A Michigan State upset at Purdue allowed Ohio State to move up into the No. 4 spot, but outside of that, not many major changes to the second College Football Playoff Rankings of the season.
There seems to be a lot of conversation of Michigan slotting ahead of Michigan State despite MSU’s victory over the Wolverines, but the Big Ten will work itself out in coming weeks since both Michigan schools get their shot at Ohio State.
SEC
Embed from Getty ImagesIn control of their own destiny: Georgia and Alabama
Eliminated: Ole Miss, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina
Another dominant day at the office for the Georgia Bulldogs. Mizzou struck first with a field goal but the Dawgs scored on their next six possessions to roll to an impressive 43-6 victory. A road trip to Rocky Top is up next for UGA.
Bama struggled more than expected with a lame duck Coach O and the Tigers. LSU kept it close deep into the second quarter when, tied at 7-7, a Max Johnson interception led t to a Crimson Tide touchdown. A second LSU turnover, this time a fumble on the Tigers’ first drive of the second half, led to a 58-yard TD pass from Bryce Young to Jameson Williams. LSU had a chance late, but the two turnovers were too much to overcome and Alabama escaped with a 20-14 win in Tuscaloosa.
Key Games This Week:
- New Mexico State at #2 Alabama
- #1 Georgia at Tennessee
ACC
Embed from Getty ImagesEliminated: Wake Forest, Pitt, NC State, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami, and Duke.
Congratulations to the Pac-12 on not being the first Power Five conference to be eliminated from playoff contention – in 2021, that honor goes to the Atlantic Coast Conference!
Wake Forest and North Carolina combined for over 1,100 yards and 100+ points on the day, but the Tar Heels managed to score two touchdowns off of two interceptions by the Demon Deacons to lock in a 58-55 nonconference victory over their in-state rivals.
Though this game knocks Wake Forest out as a serious contender for the College Football Playoff, the Deacs still hold a 5-0 record in ACC play since the league allowed the two schools to schedule one another as a nonconference game after both schools approached the league with the idea as a way to keep a longtime tradtional rival on the schedule. Last weekend’s meeting was the 104th time North Carolina and Wake Forest met on the gridiron.
Big Ten
Embed from Getty ImagesIn control of their own destiny: Ohio State
Alive but needs help: Michigan and Michigan State
Eliminated: Iowa, Penn State, Maryland, Indiana, Rutgers, Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and Northwestern.
For the second time in the last month, Purdue played spoiler to a Big Ten playoff hopeful . The Boilers bolted out to a 21-7 lead and withstood a brief comeback attempt before burying Michigan State 40-29. Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell threw for 375 yards and 2 TDs – 11 receptions and 240 yards of which went to WR David Bell. Purdue improves to 6-3 and is tied for the lead in the Big Ten West. Can they keep their streak of upsets alive with a win over Ohio State on Saturday?
Despite throwing for over 400 yards, Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, and the Buckeyes were underwhelming for the second straight week. The 26-17 victory over Nebraska sets OSU up for a tough homestretch against Purdue, Michigan State, and Michigan.
The Wolverines bounced back with a stingy effort at home against Indiana. Michigan held Indiana to under 200 yards of total offense en route to a 29-7 win. Next up: a road trip to Penn State.
Key Games This Week:
- #6 Michigan at Penn State
- #19 Purdue at #4 Ohio State
- Maryland at #7 Michigan State
Big XII
In control of their own destiny: Oklahoma
Alive but needs help: Oklahoma State
Eliminated: Baylor, Texas, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas, and West Virginia
Oklahoma State rode a stellar defensive performance to a 24-3 win in Morgantown. The Cowboys held West Virginia to 17 rushing yards, improving to 8-1 with winnable games against TCU and Texas Tech before closing out the season with potential back to back matchups with the Sooners.
Oklahoma had the week off but will be tested in the final stretch against Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. A 30-28 loss to TCU pushed 7-2 Baylor into the ranks of the eliminated in terms of the playoff race. The Bears can still play spoiler with the Sooners coming to Waco this weekend.
Key Games This Week:
- #8 Oklahoma at #13 Baylor
- TCU at #10 Oklahoma State
Pac-12
Eliminated: Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State, Washington, Cal, Utah, UCLA, USC, Colorado, and Arizona
