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The right thing to do is to go ahead and give Alabama a trophy. After a wild Week 11 in college football, the only constant remains Alabama.
While Clemson, Michigan and Washington all looked like College Football Playoff pretenders, Alabama was annihilating another SEC opponent.
Mississippi State isn’t a top tier SEC school, but what Alabama did was nonetheless impressive. The Tide held the Bulldogs to 274 yards, 94 on the ground for a 2.7-yard average. So, let’s start there.
Alabama: Point proven. And with Auburn losing to Georgia, the hopes of an Iron Bowl upset have diminished. Alabama is too good. The defense is elite. Don’t discount the offense. Alabama leads the SEC in total offense at 492.2 yards per game.
The Tide will destroy Chattanooga, no matter what Nick Saban tells us this week, will beat Auburn and provide a boring SEC title game on the way to the playoff, where after Saturday it looks like nobody wants any of that. Heck, if Alabama loses the Iron Bowl, it will still win the SEC championship. It’s a win-win in Tuscaloosa, which is exactly what the Tide is used to doing.
Clemson: If Clemson gets in as most are still projecting, it is rewarding underachievement. The Tigers should have lost to Florida State and N.C. State and did lose to Pittsburgh, a team they should have destroyed. It won’t be the least bit surprising if Clemson loses to Wake Forest.
Louisville: The Cardinals would love to see that happen. They are still regretting that loss to Clemson. They needed losses to pile for other teams and that happened Saturday. Unfortunately for Louisville, Clemson should still make the ACC title game and leave the Cardinals with one less chance to impress. They might need another of those Saturdays.
Oklahoma: The Big 12’s only hope has a pretty slim chance. The Sooners need help from two more weeks of insanity to have a chance. That loss to Houston was bad. It’s gotten worse.
Washington: The love for Washington has dwindled, and rightfully so. The Huskies’ schedule was ranked No. 52 by ESPN’s Football Power Index when the season began. Combine that with Saturday’s loss to USC and the Huskies might have done themselves in. But with Texas A&M losing to Ole Miss, a second consecutive loss, Washington could still make it.
The Big Ten: Ohio State and/or Michigan and/or Penn State and/or Wisconsin? As if anyone outside the state of Ohio needed another reason to dislike the Buckeyes, they might very well make the playoff without playing in the Big Ten title game.
Ohio State will be ranked ahead of two-loss Penn State, which it lost to and which might win the Big Ten, as might two-loss Wisconsin.
Ohio State will be favored over Michigan, but Michigan can simplify things by beating the Buckeyes and going on to win the Big Ten. Penn State will be cheering for Ohio State. Ohio State is hoping Michigan State or Rutgers can pull off a stunner against the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin, well the Badgers are ranked ahead of Oklahoma, so win the Big Ten and wait it out.
Whew.
