SI

Major shuffle at top of Power Rankings after chaotic Week 11

After Clemson, Michigan and Washington all lost in Week 11, Ohio State and Louisville moved into the top four in SI's Power Rankings.
Major shuffle at top of Power Rankings after chaotic Week 11
Major shuffle at top of Power Rankings after chaotic Week 11

What a week, huh?

Given the dearth of top-notch matchups in Week 11, it was supposed to be a relatively quiet Saturday. So of course the Nos. 2–4 teams all lost in the same week for the first time in 31 years.

The thing is, not a whole lot has changed in the bigger picture—yet. Clemson, Michigan and Washington are all still in good shape in the College Football Playoff race provided they win out, particularly the Tigers and Wolverines. What Saturday’s results did do, however, was open the door for a radical reshuffling should more chaos occur. Now, a loss by any of the top contenders will throw a ton of doubt into the eventual four-team field. There’s no more margin for error.

Here’s a look at the college football hierarchy heading into Week 12:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

PREVIOUS: 1

RECORD: 10-0

Last week: Beat Mississippi State 51-3Next week: Saturday vs. Chattanooga

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

PREVIOUS: 5

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Beat Maryland 62-3Next week: Saturday at Michigan State

3. Louisville Cardinals

PREVIOUS: 6

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Beat Wake Forest 44-12Next week: Thursday at Houston

4. Clemson Tigers

PREVIOUS: 2

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Lost to Pitt 43-42Next week: Saturday at Wake Forest​

5. Michigan Wolverines

PREVIOUS: 3

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Lost to Iowa 14-13Next week: Saturday vs. Indiana​

6. Wisconsin Badgers

PREVIOUS: 7

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Boston Illinois 48-3Next week: Saturday at Purdue

7. Oklahoma Sooners

PREVIOUS: 9

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Baylor 45-24Next week: Saturday at West Virginia

8. Washington Huskies

PREVIOUS: 4

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Lost to USC 26-13Next week: Saturday vs. Arizona State​

9. Penn state nittany lions

PREVIOUS: 10

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Indiana 45-31Next week: Saturday at Rutgers

10. Utah Utes

PREVIOUS: 11

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Arizona State 49-2Next week: Saturday vs. Oregon

11. West Virginia Mountaineers

PREVIOUS: 14

RECORD: 8-1

Last week: Beat Texas 24-20Next week: Saturday vs. Oklahoma

12. USC Trojans

PREVIOUS: 24

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Beat Washington 26-13Next week: Saturday at UCLA

13. COLORADO BUFFALOES

PREVIOUS: 15

RECORD: 8-2

  Last week: Beat Arizona 49-24Next week: Saturday vs. Washington State

14. Oklahoma State Cowboys

PREVIOUS: 16

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Texas Tech 45-44Next week: Saturday at TCU​

15. Western Michigan Broncos

PREVIOUS: 18

RECORD: 10-0

Last week: Beat Kent State 37-21Next week: Saturday vs. Buffalo

16. Auburn Tigers

PREVIOUS: 8

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Lost to Georgia 13-7Next week: Saturday vs. Alabama A&M​

17. LSU Tigers

PREVIOUS: 19

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Beat Arkansas 38-10Next week: Saturday vs. Florida

18. Florida State seminoles

PREVIOUS: 20

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Beat Boston College 45-7Next week: Saturday at Syracuse

19. nebraska cornhuskers

PREVIOUS: 21

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Minnesota 24-17Next week: Saturday vs. Maryland

20. Florida Gators

PREVIOUS: 22

RECORD: 7-2

Last week: Beat South Carolina 20-7Next week: Saturday at LSU

21. Washington State Cougars

PREVIOUS: 23

RECORD: 8-2

Last week: Beat Cal 56-21Next week: Saturday at Colorado​

22. Boise State Broncos

PREVIOUS: 25

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Beat Hawaii 52-16Next week: Friday vs. UNLV

23. nORTH cAROLINA taR hEELS

PREVIOUS: 12

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Lost to Duke 28-27Next week: Saturday vs. The Citadel

24. San Diego State Aztecs

RECORD: 9-1

Last week: Beat Nevada 46-16Next week: Saturday at Wyoming

25. Texas A&M Aggies

PREVIOUS: 13

RECORD: 7-3

Last week: Lost to Ole Miss 29-28Next week: Saturday vs. Texas-San Antonio

Dropped out: Virginia Tech
Next five: Navy, Virginia Tech, Troy, Temple, Tennessee