Week 11 of the College Football season is in the books, as we're truly in the final stretch of the regular season. This weekend was a lot similar to what we saw last weekend, as we saw some truly shocking upsets as well as some of the best teams in the Country surviving close games that could have shifted the entire race for the College Football Playoff.
On Tuesday Night, the College Football Playoff committee will unveil its second Top 25 rankings, giving everyone a better idea of where everyone stands. After the upsets last weekend, the teams that were once in control of their destiny are now falling out of the race, allowing a few teams who looked dead to climb back into the picture.
These 12 teams have the best chance to make the College Football Playoff
Falling out of the race after last weekend are the Memphis Tigers, who lost to Tulane, Virginia, after suffering their first loss in league play, and BYU after their loss to Texas Tech. BYU has the best chance at returning with just 1 loss on the season, but they still have a pivotal game against Cincinnati remaining.
The Champion of the American may have the best chance of earning the Group of 5 bid, but the race for the AAC is truly wide open. The last few weeks have played out perfectly for South Florida as the Bulls are right back in the hunt as every unbeaten team has fallen while Memphis has two losses, taking a tiebreaker out of the equation.
While everyone has had their eye on the teams in the AAC, James Madison has quietly given the Sun Belt a chance to make the playoffs. The Dukes are 8-1 with their lone loss coming against a solid Louisville team, which is among the best in the ACC. James Madison is almost certainly going to win the Sun Belt, while the American is still a battle, giving the Dukes the edge.
While it seemed like Georgia Tech blew a golden opportunity to win the ACC last weekend, this weekend gave them all the help they needed as Virginia took its first league loss while Louisville lost again. The Yellow Jackets are now in a great place as they'll face a reeling Boston College team before a big game against Pitt.
After losing their first two games of the season, Notre Dame has now won 7 straight games, bringing them right back into the College Football Playoff picture. After blowing out a solid Navy team last week, the Fighting Irish have a chance to beat a Top 25 opponent as they face Pitt. Marcus Freeman's team still needs to win the rest of the way, but if they knock off Pitt, Syracuse, and Stanford, is as easy as it gets to end the year.
Dan Lanning's team found themselves in a battle with Iowa in the rain, but Dante Moore proved to be the difference. Moore drove the Ducks down the field to set up the game-winning field goal, giving Oregon its best win of the season. The biggest concern for Oregon is health, as this team is playing without some of its best players, which it can't keep getting away with.
Kirby Smart's team survived a tricky test, as many put the Bulldogs on upset alert as they faced Mississippi State. This team is starting to round into form as they played an old-school style on Saturday in one of their most impressive showings this season. The final stretch for Georgia is far more difficult than most teams, as they face Texas this week before Charlotte and Georgia Tech to end the season.
This weekend, Texas Tech regained the pole position in the Big 12 with a pivotal win over BYU, creating a 3 way tie at the top, which they hold the tiebreaker. The rest of the schedule for Texas Tech couldn't be easier, as they face two of the worst teams in UCF and West Virginia, which sets them up perfectly to make the Big 12 Championship and the Playoff, as BYU and Cincinnati still have to play each other.
Kalen DeBoer's team survived the challenge of facing a talented LSU team with a ton of motivation after Brian Kelly's firing. Last season, we saw Alabama lose to unranked teams several times to derail their season, and winning this game is a sign of improvement. This weekend brings another big test as Alabama faces Oklahoma, which is coming off the bye with its season on the line.
Lane Kiffin's team got to add an easy one to their resume as they took a week off from SEC play to face the Citadel. At 9-1, the Rebels are practically a win away from punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff. With games left against unranked teams in Florida and Mississippi State, Kiffin's group should win both to make the Playoff for the first time.
Mike Elko's team continues to dominate every team in their path as they punished a Top 25 Missouri team. The Aggies only have 3 games left to play, and even if they lost both SEC games, they'll get to 10 wins and the playoff, as Samford is one of their remaining games. Mike Elko has done an incredible job turning this team around, as they're going to have a chance to have a truly special season.
Indiana faced their toughest test of the season this weekend as it found itself trailing Penn State with just two minutes left to play. Fernando Mendoza and the offense then showed who they truly are, marching down the field to win the game. Indiana surviving the game is important for their hopes of finishing the season unbeaten and making the Big Ten Championship, as they finish the season with two of the worst teams in the Big Ten, in Purdue and Wisconsin.
Every other team has been challenged this season except for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes continue to dominate their opponents. The defense has been absurd this season, allowing just 7.2 points per game, while the offense has all the talent you could ask for, scoring 36.3 points per game. Barring another implosion against Michigan, this team shouldn't even be tested until the Big Ten Championship.