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Post-Week 11 College Football Playoff Power Rankings

Joe Burrow, LSU
An important weekend of college football that featured two undefeated matchups helped further solve the CFB Playoff picture. Now over 11 weeks into the 2019 season, we have a clear list of contenders, and have eliminated most of the "pretenders". As we transition into the home stretch with less than a month of the regular season remaining, here is how I view the top contenders.

The Four
1 LSU Tigers
For the first time since 2011, LSU was able to down the Alabama Crimson Tide, coming out victorious 46-41 this Saturday. Not only did it give the Tigers a crucial win over a fierce rival, it earned them their fourth Top 10 win of the season, a resume nobody even comes close to. Now LSU gets three very winnable games before a likely SEC Championship Game duel with Georgia. With how many statement wins they already have under their belt, it isn't unreasonable to think the Tigers could still get a Playoff berth even with a loss there.

2 Ohio State Buckeyes
After a close win over Maryland in 2018, Ohio State didn't give them any chances this year, smashing them to the tune of 73-14. It was just the latest in a long line of resounding wins, but Ohio State's resume has actually taken some hits as of late that drop them to the No. 2 spot here. Michigan State was a quality win that has seemingly fallen off the map, and the Nebraska win keeps getting worse. The good news for the Buckeyes is that they still face Michigan & Penn State, both prime opportunities to bolster their resume and get the top Playoff spot.

3 Clemson Tigers
Even though they've lagged a little behind some of the other powers in the mix, Clemson still appears to be a near-lock to gain entry to their fifth straight Playoff. Following their one-point escape against UNC, the Tigers closest game has been a 35-point drubbing of Louisville. They will be heavily favored the rest of the way in the incredibly weak ACC, although it would have helped them if Wake Forest didn't lose this Saturday to Virginia Tech. The lack of quality competition inside the league hurts Clemson's likely seeding, but the Committee would still never leave out an undefeated reigning National Champion.

4 Oregon Ducks
The Pac-12 had a bad start to this college football season, but Oregon and Utah have both played their way back into the Playoff mix. Oregon especially is in a good spot, as their only loss was to Auburn, in a game where they outplayed the Tigers for a majority of the sixty minutes. The Ducks should be able to roll through their remaining regular season games (Arizona schools & Oregon State), but the Pac-12 Championship Game will be critical for their Playoff hopes. They have to hope Utah wins out and they are able to beat them convincingly.

First Four Out
5 Georgia Bulldogs
It may be easy to overlook a Georgia team that has lacked consistency for a big chunk of 2019, but the Bulldogs still remain a serious Playoff threat sitting in mid-November. They still own impressive victories over Florida and Notre Dame, with the opportunity to add to that list this weekend against Auburn. With one bad loss to South Carolina, the Bulldogs don't have a lot of room for error, as they will probably have to win out to gain entry back into the Playoff. In order to do that, the offense has to establish some consistency, although the top-notch defense keeps them in a good position.

6 Alabama Crimson Tide
Anytime Alabama loses, there is an immediate overreaction that the "Alabama dynasty is done" and "Saban has lost his touch". I don't think any of that is true, but I do think this Alabama team is in a bad spot when it comes to Playoff contention. Their best win is probably Texas A&M at this point, and the defense is a real concern, with injuries and inexperience everywhere. With that being said, the Tide are going to be in the hunt as long as Saban is on the sideline, and chaos in front of them could quickly move them back up.

7 Minnesota Golden Gophers
9-0 for the first time in over a century, Minnesota's resurgence has been one of the best stories of the 2019 season. Beating Penn State gave them a real signature win to point to, and they have opportunities to still add to that resume, as they still face Iowa & Wisconsin. Minnesota has a tradition of playing poor football against the Hawkeyes, so beating them this Saturday could really indicate this Gopher team is legit.

8 Baylor Bears
I put Baylor here at eight because its hard to ignore a 9-0 team that currently is the favorite in the Big 12 (especially with Oklahoma's recent problems), but the Bears certainly have some questions to answer. The offense has really struggled the past two weeks, needing a little bit of luck to overcome West Virginia and TCU in consecutive weeks, two teams that simply aren't very good this year. Playing Oklahoma this weekend will really tell us a lot about whether Baylor is legit, or has simply just capitalized from a breezy schedule. My guess is more of the latter, but getting the Sooners in Waco is a distinct advantage.

Just Missed the Cut
Utah Utes
Oklahoma Sooners
Penn State Nittany Lions
Florida Gators
Auburn Tigers
Michigan Wolverines
Wisconsin Badgers

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