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2016 College Football Playoff Rankings: Predicting Top 4 Teams After Week 11 Action

By Jason Fletcher
Published on: 14:38 PST, Nov 13, 2016

Entering Week 11 of the 2016 College Football Season, the College Football Playoff Committee had the top four teams as Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Washington. No one could really argue with the committee’s decision as those were the last four remaining undefeated teams in the power five conferences.

Not anymore.

Week 11 featured some of the biggest upsets of the season and it’s going to completely shake up the committee’s rankings that come out on Tuesday. Clemson lost 43-42 to Pittsburgh at home on a last-second field goal. Michigan was upended by Iowa on the road 14-13 as that game also ended on a last-second field goal. Washington lost at home to USC 26-13 to round out the trifecta.

Alabama, on the other hand, defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 51-3, according to ESPN, to reinforce that the Crimson Tide are the best team in college football after 11 weeks. Only home games against Chattanooga and Auburn and the SEC Championship Game stand in the way of the Alabama Crimson Tide returning to the College Football Playoff for the third straight season.

Who would join them?

Here are my College Football Playoff predictions following Week 11 of the 2016 College Football Season.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide – Nick Saban’s defense could feature first-round picks all over the field and they’ve smothered just about every offense they’ve played this season aside from Ole Miss. With Jalen Hurts’ ability to affect the game with his legs and arm, and the Crimson Tide’s ability to run the ball, Alabama seems like a pretty safe bet to make the College Football Playoff in 2016.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes – The Buckeyes took care of business against Maryland on Saturday with a 62-3 road victory while the rest of the top teams in the country were going up in flames. Ohio State deserves to be here despite the team’s tough loss at Penn State a few weeks back, but the Buckeyes still have to get by the Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, and win the Big 10 Championship Game in order to clinch a playoff spot.

3. Clemson Tigers – I know the Tigers just lost to Pittsburgh on Saturday, but I don’t see how they can fall out of the top four with all the other teams that lost around them. The only team that could have an argument to jump in would be Louisville, but the Tigers beat them head-to-head and I think that means a lot. Clemson has a tough road game against Wake Forest followed by a home tilt against South Carolina and then the ACC Championship Game.

4. Michigan Wolverines – It wouldn’t completely surprise me if Louisville ends up in this spot, but I firmly believe that the Wolverines are the better team. Although Jim Harbaugh never likes to lose, Michigan is still in prime position to make the College Football Playoff if they can win their last three games: home to Indiana, at Ohio State, and then the Big 10 Championship Game.

As it stands, Alabama, the winner of Michigan vs. Ohio State, and Clemson seem to have the best shots of reaching the 2016 College Football Playoff. That being said, teams like Louisville, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Penn State, and West Virginia continue to lurk in the weeds should any of these teams slip up over the final weeks of the season.

As we’ve seen in recent years, there’s no such thing as a sure thing in college football and I expect that to continue to be proven true in 2016.

[Featured Image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]

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