Fans, the media, and CFP Committee agree on the top teams LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, and Alabama were the top five teams in this week’s MaxDiff Poll, the AP, and most importantly, the CFP Poll. That’s boring, but also illuminating. It shows that there’s a growing consensus. Obviously, either Georgia or LSU is going to take an L after the SEC championship, so the team currently ranked fifth is important because. . .

Controversy is on the horizon There’s consensus around LSU, Ohio State, and Clemson as the top tier of college football teams. Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Oregon comprise the second tier. These four are currently perceived as comparable by fans in terms of strength. One of these four will likely be the last team to make the Playoff. All four currently have one loss and will certainly have a case if they were to win out. Georgia is the only one that truly controls their own destiny because they will get a shot at LSU in the SEC Championship game. Pulling off the upset over the top-ranked Tigers would definitely mean a Playoff invitation for the Bulldogs regardless of what happens elsewhere. Oklahoma and Oregon would finish as one-loss conference champions if they were to win out. In the five-year history of the Playoff, only one one-loss Power Five conference champion has missed the Playoff (2018 Ohio State). Alabama is Alabama. Some will argue that the Tide are in a more precarious position than both Oregon and Oklahoma because the Committee will take the one-loss conference champions before the Crimson Tide, especially considering the fact that Alabama is now without their star QB Tua Tagovailoa. However, keep in mind that if the Crimson Tide were to get into the Playoff without winning their division, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Penn State and Utah can move up with a big win The Utes and Nittany Lions make up the third tier. Both need big wins to be perceived as contenders on the same level as the teams in Tiers 1 and 2. Utah will get that chance in the Pac 12 Championship game in a massive west coast showdown with the Oregon Ducks if it is able to take care of business against its two remaining regular season opponents, Arizona and Colorado. Penn State doesn’t have to wait as long. It will get that chance this Saturday as the Nittany Lions travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Horseshoe with ESPN College GameDay in attendance. No other game this week matters more or carries direct Playoff implications like this one. However, taking down the Buckeyes looks like a pretty daunting task. Ohio State has looked almost invincible in every game so far this season. Their smallest margin of victory has been 24 points! In fact, many believe the Buckeyes are the best team in the nation because they are a more complete team than LSU, whose defense is more suspect. In other words, this game represents a big opportunity, but a monumental challenge for Penn State. The Nittany Lions will be Ohio State’s toughest opponent so far. They are capable of pulling off the upset, but they will need everything to go right. They’ll probably need a few breaks to fall in their favor such as multiple Ohio State turnovers or a pick six. Most expect Penn State to be just another victim. Fans in this research predict the final score to be 38 – 21 in favor of Ohio State, which is almost on par with the 18 point spread currently offered by Vegas.



The Gophers took a hit after losing; now they’re in the same tier as Florida Minnesota was the darling of college football fans in last week’s MaxDiff Poll. However, the Gophers were brought down to earth this past Saturday as they took their first loss to a tough Iowa team. The Gophers fell to #10 in the MaxDiff Poll, which is comparable to where they were ranked in the CFP (#10) and AP (#11). In terms of fan perception, the Gophers are now in the same tier as the Florida Gators. That’s a bowl game I would like to see.

Fans are high on A&M, Iowa State, and Indiana These three were ranked as this week’s most underrated teams in the minds of fans.