College Football Playoff Rankings: Week 10
By Luke Allen
The College Football Playoff Committee put out their weekly rankings on Tuesday night. Here is what they got right and what they got wrong.
The College Football Playoff is really only important for the first six spots. The first four will be the teams playing in the four team tournament for the National Championship, while numbers five and six are very much alive in the tournament talks, but are on the outside looking in.
Here is our interpretation of Tuesday night’s CFB Playoff rankings’ top four.
#1: Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0)
Alabama is coming off an impressive road shut out at #3 LSU in Baton Rouge. The Crimson Tide are the undisputed #1 seed, best team in college football this year. They have blown out every team they have played, while quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is playing at a Heisman pace. The Crimson Tide have already secured their spot in the SEC championship game, and I cannot see any team in the country beating Bama.
#2: Clemson Tigers (9-0)
Clemson saw their regular season starting quarterback Kelly Bryant transfer, but the Tigers did not skip a beat under the leadership freshman sensation Trevor Lawrence. Like Alabama, the Clemson Tigers have been demolishing whoever they play at an alarming rate, and they are well-deserving of their #2 spot. Clemson is coming off a ridiculous 77-16 win over Bobby Petrino’s Lousiville Cardinals last Saturday.
#3: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0)
How about those Irish?! Like Clemson above them, Notre Dame has seen a quarterback change with Ian Book replacing Brandon Wimbush – which has worked out pretty well, if you ask me. I am relieved and almost surprised Notre Dame was given the third spot, as I had a feeling the Michigan Wolverines would leapfrog the Irish after Michigan blistered Penn State, 42-7.
The Irish have a relatively easy schedule to finish the year, so I do believe the Irish will stay in the top four to end the season. Irish fans should hope they keep the #3 spot. A match up with Clemson is a heck of a lot easier than a match up with Bama.
#4: Michigan Wolverines (8-1)
Since Notre Dame beat the Wolverines in the first game of the season, Michigan has been on an absolute tear. Their “revenge tour” has seen them win eight straight games, but mostly carried by their ferocious defense. I am not sold on quarterback Shea Patterson yet, but the Michigan offense really has not needed him to be anything more than average. Their run game and suffocating defense is doing all the work for them.