- Georgia 12-0 – The Bulldogs finish the season Number 1, the best team in college football, bar none had a flawless season for Kirby Smart and company. Even with a lopsided loss in the SEC Championship to LSU Georgia, won’t drop out of the top 4.
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2. Michigan 12-0 – For the second straight year, Jim Harbaugh finished the regular season undefeated after knocking off Ohio State. They now have a conference championship to win, going against a great offense in Purdue. It would be a massive upset for Purdue to win. This game will be a test for Michigan as they just beat their arch-rival and are in the driver’s seat for a college football playoff berth.
3. TCU 12-0 – The Horn frogs are one win away from their first opportunity at a National Championship since they last won in 1938. TCU has beaten everyone in its path and has shown that once Texas and Oklahoma leave that they are the future of the Big 12. He wrapped up a historic debut by earning his 83rd career win, surpassing his late father, former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, who retired in 1999 with 82 victories. But he’s not ready for this season to end yet.
4. USC 11-1 – USC also controls its own destiny. They have one loss to Utah by 3 points and seek to avenge on Friday Night. The way they’ve dismantled all of their opponents really says something about this USC team led by Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams being the real deal. USC football is back. If they can beat Utah in the PAC 12 title game, they are the team to beat in this college football playoff.
- Alabama 10-2 – Nick Saban and company are to have an outside shoot if USC and/or TCU lose. While Saban will miss the SEC championship game, Alabama had another stellar season with ten wins and two losses that were remarkably close to being wins. Alabama looked great all year. They couldn’t beat LSU, which was ranked 5th at the time. Alabama’s second loss came to Tennessee, a team who was Number 1 and is currently 7th.
- Ohio State 11-1 – It felt like Ohio State’s offense was on a roll. But they didn’t get tested until they played Michigan. They got beaten down in the 4th quarter. While the Buckeyes are still a formidable team, they would need chaos to happen to enter the playoffs. Then Ohio State would be right back in the driver’s seat for National Championship. It just doesn’t seem like Ohio State would have a chance should they play of the top 4 teams in the playoff.
- Penn State 10-2 – James Franklin has used the portal to his advantage the past two off-seasons. Penn State put together a strong season and really shined under James Franklin. He proved once again he’s one of the best coaches in college football. Sean Clifford is one of the most underrated QB in college football, and people are quick to forget that Penn State had Ohio State on the ropes back in week 9.
- Clemson 10-2 – Clemson laid an egg this week after the loss to South Carolina. They have no shoot for the playoffs. South Carolina caught fire and beat Tennessee. Clemson didn’t overachieve, nor did they underachieve this year. They’ve struggled on offense all year. People expected Clemson to be in this position late this year. After losing defensive mastermind and long-term D Coordinator Brent Venables, Dabo and company should be ready for next year.
- Tennessee 10-2 – The Vols were the comeback team of the year. Tennessee has been in obscurity for so long as a football program. Tennessee found so much success and hopefully is a program on the bounce back and back to its dominant ways. Hendon Hooker was playing like a Heisman trophy candidate before his injury.
- Washington – 10-2 – After starting the season 1-2, Washington has been one of the most dominant teams in college football. People who hate the PAC 12, the conference has been the best. USC, Utah, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, and this Huskies team are ranked. They beat everyone in their path and if they didn’t lose to Arizona State, they’d be number 6.
