Nothing changes in the high places of the College Football Playoff rankings following the events of week 11, with Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame Occupying the top in that order, while Iowa complete the top 5. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are just behind as the Big 12 representatives, waiting for a chance to get in after someone drops the ball.
The losses of Baylor, Stanford, Utah and LSU cleared a path for the Bedlam rivals to move forward, while Florida and Michigan State both stepped back up into the top 10. Florida have the SEC championship game on their mind but also a collision with Florida State that won’t impact their SEC aspirations but might say a lot in their playoff hopes. Michigan State need to beat Ohio State and make it into the Big Ten championship game with just one loss to their name as it seems.
The three teams that seem to be in full control of their destiny are Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama. They have to play Wake Forest and at South Carolina before the ACC Championship game, which at the moment seems to be between them and North Carolina, who are up to number 17 with their 9-1 record. Ohio State are now set for their big finish: Michigan State at home, Michigan on the road (number 12) and if they last that, it’ll be against probably Iowa, who are undefeated and at number 5.
Alabama might still drop the ball on the SEC West but probably not. They have their FCS game against Charleston Southern before the Iron Bowl, and if that goes well, it’s facing Florida in the SEC championship game. The fourth spot? It might as well go down between a Big 12 team or Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, whose one loss this season is a narrow one to Clemson, have to play Boston College and at Stanford to end the season. The Sooners have games against the sliding TCU (#18, despite being 9-1) and at Oklahoma State while the Cowboys have a home game against Baylor before Bedlam.
Baylor? They have dropped to number 10, but if they win on the road against both Oklahoma State and TCU before playing the relatively week Texas, the Big 12 isn’t lost on them. One conference that might be out of it is the Pac-12, with their top two teams being two loss ones (Stanford, Utah) both being chased by Oregon in the North division and USC in the South division. Utah have home games against UCLA and Colorado remaining, Stanford play California and Notre Dame, both home games as well.