The picture of the College Football Playoff has become even more disheveled. Week 10 also saw both Miami and Vanderbilt lose expensive games to shuffle up the race with the first ever official CFP rankings to be announced November 4.
The loss of Miami puts more uncertainty in the ACC postseason process and the loss of Vanderbilt seemed less unexpected. Oddsmakers had already made Texas their preferred opponent even though the Longhorns were ranked below in both of the major polls going into their matchup. There are only a few more than one month to the regular season and each game matters as teams scramble to secure a spot in the playoffs and in their respective conference championships.
At this stage, both Miami and Vanderbilt seem to be the outsiders. They both will require some level of havoc — and possibly a little assistance by other candidates, to scale back into serious contention in the CFP.
The following is a more detailed examination of the standing of the projected top 12 teams as we approach Week 11:
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio state appears as impressive as any championship team it appears to be following the crushing of Penn state. The possible epic Big Ten game turned out to be a demonstration of the powerful defense of the Buckeyes, which, perhaps, would become regarded among the best in the history of the program. The rhythm of their offense, though, could be coming at an opportune moment in Ohio State.
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana has been the underdog but now it has taken its new status of being the favorite of the Big Ten. The Hoosiers still are heading to a title game against the Ohio State, but November is known to be the month of the unexpected. Staying focused will be key.
Texas A&M Aggies
Aggies rested after scoring its latest loss that resulted in the firing of Brian Kelly. Texas A&M is at 8-0 and therefore holds its fate in the remaining games with Missouri, South Carolina and Texas.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama has also had its bye week, but has a challenging two game trip to LSU and Oklahoma. The team of Nick Saban will have to remain on its toes in order to keep playing on the playoffs.
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia continues to win even when it does not always look good. The Bulldogs are an energy-renewed Florida that survived the post-coaching change and is now focusing on Mississippi State prior to a high profile fight with Texas on November 15.
Oregon Ducks
Oregon has had a low profile bounce back after a dismal early loss to Indiana. The team led by head coach Dan Lanning is tested to a large extent on Week 11 against Iowa.
Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels keep winning despite the rumors of Lane Kiffin future. This team has not been slowed at all by distractions.
BYU Cougars
BYU is freshly following a bye, and is preparing to host a big home contest with Texas Tech. The fact that they came back to beat Iowa State is still buzzing with fans.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech has now made an impression in Kansas State and now hosts BYU with ESPN College GameDay in town. It is a massive gain to national esteem.
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee must overcome Oklahoma as part of its postseason dreams. The Vols appear the strongest among the two loss teams.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame has fallen on rough times but has managed to stabilize, and has become consistent. Navy will not be ranked boost to them, but they are trending the right way.
Memphis Tigers
Memphis continued rolling on the crest of its emotional victory over South Florida and disposed of business against Rice. The Tigers are the leaders of Group of 6 race which guarantees them a bowl slot in New Years.
The playoff race is roaring as the month of November approaches. Upsets and shakeups are inevitable, and the coming few weeks will be vital to all the contenders who want to emerge out of the mess.
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