Pretenders falling away
Top of 1st rankings should stay stable, but chaos after that
Playoff rankings could lack drama — at least at the top. The first College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled Tuesday night, and while stalwarts Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan and Oklahoma figure to be at the top, the next six teams could be up for ferocious debate after a chaotic weekend that saw eight ranked teams lose. Texas’ loss shows the Longhorns still have a lot of work to do. Texas looked like a program back on the rise following a six-game winning streak that included a victory over Oklahoma, but a poor defensive outing in a loss to Oklahoma State shows this program is not a championship contender. The SEC East comes down to a winner- take- all game between Georgia and Kentucky. Kentucky’s come-from-behind, lastsecond win over Missouri sets up a showdown with Georgia this week. The winner earns a division crown and a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs rebounded nicely from a loss to LSU to manhandle Florida. Florida is ahead of schedule under first-year coach Dan Mullen. There is tremendous optimism surrounding the Gators despite the loss to Georgia. The team’s playoff and division title hopes may have evaporated, but this program is light-years ahead of where it’s been the last few seasons, and Mullen just got started. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama may not have to worry much about the College Football Playoff rankings. The ACC’s hopes clearly rest with Clemson. The Tigers rolled into Tallahassee and handed Florida State its worst home loss in school history. The Tigers earned a 59-10 win with Trevor Lawrence throwing for four touchdowns and the defense holding FSU to minus-21 rushing yards. Things have gone from bad to worse in the ACC. While Clemson continues its dominant play, the rest of the league has suffered through a roller-coaster season. Miami, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Florida State have struggled. The ACC is 3-16 against teams ranked in the top 25. It was a topsy-turvy weekend for the Pac-12. Washington State represents t he league’s best hope for a playoff spot, but it didn’t help the league’s strength of schedule when Washington, Oregon and Colorado lost. The upsets called into question t he Pac-12’ s chances for a spot in one of the two semifinals. Northwestern climbs to the top of the wild Big Ten West. While Michigan and Ohio State appear to be the favorites in the East, the other side of the conference has been a mystery after Wisconsin and Iowa stumbled. The Wildcats are clearly playing the best football in the West. Notre Dame continues to thrive on the road. The Irish dismantled Navy for their eighth straight win and third away from Notre Dame Stadium. Brian Kelly’s team has to continue to play well on the road with games at Northwestern, against Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and at USC. Are there troubles in the land of Troy? USC’s 19-game home win streak ended against Arizona State. Coach Clay Helton is feeling a lot of heat, especially after his team, which was picked to win the Pac-12 South in July, has underperformed in an uneven performance this season.