Tennessee football kept its winning streak and College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 33-14 win over Mississippi State. Tennessee's defense continues to dominate everyone it faces, and the Vols remain one of the top teams in the SEC with only one conference loss.
On the other hand, the Vols' rival, Georgia, hasn't been so lucky. The Bulldogs took a surprising defeat to the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss opens the door to a possible 10-win season, re-entering the Playoff picture while putting Georgia on the ropes.
Miami also lost this week to Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the season after surviving multiple close calls throughout the season. The loss could prevent them from making the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff.
Those games alone have shaken up what looked to be a pretty safe bet for the 12-team Playoff. Multiple teams remain in the running to make their conference title games, which could continue to shake up the top 12.
The CFP has been expanded to 12 teams, here's how it will look: Power 4 conference champions receive automatic bids and the top four rankings. The top Group of Five champion is the fifth team to receive an automatic bid, while seeds six through 12 are all at-large bids. Seeds five through eight will host seeds nine through twelve in the first round.
Rank | Team | Why They Are Here | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oregon Ducks | Big Ten Champion | 1 |
2 | Texas Longhorns | SEC Champion | 6 (+4) |
3 | Miami Hurricanes | ACC Champion | 3 |
4 | BYU Cougars | Big 12 Champion | 11 (+7) |
5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | At-Large | 5 |
6 | Indiana Hoosiers | At-Large | 7 (+1) |
7 | Tennessee Volunteers | At-Large | 8 (+1) |
8 | Georgia Bulldogs | At-Large | 2 (-7) |
9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | At-Large | 10 (+1) |
10 | Clemson Tigers | At-Large | NR |
11 | Alabama Crimson Tide | At-Large | NR |
12 | Boise State Broncos | MW Champion | 12 |
On The Bubble
SMU is quietly having the best season in the ACC. The Mustangs are 8-1 and 5-0 in conference play with three games remaining. All three are winnable games and could give SMU a chance to play in the ACC Championship Game and earn a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss returns to the bubble with a big win over Georgia. The Rebels are now looking at a potential 10-2 season with a chance to make the College Football Playoff. If they can finish the season without a loss, they will have an argument for a spot in the 12-team CFP.
Texas A&M was off this past week, but they are coming off a loss against South Carolina that was seen as the loss that eliminated them from the CFP. The Aggies have Texas in the last game of the season, and they will have a chance to win ten games and possibly find a spot in the Playoffs.
Colorado was written off in mid-October after suffering its second loss of the season. Despite its loss, the Buffaloes still have only one loss in the Big 12 and will earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game against BYU.
Army is competing with Boise State for the lone Group of Five spot in the 12-team Playoff. The Black Knights have been a wrecking ball this year in their first season in the American Athletic Conference. They are off this week but have a date with Notre Dame in Week 13 that could be an elimination game for the loser.
Week 12 in College Football
Week 12 brings some more big matchups throughout college football with CFP implications. No. 7 Tennessee goes to No. 3 Georgia headlines the weekend, No. 23 Clemson plays No. 18 Pitt for a possible spot in the ACC title game, Utah vs. Colorado, Penn State vs. Purdue, and LSU vs. Florida also play.