A playoff without Alabama? Very possible
Even before a single game kicked off Saturday, it was a huge news day in college football.
After UCLA announced it hired Chip Kelly to coach the Bruins and Nebraska fired Mike Riley, the rivalry games began.
As the day drew to an end, Auburn had once again given the College Football Playoff race a seismic shake.
Thoughts, takedowns and takeaways from the 13th week of the season — where there are only two undefeated teams left and neither is Alabama:
1. A College Football Playoff without No. 1 Alabama? Very possible, even likely. At 11-1 and with no chance to win a conference championship after losing to Auburn, Alabama is going to need help to make it four straight playoff appearances.
2. The Tide always do well with the eye test, but the resume is light compared with what Ohio State did to reach the playoff without playing in its conference title game last season. Those Buckeyes reached Selection Sunday with three wins against top-10 teams, two on the road. Alabama’s best victories will be against LSU and Mississippi State.
3. The SEC champion is in. The ACC champion is likely in, even with Miami’s loss at Pitt. Oklahoma is in if it wins the Big 12. Unbeaten Wisconsin seems like a lock with a Big Ten title. There would be no room for the Tide.
4. What does Alabama need to happen? Ohio State (10-2) beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game probably is a good place to start. TCU (10-2) beating Oklahoma could work, too.
5. It could be an interesting test for the selection commit- tee, seeing how comfortable it is having two teams from one conference in the final four. The selections could also provide insight about how much the committee simply defaults to the digit in the loss column and what is the value of a conference championship.
6. So who’s No. 1 now? The Crimson Tide had been on top. Miami was No. 2. Clemson is No. 3 and Okla- homa No. 4 in the most recent rankings, with the updated ones arriving Tuesday.
7. The last time the Soon- ers were No. 1 in November was 2003.
8. The winner of the Iron Bowl might have been No. 7 Georgia. The Tide and Tigers pounded each other and Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson left the game early with what coach Gus Malzahn said was “a shoulder issue.”
9. The Bulldogs took care of business against Georgia Tech and will show up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium the fresher team, looking to avenge its only loss of the season.
10. The most impressive thing about Auburn’s second victory in three weeks against the team holding the CFP No. 1 ranking: The Tigers clearly outplayed the Tide, a rarity in the Nick Saban era.
11. So far the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan has been far more interesting in the offseason than it has from Sep- tember to January.
12. Harbaugh is 0-3 against Ohio State, and surely there are Wolverines fans losing patience. Though probably just some. The program is in far better shape than it has been since the 1990s.
13. Michigan’s 8-4 record this season is not shocking but still pretty empty, with no victories against winning teams. Next season, Harbaugh returns a mountain of talent and it will be on him to develop Brandon Peters or Dylan McCaffrey into a top-tier quarterback.
14. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is 27-3 in rivalry games, dating back to when he went 1-1 coaching Bowling Green against Toledo. It’s an impressive number in a Hall of Fame career and speaks to how well Meyer taps into the emotions of his players.
15. While it is understandable Meyer would be upset about his quarterback getting hurt on a crowded sideline during pregame warmup, the coach’s reaction to J.T. Barrett’s injury seemed a bit melodramatic.
16. Barrett said he will be good to go next week, though backup Dwayne Haskins played well against Michigan. The last time Barrett was hurt against Michigan and Ohio State’s backup quarterback had to play Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, the world was introduced to Cardale Jones.