By Collin Stevens of The ROAR
Major upset wins, thrilling escapes, and stellar kicking performances in the world of College Football have caused some changes in the CFB Playoff Rankings for this week. Firstly, looking down on the rest of the field at the No. 1 position are the Georgia Bulldogs. Upholding a spotless record, the Dawgs moved to 11-0 on the season after a 16-6 win over Kentucky on the road. Georgia’s offensive production in the first half was reduced to a trio of field goals, while a 9-yard rushing score from running-back Kenny Mcintosh in the second half proved enough to put away the Wildcats. Moving on, the No. 2 and No. 3 positions have seen no change since last week. The Ohio State Buckeyes maintained their spot as the second seed with a 43-30 win over Maryland, while the Michigan Wolverines (No.3) narrowly escaped the clutches of the Fighting Illini. Fans in Ann Arbor were saved from disappointment by the golden leg of Jake Moody and a 4-field goal performance, including a game-winning kick with seconds to spare. While both teams have avoided a scratch on their record thus far, their rivalry week matchup on the 26th guarantees that only one team will walk away unscathed. While Michigan survived the week with a nail-biting win, few games could offer a more heart-racing, down to the wire finish than the No. 4 ranked TCU Horned Frogs win over the Baylor Bears. Sprinting onto the field with no timeouts remaining, a 40-yard field goal from Griffin Kell meant that only time would expire for the Frogs, not their playoff chances. Collectively moving up a spot from last week are the LSU Tigers (No. 5), the USC Trojans (No. 6), and Alabama (No. 7), taking advantage of Tennessee’s shocking 63-38 loss to South Carolina. Mighty Rocky Top toppled to No. 10 in this week’s updated standings, suffering the additional loss of quarterback Hendon Hooker (ACL), while Oregon slid into the No. 9 position ahead of the Vols.
As for Clemson, the Tigers (No. 8) jumped up a spot in the rankings this week after handing Miami a 40-10 beatdown in Death Valley. The Tiger offense was spearheaded by DJ Uiagalelei’s 227 yards passing and 2 TDs, not including 89 yards on the ground. A strike to Davis Allen put points on the board early, joined by a senior night snag from Luke Price for the second-quarter touchdown. Will Shipley carried the running back room with 61 rushing yards on the day and a score, while Jake Briningstool had 3 catches for 57 yards to lead the receiving core. Now at No. 8, the Tigers hope to make a play for playoff contention with a 10-1 record, eyeing teams 1 through 7 carefully should any of them leave the door open. Clemson is looking first and foremost however to rivals South Carolina, who look to enter Death Valley and dethrone the Tigers from a record of 7 consecutive wins since 2013. The Gamecocks, armed with a newfound confidence, will face a red-hot Clemson team to see who truly controls the Palmetto State this Saturday, November 26th at 12:00 PM.
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