As the College Football Playoff picture becomes clearer following Week 11, our reporters have made their predictions for the top teams. The initial rankings provided insight into each team”s standing, but many top contenders faced significant challenges in their latest outings.
The Indiana Hoosiers, who held the No. 2 position in the first rankings, battled against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Despite leading 20-10 in the fourth quarter, Indiana found themselves in jeopardy after a scoring drive from Penn State. A subsequent interception by Fernando Mendoza put pressure on the Hoosiers, but in a dramatic turn of events, Mendoza connected with Omar Cooper Jr. for a game-winning touchdown, sealing a 27-24 victory.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks, ranked ninth, struggled against the Iowa Hawkeyes. In harsh weather conditions, they fell behind late in the game but managed to pull off a drive that resulted in the game-winning field goal, finishing at 18-16.
In another notable matchup, the Alabama Crimson Tide faced the LSU Tigers in their first game after the dismissal of head coach Brian Kelly. Alabama”s defense was dominant, forcing two turnovers and limiting LSU to under 300 total yards in a 20-9 victory. Quarterback Ty Simpson contributed significantly with 277 passing yards and a touchdown.
Our experts have weighed in with their top 12 picks for the College Football Playoff:
- Andrea Adelson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Texas Tech 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
- Kyle Bonagura: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Texas Tech 7. Oregon 8. Ole Miss 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
- Bill Connelly: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Texas Tech 6. Georgia 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
- David Hale: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Texas Tech 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. Texas 11. James Madison 12. North Texas
- Eli Lederman: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Oregon 8. Texas Tech 9. Notre Dame 10. Georgia Tech 11. BYU 12. North Texas
- Max Olson: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Texas Tech 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
- Adam Rittenberg: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Texas Tech 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Pittsburgh 12. South Florida
- Mark Schlabach: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Texas Tech 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Pittsburgh 12. Tulane
- Jake Trotter: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Texas Tech 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. Texas 11. Pittsburgh 12. Tulane
- Paolo Uggetti: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Texas Tech 5. Alabama 6. Georgia 7. Oregon 8. Ole Miss 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Pittsburgh 12. Tulane
- Dave Wilson: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas A&M 3. Indiana 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Texas Tech 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
As the season progresses, the race for the College Football Playoff intensifies, with each game becoming increasingly critical for these contenders.
