Look at the top of the polls and you’ll see a lot of the mainstays in college football.
Look at the schedule for week 13 and you’ll see it’s the “Little Guy’s” time to shine.
The three biggest games on the schedule will feature Indiana playing for the biggest win in program history at Ohio State, Army playing to keep its chances at a playoff spot alive at Notre Dame, and BYU and Arizona State playing in what is the Big 12 Game of the Year to this point.
I hope this is what officials had in mind when they expanded the College Football Playoff. There are only two weeks left in the regular season — three if you’re Army or Navy — and I count 17 teams that are realistically still alive for playoff spots. With the BCS, we were looking at three or four teams. You’d get maybe six with the four-team playoff.
Expanding the playoff was a great idea! It hasn’t devalued the regular season. It’s put a spotlight on a ton of games that in the past wouldn’t have gotten any attention. Again, yes, the Big Dogs take up most of the spots at the top of the polls. The new rankings come out Tuesday night. You know where a lot of the intrigue is? How many spots BYU will drop after losing to Kansas on Saturday.
Win or lose for Indiana, the Hoosiers will be the talk of college football leading into next week’s rankings. Unless Kansas beats Colorado.
We’re a month away from the first-round playoff games. I can’t wait!
The “If I Voted” College Football Playoff top 12
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Texas
6. Notre Dame
7. Indiana
8. Penn State
9. Ole Miss
10. Boise State
11. SMU
12. Colorado
First two out: Miami (Florida), Texas A & M
First-round byes
Ohio State
Alabama
SMU
Boise State
First-round matchups
Colorado at Oregon (winner faces Boise State)
Ole Miss at Georgia (winner plays SMU)
Penn State at Texas (winner plays Alabama)
Notre Dame at Indiana (winner plays Ohio State)
Week 12 Heisman ballot
1. Travis Hunter, Colorado DB/WR
2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB
4. Cam Ward, Miami (Florida) QB
5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama QB
Ranking the best of the Week 13 slate
1. Indiana at Ohio State
2. Army at Notre Dame
3. BYU at Arizona State
4. Pittsburgh at Louisville
5. Alabama at Oklahoma
6. Colorado at Kansas
7. Ole Miss at Florida
8. Texas A & M at Auburn
9. Ohio at Toledo (Wednesday)
10. UNLV at San Jose State (Friday)
11. Wisconsin at Nebraska
