College Football Playoff Rankings: Week 13 Predictions
The top four of the College Football Playoff ranking should see no changes this week, after LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia all won.
LSU and Ohio State consolidated the top two spots with dominant wins over Ole Miss and Rutgers respectively, while Clemson extended its winning run to 26 games with a 52-3 rout of Wake Forest.
A week after leapfrogging Alabama into the top four, meanwhile, Georgia clinched the SEC East title with a 21-14 road win over Auburn, which should further boost its playoffs credentials.
Here's what to look for ahead of the latest set of CFP rankings, which are released on Tuesday, November 19.
When are the College Football Playoff rankings announced?
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the season will be released on Tuesday, November 19.
Weekly updates will follow until December 3, culminating in the College Football Playoff selection show, which is scheduled for December 8.
TV coverage
Every weekly rankings show is broadcast on ESPN. This Tuesday's show airs at 7 p.m. on ET.
Live stream
A live stream of the weekly rankings will be available via ESPN's website and the ESPN App.
Clemson a shoo-in for top four
Clemson debuted at No.5 in the first CFP rankings of the season, before climbing into the top four last week. On the basis of Saturday's showing against Wake Forest, it's going to take a monumental upset to force the Tigers out of a playoff spot.
The reigning national champions are one win away from going undefeated in the regular season for a second consecutive year, and few would back South Carolina to interrupt that run on November 30.
The Tigers have scored 50 or more points in the last four games and at least 45 in its last six, becoming only the third team since The Associated Press poll era began in 1936 to win four straight games by at least 45 points.
Clemson's schedule this season may have been easier than those of some of its rivals, but Dabo Swinney's team looks utterly dominant.
Tua-less Alabama could miss playoffs
Last week, the Crimson Tide fell out of the top four for the first time since November 28, 2017, after losing 46-41 to LSU. Now the risk of missing out on the playoffs has grown more serious after Tua Tagovailoa's season-ending injury.
Even with Mac Jones under center, the Crimson Tide should have too much for Western Carolina on Saturday, but Tagovailoa will be sorely missed in the Iron Bowl against Auburn on November 30.
Defeating the Tigers is non-negotiable if the banged-up Crimson Tide—who also lost wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and defensive linemen Raekwon Davis and D.J. Dale to injury—wants to reach the playoffs.
The Pac-12 could claim a playoff spot
Oregon and Utah will in all likelihood meet in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with the winner almost certain to be in contention for a top-four spot.
The Ducks were the CFP selection committee's highest-ranked one-loss team from outside the SEC last week and are on a nine-game winning streak after losing to Auburn in its opening game of the season.
The Utes are ranked a spot below, largely because they lost to USC—a team Oregon beat—but remained in the hunt for a playoff spot after thrashing UCLA 49-3 on Saturday.
The main issue for Utah is that none of its wins have come against a team with fewer than four losses.
Oklahoma's season is alive
Down by 21 points at halftime on the road against Baylor and without star receiver CeeDee Lamb, the Sooners' season looked as good as over. A stunning comeback, however, gave Oklahoma a 34-31 win and breathed new life into its Big 12 title aspirations and CFP bid.
The win also meant the Big 12 will have a one-loss team as conference champion, but may not be enough for the Sooners to climb higher than a couple of spots to No.10 on Tuesday.
Oregon and Utah should both remain ahead of Oklahoma, but the Sooners could leapfrog Minnesota after the Gophers lost to Iowa.
Georgia could gain ground again
A week ago, the CFP selection committee cited Georgia's resume as the reason behind its inclusion into the top four. The Bulldogs added a third top-15 win to its scalp after defeating Auburn on the road 21-14 on Saturday and overtook Alabama as No.4 in both the AP and USA Today's coaches polls.
The Bulldogs have clinched the SEC East and could boost embellish their resume even further on Saturday with a win against No.24 Texas A&M.
Allstate Playoff Predictor has a 42 percent chance to make the CFP, which would rise to 88 percent with a win over LSU in the SEC Championship game.
Top 10 prediction for Week 13
- LSU
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Utah
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Penn State
- Florida
