Think of this as a one-week grace period.
After weeks of chaos in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll and just days away from a make-or-break Thanksgiving weekend, the top College Football Playoff contenders had a mostly uneventful Saturday, but the top 10 is unlikely to change.
All seven teams competing – Indiana, Mississippi State and Texas Tech – won by double-digit margins, including a dominant Power 4 rivalry by Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Texas A&M and Alabama upset the Championship Subdivision race, with Georgia overtaking Charlotte.
The closest, and perhaps most important result, was the University of Oklahoma’s 17-6 victory over Missouri State to stay in the playoff race.
Here’s what the top 10 will look like when the coaches poll is announced later Sunday.
1. Ohio State (11-0)
The Buckeyes gained a season-high 254 yards in a Bowl Subdivision game and held Rutgers to 147 yards in a 42-9 victory. The Buckeyes look poised to beat Michigan and advance to the Big Ten championship game, and we’ve said it before.
2. Indiana (11-0)
The idle Hoosiers shut out the game against Purdue. Losing in a rivalry matchup is almost unimaginable, but even a shocking loss won’t keep Indiana from winning the Big Ten championship. If Ohio State also loses, Oregon State and Michigan State will be eliminated by Indianapolis.
3. Texas A&M (11-0)
Next up was Texas, who looked very good offensively against a very bad Arkansas defense. Similar to Ohio State and Michigan State, the Aggies look built to slow down the Longhorns’ offense, make key plays through the air, and win the rivalry to remain undefeated. But this must be an aerial battle.
4. Georgia (10-1)
If Alabama loses to Auburn, Georgia will face Texas A&M. After eight overtimes in last year’s game, the Bulldogs hope to end their game against Georgia Tech with an easy victory.
5. Oregon State (10-1)
Finally, Oregon State was able to issue a statement of victory to the playoff committee. This would almost clinch a spot for the Ducks heading into their rivalry with Washington. One possible scenario is if Brigham Young beats Texas Tech to win the Big 12, they would be in trouble losing to the Huskies.
6. Mississippi State (10-1)
Amid all the drama and controversy surrounding Lane Kiffin’s future, the Rebels are coming off their best regular season in decades with an Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State.
7. Texas Tech (10-1)
The Red Raiders can always make the playoffs if they win against the Big 12, but not failing against West Virginia will be a big help. Tech, which has already defeated BYU once, can still afford to take the at-large spot even if it withdraws from the rematch.
8.28 Offer (9-2)
The offense is not very good and hasn’t been very good all season. Looking forward, it’s the lack of punch and explosiveness that will prevent Oklahoma from making any significant advances in the playoffs. But getting there is critical to the program’s development, and defeating Missouri State keeps the Sooners on track to win against LSU and host a first-round game.
9. Notre Dame Cathedral (9-2)
Notre Dame scored 35 points in the first quarter and outscored Syracuse 70-7. The Irish can’t do anything about tying the Orange and Stanford to end the year, so maybe they’re planning on obliterating both teams to keep the committee from trying to do anything crazy.
10. Alabama (9-2)
This is the biggest Iron Bowl in years. Losing is a huge blow for Karen DeBoer, who has lost three regular season games in each of her two years. Alabama should win and shouldn’t have to struggle to do so, but crazy, crazy things have happened before in this Jordan vs. Hare rivalry.
