No. 1 Mississippi State at No. 4 Alabama
The top five showdown in Tuscaloosa will have huge playoff implications. A two-loss Alabama (5-1 SEC, 8-1 overall) likely wouldn’t be able to work its way back into the top four, but undefeated Mississippi State (5-0, 9-0) could probably withstand a tough road loss if it takes care of business against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss afterwards.
After their trio of consecutive wins against top 10 opponents, the Bulldogs have played SEC bottom feeders Kentucky and Arkansas, and then beat up on Tennesee-Martin last week. Heisman candidate quarterback Dak Prescott continues to pace the offense, adding another three touchdowns in the win a week ago.
Alabama is coming off its biggest win of the season, going into Death Valley and coming away with a 20-13 overtime win over rival LSU. Other than a close loss, the Crimson Tide have been on a roll all year with the win at LSU preceded by a 59-0 rout of Texas A&M and a comfortable road win against Tennessee. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has been nearly impossible to defend, and he’s been at his best recently with at least eight catches, 80 yards and a score in each of his last three games.
Whoever wins should have the inside track to the Playoff, though it’s not entirely impossible that they both end up in the top four in the final poll.
No. 9 Auburn at No. 16 Georgia
Auburn’s (4-2, 7-2) Playoff hopes took a huge hit with last week’s home upset at the hands of Texas A&M, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier for them as they still have to travel to both Georgia and Alabama. The nation’s eighth best rushing offense had another huge day, running for 363 yards and four scores on the ground, but lost two late fumbles to squander any hopes of a comeback.
Georgia (5-2, 7-2) on the other hand is coming off of a dominant 63-31 thumping of Kentucky. The Bulldogs are still in play for the SEC East title, but can’t really afford another loss in their SEC finale against Auburn as they trail Missouri by a game. Nick Chubb has filled in for the suspended Todd Gurley just about as well as anyone could have possibly expected, as his worst day since taking over the starting role still featured 174 combined rushing and receiving yards and a score.
The Tigers have looked good on the road, with tough wins at Kansas State and Ole Miss. Though the Bulldogs haven’t lost at home, look for Auburn to come out with a strong effort to avoid consecutive losses.
No. 18 Clemson at No. 24 Georgia Tech
Clemson (6-1 ACC, 7-2) has quietly put together a six game win streak, and sits just half a game back of the defending champs in the Atlantic division. Though they don’t really have any notable wins, it’s hard to fault the Tigers for their two losses, which were at Georgia and in overtime at Florida State. The defense has been playing well, allowing 20 points or less in five straight but more than half of those were against teams currently at or below .500.
Georgia Tech (5-2, 8-2) has also yet to be truly tested, losing its only game against a currently ranked team a month ago at home to Duke. The offense has been heating up though, averaging 49 points over their last three games led by the nation’s third best rushing attack. Three Yellow Jackets have eclipsed the 500 yard mark on the ground, with quarterback Justin Thomas on top with 781 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 14 through the air.
Both teams need wins to stay in contention for a division title, but with both squads already suffering losses to the division leaders they may both already be out of play for that. Instead, the stakes appear to be the opportunity for the first big win for either side, as well as moving up a few spots before the final College Football Playoff rankings are released.
No. 8 Ohio State at Minnesota
With Nebraska-Wisconsin representing the only other matchup between two ranked teams, Minnesota (4-1 Big Ten, 7-2) has an opportunity to earn its way into the ranks if it can pull off the upset at home. At 4-1 in conference play, the Gophers also still have an outside shot at getting to the Big Ten championship game, but it’s difficult to project even two wins in their closing slate that has them travelling to Lincoln and Madison after hosting Ohio State (5-0, 8-1).
Still, the Gophers have looked good this year losing only a pair of road games including at TCU. Tight end Maxx Williams caught three touchdowns last week in the surprising 51-14 beat down of Iowa last week, and running back David Cobb is ninth in the nation with 1205 yards.
Ohio State is coming off last week’s massive 49-37 win at Michigan State, and now has a shot at sneaking into the Playoff. Quarterback J.T. Barrett had another huge day, passing for 300 yards and scrambling for another 86 with five total touchdowns. Leading the fourth highest scoring offense, which averages 46 points a game, Barrett’s 26 touchdowns through the air is good for a tie for fifth in the country.
The Buckeyes will have to try to avoid a letdown after the big win against the Spartans which could present a challenge, but look for OSU to keep rolling.
