Here is our updated College Football Playoff projected top four following Week 7 of the 2023 season.
We knew going into Week 7 of the college football season that there was going to be movement in the top 10 of our projected College Football Playoff rankings.
But the projected top four hasn’t changed from last week. Washington’s win over Oregon put the Huskies in the playoff picture and moved them up our rankings. Oregon and USC obviously dropped and it’s hard to say either team controls its own College Football Playoff destiny.
There is a lot of football left to play though. The chaos has only just started and here are our updated College Football Playoff projections after Week 7.
Top College Football Playoff Contenders (5-10)
- 10. Alabama: The Crimson Tide have a close loss to Texas. They have beaten Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Texas A&M in recent weeks which is a better resume than Oregon.
- 9. Texas: The Longhorns control their own destiny. Win out and beat Oklahoma and the Horns will be a top-4 team thanks to the win over Alabama.
- 8. North Carolina: It’s time to pay attention to Drake Maye and the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s toughest games left are Clemson (on the road) and Duke at home before a possible ACC title game matchup (for a playoff berth) with FSU.
- 7. Penn State: James Franklin criticized teams for buying out tough games and then played UMass. At least the Nittany Lions scored 60. They have also beat Iowa but we’ll find out about Penn State this Saturday at the Shoe.
- 6. Washington: If the Huskies won out, they would probably make the playoff, but they would need one of Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, or FSU to lose in my opinion, although Oklahoma’s resume isn’t as strong as Texas’s would have been.
- 5. Ohio State: The Buckeyes wiped away worries of an upset quickly on Saturday and blasted Purdue 41-9 on the road. Penn State will be a challenge, but I see the Buckeyes getting another top-25 win.
4. Oklahoma
The Sooners had a bye week following their win over Texas. Dillon Gabriel is a legit Heisman Trophy contender and the defense is back to looking like an OU defense. UCF is up next for Oklahoma and there are some land mines in the Big 12 schedule, but the Sooners should be a playoff team if they win out and beat Texas once again.
3. Florida State
Jordan Travis did suffer an injury in Florida State’s win over Syracuse which is concerning. It’s the second time Travis has left a game this season and the Noles certainly can’t do without their starting quarterback who has been one of the best in college football.
The Orange came in 4-2 and Florida State won the game 42-3. Travis came back in the game and completed 23-of-37 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. FSU ran for 191 yards. It also notched three sacks and two turnovers.
Mike Norvell’s team passes the eye test. Duke comes to Tallahassee the next week. Miami will come later in the season, while road trips loom to Florida and Pittsburgh. The ACC title game could be a de-facto playoff game but there’s still work to do.
2. Michigan
The Wolverines struggled for a quarter or so against Indiana, but it didn’t take too long for the boa-constrictor to end the life of the Hoosiers. U-M scored on eight consecutive possessions after punting twice to open the game.
Indiana did grab a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Yet, Michigan football responded with a 52-0 run. Michigan’s defense forced four takeaways, plus J.J. McCarthy is looking like the kind of elite quarterback you need to win a national championship.
1. Georgia
Vanderbilt made things a little nerve-racking for the two-time defending national champions in the fourth quarter. Yet, the Commodores never got closer than 10.
Georgia fans might be worried and some other teams might see the Bulldogs as vulnerable, but I’m not really buying it. Carson Beck is getting better and better.
When the lights shine bright, Georgia is at its best. Brock Bowers ankle injury was worrisome but he seems fine and as I’ve said, UGA is No. 1 until someone proves otherwise.