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Sparty falls; Bearcats survive
Ohio State moves up to No. 4 in latest CFP Rankings

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

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In 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:

ACC

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Eliminated: 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

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In 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:

Big XII

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 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:

Pac-12

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In control of their own destiny:  Oregon

Eliminated: Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State, Washington, Cal, Utah, UCLA, USC, Colorado, and Arizona

Imagine having a week like Dan Mullen and then going out on Saturday and striking one of your own players?

That’s exactly what Jimmy Lake did on Saturday just days after drawing widespread criticism over his comments regarding Washington’s state of recruiting.

Lake has been suspended without pay for this week’s game and speculation continues to swirl around his job status.

Meanwhile, Oregon continues to find ways to win and stay in control of their own destiny. Next up for the Pac-12’s only hope: vs Washington State, at Utah, and vs Oregon State.

Key Games This Week:

  • Washington State at #3 Oregon

Group of Five/Independent

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Alive but needs help : Cincinnati

Technically alive but unlikely:  Notre Dame

Cincinnati didn’t take full advantage of the extra attention brought on by College GameDay. The Bearcats allowed a mediocre Tulsa team to hang around all game, barely avoiding overtime. That being said, perhaps no team benefitted more from Michigan State’s loss at Purdue than the Bearcats. Theoretically, an unbeaten resume should be enough to get Cincinnati into the playoffs, but the CFP Committee seems like they will give the Power Five teams every chance before the Bearcats are given real consideration. Michigan, Michigan State, or Oklahoma would likely jump Cincinnati should they win out.

Notre Dame, who has one loss to Cincinnati, quietly handled Navy and is in good position to finish the season 11-1. Luke Fickell and his Bearcats will be huge Notre Dame fans down the stretch.

Key Games This Week:

  • #5 Cincinnati at USF
  • #9 Notre Dame at Virginia
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