Consider this week's Power Rankings a preview. The first College Football Playoff Rankings you will see on Tuesday will look a lot like our top four -- LSU, Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson. Of those four, only Clemson played last week (beating, ahem, Wofford). For everyone else, it's the beginning of the stretch run.
That begins Saturday with a season-defining game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The hype will build soon enough for Alabama-LSU in a game that might mean little in the big picture if both make the CFP.
Still in the picture -- Penn State, Georgia, Oregon, Utah and Baylor. The Nittany Lions and Dawgs will be in the playoff if they win out. The Bears, too. The Ducks and Utes may need help, but they looked impressive against Pac-12 foes on Saturday.
Nine teams had byes, meaning there wasn't much shuffling. Appalachian State dropped out after a Thursday loss. Let's welcome, then, Louisiana Tech.
Biggest Movers
10
Memphis
3
Florida
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Bye. Tigers fans have stripped local supermarket shelves bare in preparation for GOC III (Game of the Century). LSU has lost eight in a row to Alabama. This one is going to be entertaining, high-scoring and filled with Tua Tagovailoa angst. Will he or won't he play? If so, how healthy will be? Does it matter with Joe Burrow at the controls? | -- | 10-3 |
| 2 |  | Bye. Best team is the nation's No. 2 team. Make sense? Hard to put the Buckeyes above LSU, which has beaten three top 10s. No worries. The CFP Selection Committee isn't going to keep out a 13-0 Ohio State. | -- | 11-2 |
| 3 |  | Bye. Let's just say this isn't going to be a 9-6 field goal fest (2011). Tagovailoa is questionable. So is Bama's defense. Who do you like in GOC III? Still too close to tell. The winner (probably) gets Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Too soon? | -- | 12-2 |
| 4 |  | Bordering on SEC November nonconference slop, Clemson beat Wofford 59-14. Trevor Lawrence was in long enough to go 12 of 16 and throw three touchdowns. Travis Ettiene ran nine times for 212 yards. Yawn. | -- | 9-4 |
| 5 |  | Bye. Am I wrong in pointing out the Nittany Lions control their own destiny for the playoff? They get Minnesota this week in an unlikely (before the season) Big Ten showdown. | -- | 10-3 |
| 6 |  | The Dawgs were surgically efficient. Florida's defensive line couldn't get pressure. Jake Fromm was back to being Jake Fromm. The SEC's No. 1 defense held the Gators to 21 rushing yards. How did this team lose to South Carolina -- at home? | 2 | 13-1 |
| 7 |  | The Ducks suddenly look elite after a statement win at USC. Is it possible to have a West Coast Heisman Trophy? If so, Justin Herbert would win it. For the third time this decade, Oregon scored at least 52 at the Coliseum. | 1 | 12-2 |
| 8 |  | All credit to the Utes, but I'm starting to wonder how a win over Washington (now 5-4) is going to impress the committee. Maybe the point is Utah is still in the conversation after a 33-28 win at Seattle. | 1 | 8-5 |
| 9 |  | The Bears were almost wholly unimpressive against West Virginia but survived, 17-14. The next three weeks will let us know about Baylor: at TCU (bitter rival), Oklahoma and Texas. Big 12 Championship Game in sight. | 1 | 3-9 |
| 10 |  | We should have known what kind of day it was going to be early. Faced with fourth-and-1 at Georgia's 40 in its first possession, Dan Mullen chose to pass. It was incomplete. This after Mullen called two timeouts in 3:18 to get his team lined up properly. Georgia took over drove for a field goal that opened the scoring in the Dawgs' third-straight win in the rivalry. The SEC East isn't decided, but it's headed that way. UF's only losses are to top-10 teams. | 3 | 5-7 |
| 11 |  | Snoozer of a 20-14 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers amassed more than 500 yards but missed three field goals to keep it close against the 19-point underdogs. Bo Nix threw for a career-high 340 yards. | -- | 6-7 |
| 12 |  | Bye. Or should it be bye-bye? The loss to Kansas State could be crippling. Baylor remains undefeated in the Big 12. The Sooners' best playoff hopes down the stretch may be beating the Bears twice. | -- | 10-3 |
| 13 |  | Bye. During the bye week, P.J. Fleck began a nationwide campaign to get the Gophers into the nation's consciousness. A win at home this week against Penn State keeps the conversation going -- and not just Fleck's. | 1 | 6-7 |
| 14 |  | Maybe the Bearcats were distracted. AD Mike Bohn was not among the traveling party to East Carolina. Cincinnati barely survived 46-43. Bohn reportedly will be the next AD at USC. | 1 | 3-9 |
| 15 |  | If this was in the Big 12, Memphis' shootout win (54-48) over SMU would've been slammed on Twitter. Same style, different conference. Maybe it's just nice to see new faces from the Group of Five. The Tigers had to score 31 in the second half to beat the Ponies and become the Group of Five favorite. | 10 | 10-3 |
| 16 |  | Will Sonny Dykes take the Arkansas job? Will Arkansas come open? (Check the Hogs' latest result.) The Mustangs are still in the New Year's Six conversation but need help after a courageous comeback at Memphis. | 3 | 11-3 |
| 17 |  | For the 11th straight year, the Wildcats beat Kansas, this time with first-year coach Chris Klieman. With a signature win over Oklahoma, K-State may work its way into major-bowl conversation. | 2 | 9-4 |
| 18 |  | Bye. The Badgers will need more than a week to rehab their image after the Ohio State disaster. The Big Ten West is still a possibility with Iowa coming to town. A good, old grinder with the Hawkeyes should at least make Wisco feel better about itself. | 2 | 7-6 |
| 19 |  | Since halftime of the Penn State game -- when Jim Harbaugh said, "This will be our finest hour" -- Michigan has outscored the opposition 97-28. It wasn't Michigan's finest hour vs. Penn State, but impressive wins over Notre Dame and Maryland have to put some doubt in the minds of Buckeyes everywhere. | 2 | 15-0 |
| 20 |  | A week after his career-worst game, Ian Book was the hero. He ran for the game-winner from the Virginia Tech 7 with 29 seconds left. The Irish needed it as they continually made mistakes against the 17-point underdogs. "This was a character win for our football team," Brian Kelly said. At this point, any kind of win will do. | 2 | 10-3 |
| 21 |  | Jamie Newman accounted for five touchdowns (three passing) vs. NC State in a 44-10 win. Amaze your friends with this stat: Wake had its largest margin of victory at home against an ACC opponent since 1968. You must fall in love with these Deacs. They play Clemson in two weeks. | 1 | 4-8 |
| 22 |  | In the return of quarterback Hank Bachmeier (hip), the Broncos dominated San Jose State on the ground. With six rushing touchdowns, Boise rallied to beat the Spartans 52-42. The losing quarterback, Josh Love, threw for 438 yards. Such is life in the Mountain West. | 1 | 8-6 |
| 23 |  | Bye. With Minnesota streaking, a trip to Wisconsin this week marks an elimination game in the Big Ten West. The Hawks have no one in the top 100 nationally in rushing. Kirk Ferentz still can win 10 for the first time since 2015. | -- | 10-4 |
| 24 |  | Bye. A bye week in San Diego has to be one the life's greatest pleasures. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Little Italy, sun, surf, craft beers. Now get to work, boys. Nevada is coming to town. Aztecs continue to lead the Mountain West Mountain. | -- | 4-8 |
| 25 |  | Skip Holtz -- remember him? -- has the Bulldogs in line for their best season in almost 30 years. Louisiana Tech is 7-1, having won seven in a row. The best may be yet to come with games this month against Marshall and UAB in the underrated Conference USA. | NR | 3-9 |
