Clemson Tops College Football Ranking Ahead of Championship Weekend
Rivalry weekend didn't disappoint giving us days where both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams went down, and the big Thanksgiving weekend has led to a change in the College Football Playoffs Rankings.
Clemson topped the College Football Rankings after Week 13. No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 Wisconsin rounded out the Top 4.
The first two teams currently out are No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Georgia.
Clemson beat South Carolina last weekend to grab the No 1 spot. With an impressive resume, Clemson will get a for-sure spot in the Playoff with a win against Miami.
Auburn pulled off the big upset this weekend, taking down previously No. 1 Alabama. This is the first time Alabama sits outside the Top 4 of the CFP rankings since Nov. 11, 2014. Auburn will face No. 6 Georgia in the SEC Championship game.
No. 3 Oklahoma decidedly beat West Virginia 59–31 last weekend even with senior quarterback and Heisman front runner Baker Mayfield not starting after he grabbed his crotch, screaming profanities at Kansas players. All that stands between Oklahoma and a return to the Playoff is the Big 12 Championship game against TCU.
Previously undefeated Miami lost its first game, 24–14 at Pittsburgh, dropping to No. 7 in the rankings. The Hurricanes face the Tigers in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, with the winner of this game getting a for-sure spot.
No. 4 Wisconsin moved up after beating Minnesota. While it once appeared that Wisconsin might miss the playoff even if the Badgers went undefeated, the chaos at the top appears to have paved a path for the Badgers to reach the playoff should they win out. The Badgers will get the chance to post another much-needed impressive victory in the Big Ten championship game, which increasingly looks like it will come against No. 8 Ohio State. No. 9 Penn State's playoff hopes are virtually non-existent, as the Nittany Lions' loss to Ohio State gives the Buckeyes the edge in the Big Ten East.
The Pac-12 is the most likely Big Five conference to miss the playoff, as the conference's highest-ranked team is two-loss USC at No. 10. The Trojans have won four straight after they were embarrassed at Notre Dame, but they don't have many chances to score resume-boosting wins. The Trojans will play No. 12 Stanford in the Pac-12 title game.
The AAC championship game could well serve as a one-game playoff for the group-of-six conferences' guaranteed bid in a New Years Six bowl. No. 15 Central Florida is is leading the AAC East and is currently the highest ranked non-Power 5 team, while No. 20 Memphis is the second-highest ranked group-of-six team and leads the AAC West.
The full ranking is as follows:
1. Clemson (11-1, ACC)
2. Auburn (10-2, SEC)
3. Oklahoma (11-1, Big 12)
4. Wisconsin (12-0, Big Ten)
5. Alabama (11-1, SEC)
6. Georgia (11-1, SEC)
7. Miami (10-1, ACC)
8. Ohio State (10-2, Big Ten)
9. Penn State (10-2, Big Ten)
10. USC (10-2, Pac 12)
11. TCU (10-2, Big 12)
12. Stanford (9-3, Pac 12)
13. Washington (10-2, Pac 12)
14. UCF (11-0, AAC)
15. Notre Dame (9-3, Independent)
16. Michigan State (9-3, Big Ten)
17. LSU (9-3, SEC)
18. Washington State (9-3, Pac 12)
19. Oklahoma State (9-3, Big 12)
20. Memphis (10-1, AAC)
21. Northwestern (9-3, Big Ten)
22. Virginia Tech (9-3, SEC)
23. Mississippi State (8-4, SEC)
24. NC State (8-4, ACC)
25. Fresno State (9-3, Mountain West)
