Rivalry Week in college football delivers upheaval almost every single season, and the scores and results from Week 13 did not break from tradition as both AP Top 25 poll voters and the College Football Playoff Selection Committee have a mess to sort through when making their updated rankings.
Four top-10 teams lost and nine teams ranked in last week’s AP Top 25 took losses despite only having four games between ranked opponents this week. So, there is clearly a lot of change on the horizon.
There won’t be any change at the top, however, as any doubt about whether Ohio State could overtake Georgia for No. 1 was squashed with the Bulldogs rounding out a 12-0 regular season record for the second year in a row while the Buckeyes were thumped by rival Michigan at home. The Wolverines will move into an undisputed No. 2 position across most AP Top 25 ballots, potentially grabbing some first-place votes of their own, but confidence won’t be shaken in the reigning national champs and their position at the top of the mountain. The intrigue between Georgia and Michigan is less in the polls and more in the playoff future as the two programs met in the semifinals last season and could see a rematch in 2022 after both finishing 12-0.
The fall for Ohio State, however, is something to watch with the release of the new AP poll as it might inform our expectations for the committee’s update of the CFP Rankings on Tuesday. The Buckeyes are 11-1 with the only defeat coming to a team that will likely be ranked No. 2 on Sunday, so it’s unlikely to fall outside of the top five, but given USC’s performance in the win against Notre Dame on Saturday night in primetime, the positioning of the Buckeyes against the Trojans is a preview of the playoff debates heading into championship week. USC will get the final word with a chance to win the Pac-12 title in Las Vegas, while Ohio State will root for results that open the door for a top-four finish in the final CFP Rankings.
Outside of the playoff picture are the more stunning results that will force voters to make some tougher decisions, balancing what were previously strong profiles with new bad losses. LSU and Clemson, both top 10 teams last week, lost as a double-digit favorites to unranked teams. They each have respectable records and head-to-head wins that will protect against a dramatic tumble down the top 25, but those losses demand…
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