Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 14

Northwestern is going to fall out of the top 10 when the College Football Playoff selection committee meets to deliberate over its next rankings, but don’t expect the Wildcats to fall quite as far as they will in the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. The Wildcats lost 29-20 at Michigan State to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, but they remain atop the Big Ten West standings and remain the odds-on favorite to play for the conference crown in a few weeks.

Peyton Ramsey had a rough game in defeat, completing only 21 of his 43 passes for 210 yards and a pair of interceptions. The Wildcats backfield netted just 63 yards as a group, averaging 1.7 yards per carry. Northwestern’s defense held Rocky Lombardi to 11-of-27 passing for 167 yards and picked him off once, but were unable to stop a Spartans ground game that churned out 195 yards to spark the victory.

Pat Fitzgerald’s team now has to dust itself off and get back to winning ways. A trip to Minneapolis to face off against Minnesota looms in Week 14, and the Wildcats close out the regular season at home against Illinois. If they win out and reach the Big Ten championship game with a 7-1 record, they still have an outside chance of reaching the College Football Playoff this season.