
Florida State (10) |
The Seminoles continue to walk the line, as they trailed at halftime yet again. Time after time they have pulled out a big second half comeback. With the playoffs lurking around the corner, will the ‘Noles be able to avoid an upset by playing this way? – Anthony Murphy | |
| 2 |
Oregon (1) |
Oregon enjoyed the bye week and watched Mississippi State go down, opening the door for Oregon to pass them. They should have no problem against Colorado next week and they have already clinched the Pac-12 North Championship. – Al Preziosi | |
| 3 |
Alabama (1) |
What a performance by the Crimson Tide. They now sit at 9-1 after beating Mississippi State. They control their destiny, and should they win out, they will find themselves playing in the inaugural College Football Playoff. – Elijah Klein | |
| 4 |
TCU (1) |
The Horned Frogs took the “win-and-advance” mentality a little too seriously against Kansas, avoiding what would have been a disastrous loss with a late punt return TD. Nevertheless, a win’s a win and TCU should finish the regular season 11-1 as they face underwhelming Texas and Iowa State teams to close the year. – Michael Gray | |
| 5 | Baylor | The Bears watched TCU struggle against Kansas this weekend as they sat idle. Baylor should take care of business against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech before they welcome Kansas State to town the first week of December with major Big 12 implications on the line. – Charlie Taylor | |
| 6 | Mississippi State | Mississippi State fell behind early to Alabama and never recovered, as they slumped to their first defeat of the season. They could still fight their way back into the four team playoff if they can defeat Vanderbilt and then win the Egg Bowl at home against Ole Miss. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 7 | Ohio State | If you thought J.T. Barrett played lights out last week against Michigan State, I’m not sure how you’d describe his masterful performance in the cold of Minneapolis in a 31-24 win over Minnesota. Despite the Heisman-worthy numbers he put up, the Buckeyes weren’t overly convincing and still need teams ahead of them to slip up if they want to make the CFP. – John Bava | |
| 8 | UCLA | UCLA had a bye week as they prepare for their rivalry game against the USC Trojans. With a Sun Devil loss yesterday, the Bruins moved back into control for the Pac-12 South crown. If they win out, they get a chance to face off against Oregon in the championship. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 9 | Mississippi | The Rebels enjoyed their bye week by watching a few teams ahead of them lose, including in-state rival Mississippi State. The Egg Bowl will still have tremendous meaning in two weeks as both schools are still in the hunt for the SEC West title. However, they must first go to Arkansas and take care of business against a team who just shutout LSU 17-0. – Charlie Taylor | |
| 10 | Kansas State | The Wildcats desperately needed a bye week after getting thumped by TCU. They’ll be ready to make one last push for the College Football Playoff. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 11 | Georgia | The Dawgs won emphatically in the Deep South’s oldest rivalry, but will the loss of Todd Gurley — again — and the loss to Florida keep them from an improbable run to the playoffs? – Mike Loveall | |
| 12 | Michigan State | Michigan State bounced back from the home loss to Ohio State with a good road win in Maryland. They could still challenge for a place in one of the top bowls if they can win out and finish 10-2 on the season. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 13 | Arizona State | The Sun Devils may have lost their chance at a playoff bid with their recent loss to Oregon State in Corvallis. However, there is still more to play for. They must defeat Washington State and rival Arizona this season for a chance to win the Pac-12 South. – Elijah Klein | |
| 14 | Wisconsin | Melvin Gordon may have solidified a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony after rushing for 408 yards, a new FBS single-game record, along with four touchdowns as Wisconsin destroyed Nebraska 59-24. The Badgers’ two losses on the year are to LSU and Northwestern by a combined ten points. – John Bava | |
| 15 | Arizona | The Arizona Wildcats escaped on a last-second field goal to defeat the Washington Huskies. The win keeps the Wildcats Pac-12 South hopes alive, but they’ll need to win out and get some help from other Pac-12 teams. They go on the road to face Utah next Saturday. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech is very quickly making its name known this season. They have another chance at a major scalp against Georgia in two weeks, then they might have a shot at Florida State after that. Then again, they could be headed to the Orange Bowl if Duke loses to Florida State in the CCG. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 17 | Auburn | The Tigers were run all over by Georgia in a 34-7 beatdown. Auburn has now lost 3 of their last 5, and very well should have lost the Ole Miss game. Nick Marshall and company will be able to lick their wounds against Samford this weekend before the Iron Bowl showdown against Alabama. Auburn may be eliminated from the SEC West, but they can still spoil Bama’s season. – Charlie Taylor | |
| 18 | Nebraska | Nebraska took a tumble after their blowout loss, but we still like them better than the major polls. No matter what, though, a 10-2 season with a good bowl to end it is still in the cards. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 19 | Marshall | Marshall continued its dominating run through Conference USA and now sit at 10-0 after winning against Rice, possibly the last team Marshall will face with a winning record. You can almost taste 12-0 if you’re a Herd fan! – Michael Gray | |
| 20 | Colorado State | The Rams made quick work of Hawaii in Week 12. Next on the schedule is a trip to New Mexico, followed by a visit to Falcon Stadium to take on 8-2 Air Force. The latter contest figures to be for the Mountain West title. – Donald King | |
| 21 | Utah | The Utes squeaked by Stanford in 2OT to remain in the race for the Pac-12 South. Next up is Arizona, before finishing against Colorado. – Donald King | |
| 22 | Oklahoma | OU escaped a trap game against Texas Tech and are lined up with another against Kansas this week. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 23 | USC | USC predictably struggled late in the game against Cal because of their depth issues, but the contest was in their control throughout. USC faces a huge rivalry game against UCLA next week, and a win would keep them in contention for the Pac-12 South. If they win next week and Arizona State loses to either Washington State or Arizona, USC would remarkably win the Pac-12 South. – Al Preziosi | |
| 24 | Missouri | The team no one can figure out sits atop the SEC East. Missouri has a tough closing schedule with two hungry teams in Tennessee and Arkansas. Finding themselves in Atlanta would surprise everyone but they’ve done it before. – Mike Loveall | |
| 25 | Duke | With a game up (and tie breaker) on Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils slipped up against the Hokies, allowing GT to come into a tie with them. A dangerous game against the high-powered UNC offense awaits them this weekend. – Anthony Murphy | |
| Others receiving votes: Clemson (5), West Virginia (5), Boise State (4), Notre Dame (3), Minnesota (1), Louisville (1), LSU (1) | |||
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