The sixth week of the college football season is in the books. There were plenty of good games to watch and some matchups had College Football Playoff implications. So who set themselves up well enough to make the College Football Playoff?
Note: These rankings only take into account what has happened on the field and will not project what will happen in the future. Teams with weaker schedules, to this point, will not be ranked as highly until they get some better wins.
CFP Four
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
The Buckeyes have some defensive issues that need to be cleaned up as they did struggle against Indiana. They do however have the big win on the road at Penn State on their resume. It might still be the best win of the college football season. Ohio State also has the solid win over TCU. If these were power rankings, Ohio State would be a little lower because Alabama looks like they can’t be stopped, but for bracketology/resume purposes, they still sit atop the list.
This week: vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0)
It’s hard to say that getting a win over a team who lost to Old Dominion helps Notre Dame’s case for the CFP, but it was a hostile environment and Virginia Tech was ranked. Their win over Stanford looks worse after the Cardinal lost to Utah late in the night, but Michigan hasn’t lost since their opening week matchup. Down the stretch, Notre Dame’s schedule is weaker, so they may fall in future weeks.
This week: vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0)
Based on the eye test, Alabama is the best team in the country. Their big wins are lacking so far this season, but with Texas A&M beating Kentucky, it is a little better for the Crimson Tide. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has yet to have to do much after the first half of games. They did show some vulnerability this week, giving up 31 points to a bad Arkansas team. November is when their schedule gets brutal, but Alabama is in a great spot through six weeks.
This week: vs. Missouri Tigers
4. Georgia Bulldogs (6-0)
Georgia is 6-0 and has helped make the SEC look like a two-team race after week 6. The Bulldogs started slowly against Vanderbilt, but ended up blowing out the Commodores. South Carolina and Missouri remain their best wins so far, but that won’t be the case for long. The Bulldogs play four straight ranked teams (as of the rankings this week), which includes two big rivalry games.
This week: at LSU Tigers
First four out
5. Clemson Tigers (6-0)
Clemson demolished another ACC team this week as new quarterback Trevor Lawrence gets more comfortable with the offense. The ACC is pretty down, but the Tigers will get a chance to play a currently undefeated NC State team when they come off a bye this week.
This week: BYE
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0)
The Mountaineers are still hurting from their game canceled with NC State due to Hurricane Florence. They are however undefeated and are a frontrunner to make the Big 12 title game. Beating Kansas won’t do anything for them other than avoiding a loss. They have a very backloaded schedule so they’ll have to stay fresh.
This week: at Iowa State Cyclones
7. LSU Tigers (5-1)
LSU was atop these rankings for the whole season, due to their great start to the season. Unfortunately, they lost to a much improved Florida team in “The Swamp” and drop a little bit as a result. With wins over Auburn and Miami still under their belts, LSU still ranks pretty high on this list. They can really give themselves a boost with a win over Georgia this weekend.
This week: vs. Georgia Bulldogs
8. Texas Longhorns (5-1)
How much have things changed since Texas’ opening week loss to Maryland? They now have knocked off the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 to go along with their wins over Kansas State, TCU and USC. The big win this weekend is what moves them up to this ranking though, as the Longhorns look to keep their momentum going.
This week: vs. Baylor Bears
Next four out
9. Washington Huskies (5-1)
Last season, the committee showed that they look at losses closely. They let Ohio State’s loss to a 6-6 Virginia Tech team slide in the first year of the CFP, but couldn’t forgive a loss to Iowa in which they lost by over 30. Washington’s lone loss is Auburn, which isn’t that bad. They have solid wins over Utah, Arizona State and BYU, but really need a big win and some help to move up.
This week: at Oregon Ducks
10. Kentucky Wildcats (5-1)
Kentucky played a tough game in College Station, but failed to get any offense started. Taking Texas A&M to overtime shows that they are a solid team, seeing as Alabama and Clemson barely escaped with wins in the same environment. With wins over Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina, who all won big games this weekend, Kentucky stays in the CFP picture for another week.
This week: BYE
11. NC State Wolfpack (5-0)
While the Wolfpack are undefeated, their best win is over Boston College, which happened this weekend. After that, there is a win over a 3-2 Virginia team. NC State has yet to really prove themselves, but will get the chance after their bye week.
This week: BYE
12. Florida Gators (5-1)
Who would’ve thought three SEC East teams would be on this list? Florida was ranked 22 before the week and got their big win over LSU, who was ranked fifth. They also have a win over Mississippi State, who just knocked off Auburn. Their loss to Kentucky isn’t as bad as they may have originally thought, as the Wildcats have continued to prove that they are a good team.
This week: at Vanderbilt Commodores
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