College Football Playoffs: Who Has The Best Shot At Winning It All?
Week 13 of College Football was an electric one. The top-ten teams shifted like ice on a hot day. #3 Michigan pummeled the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes as road underdogs and moved to number two overall in the College Football standings. #8 Clemson lost in a nail-biter to South Carolina. #1 Georgia struggled early on against Georgia Tech but was able to carve out a win in the second half.
A showdown in Oregon left the #9 Ducks winless as the #21 Beavers rallied back to take the victory. Unranked Texas A&M took care of #5 LSU as heavy home underdogs. #6 USC dominated Notre Dame to move up in the standings. #7 Alabama bested Auburn by three scores. #4 TCU destroyed unranked Iowa State. #10 Tennessee surprisingly shut out unranked Vanderbilt.
Leading Up To Week 14, Which Teams Are In The Top Four?
Sunday afternoon, the new College Football rankings were released. After Ohio State and LSU lost, all eyes were on that number four spot. The University of Georgia held its top spot as one of three undefeated, ranked teams. The University of Michigan moved up one place to number two after the massive win in Columbus. TCU, the third undefeated team, also moved up a spot; they now hold number three in the nation. The number four team in the nation was close; the University of Southern California caught the slight edge over Ohio State.
Realistically, Who Has The Best Chance To Win It All
Between Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and USC, many would expect Georgia to repeat. Georgia won the 2021 College Football National Championship, and the way they’ve played this season, they shouldn’t have any issues making it back-to-back victories. Last season, the #2 ranked Michigan Wolverines played the #3 Georgia Bulldogs in the semifinals. Georgia’s defense came to play and held Michigan to just two scores. Georgia won the game 34-11.
In the College Football National Championship, Georgia took on #1 Alabama, and similar to Michigan, Georgia held on to win 33-18. Georgia has never been an electric offensive team; instead, they sport one of the best defenses in the league. They limit the opponent’s offense and set up great field positions for the offense. If the top four stay intact after the division championships, Georgia might have their hands full with USC and will have to come out stronger on offense. Georgia is currently the top favorite at -155, Michigan at +290, TCU at +1200, and USC at +1200. The two other squads with betting chances are Ohio State at +1000 and Alabama at +3000.
College Football: What’s Next?
There’s still one week before the College Football playoff picture is clear, and there could be another shakeup this week. Starting on Friday, December 2, #4 USC will take on #12 Utah in the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. At the time of this article, USC is currently a three-point favorite. But here’s the twist, the last time these two teams played was this year on October 15. Utah beat USC 43-42. The game will be at eight pm EST on FOX. Will USC come back with a vengeance, or does Utah have enough game film and power to win again?
On Saturday, December 3, #3 TCU will take on #13 Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, home of the Dallas Cowboys. TCU is listed as a 2.5-point favorite. On October 22, these two teams squared off, and TCU came out with a ten-point victory. This game will be one of two games to kick off the Saturday championship games. The game will be at noon EST on ABC. Can TCU squeak out another win and move to 13-0, or will Kansas State be the team to mix up the top four standings?
Next, #1 Georgia will take on #11 LSU in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia is listed at an insane 17.5 favorite. These two teams haven’t faced each other since 2019, so this should be an exciting game. The game will be at four pm EST on CBS. Can LSU knock off the top dog, or will the Bulldogs extend their streak to 13?
Lastly, #2 Michigan will take on unranked Purdue in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Michigan is also a significant favorite, like Georgia, sitting at a 16-point favorite. Michigan hasn’t played Purdue since 2017, which is interesting. The game will be at eight pm EST on FOX. Similar to Georgia, Michigan also has an elite defense that should be able to halt any offensive advance that Purdue attempts. Look for Michigan’s ground game to run the table again and cash their ticket to back-to-back College Football playoffs.
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