TNJN’s Week 13 College Football Playoff picks

Here are TNJN’s Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings.

1) Alabama Crimson Tide

Although the result was more of the same from Alabama at home against Chattanooga, the Mocs didn’t go down quietly, and even led 3-0 early in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide cleaned things up for a 31-3 win, but head coach Nick Sabana was not a happy camper. The Tide were probably caught looking ahead to an Iron Bowl showdown with Auburn to end the season. Regardless, Alabama is still the undisputed best team in the country and won by 28 points in its most sluggish performance of the season.

Résumé wins: USC, at Ole Miss, Arkansas, at Tennessee, Texas A&M, at LSU

What’s next: vs. Auburn

2) Ohio State Buckeyes

Things certainly weren’t easy for the Buckeyes in East Lansing on Saturday. Michigan State gave Ohio State all it wanted and more in a gritty battle, coming up a two-point conversion short of its second-straight win over the Buckeyes. The snow slowed both quarterbacks, but LJ Scott’s 160 rushing yards are a concern considering the Buckeyes face a Michigan team sure to hit them with a heavy dose of runs. J.T. Barrett only threw for 86 yards, but Ohio State got past a team that has been a thorn in its side for the last few years. The Buckeyes need to beat Michigan at home to keep its playoff chances alive, but things get more interesting if Penn State also wins its game (and consequently the division) this weekend.

Résumé wins: at Oklahoma, at Wisconsin, Nebraska

What’s next: vs. Michigan

3) Clemson Tigers

After a lousy performance against Pitt at home, Clemson’s defense showed out in its 35-13 win over a pesky Wake Forest team. The Tigers held the Demon Deacons to under 200 yards of offense on the day, including just 71 rushing yards on 36 attempts. Clemson’s path to the playoff is clear — win its annual rivalry game with South Carolina, then win the ACC championship game.

Résumé wins: at Auburn, Louisville, Florida State

What’s next: vs. South Carolina

4) Michigan Wolverines

Things certainly weren’t easy for Michigan on Saturday, especially playing without starting quarterback Wilton Speights. John O’Korn completed just seven passes for 56 yards on the day, and the Wolverines had to climb out of a 10-6 third-quarter deficit. Head coach Jim Harbaugh says that doctors haven’t told him that Speights is done for the year, but if he is, the offense needs some help. The Wolverines’ schedule doesn’t get any easier this week. Michigan plays at Ohio State needing a win to clinch the division and a place in the Big Ten title game. A loss might just knock the Wolverines out of playoff contention.

Résumé wins: Colorado, Penn State, Wisconsin

What’s next: at Ohio State

On the outside looking in

5) Washington Huskies

What needs to happen: Washington bounced back from its loss to USC with an emphatic 44-18 win over Arizona State. However, the Huskies need a lot of help if they find themselves outside the final four when this week’s rankings are released. Washington needs Colorado to beat Utah to keep USC out of the Pac-12 championship game, then the Huskies need to beat the Buffs to have a chance. The Huskies’ biggest playoff obastacle, however, is the Big Ten. The Huskies will go as Michigan goes — because of the committee’s favor to teams with a tougher strength of schedule, it doesn’t look like Washington would get in over a one-loss Ohio State team if the Buckeyes beat Michigan but miss out on the Big Ten title game. However, if Michigan wins this weekend and wins the conference title game, Washington could slide into the fourth spot behind Clemson, assuming the Tigers take care of business the rest of their way as well.

6) Wisconsin Badgers

What needs to happen: Wisconsin’s path to the playoff is exactly the same as Clemson’s: keep winning and the rankings will work themselves out. If Wisconsin wins the Big Ten championshp game, it’s hard to imagine any scenario in which the Badgers are left out of the playoff. However, if Ohio State beats Michigan this weekend, the committe will have an interesting dilemma. If Wisconsin beats Penn State for the conference championship, does the committee pick a conference champion over a one-loss Ohio State team that beat Wisconsin earlier in the season? Wisconsin needs Michigan to beat Ohio State to set up a rematch in the conference championship game to avoid that situation.

Voters

David Bradford: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Clemson, 4) Washington, 5) Penn State, 6) Michigan

Chase Carder: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Clemson, 4) Michigan, 5) Washington, 6) Wisconsin

Robert Hughes: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Michigan, 4) Clemson, 5) Washington, 6) Penn State

Jonathan Johnson: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Clemson, 4) Washington, 5) Michigan, 6) Oklahoma

Dominic LoBianco: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Michigan, 4) Clemson, 5) Wisconsin, 6) Washington

Ben McKee: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Clemson, 4) Michigan, 5) Penn State, 6) Washington

Nathan Odom: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Clemson, 4) Wisconsin, 5) Washington, 6) Michigan

Quinn Pilkey: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Washington, 4) Clemson, 5) Michigan, 6) Wisconsin

Matt Raymond: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Michigan, 4) Clemson, 5) Wisconsin, 6) Washington

Danielle Whaley: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Michigan, 4) Clemson, 5) Washington, 6) Penn State

David Wilson: 1) Alabama, 2) Ohio State, 3) Michigan, 4) Clemson, 5) Washington, 6) Wisconsin

Edited by Dalton King

Photo by Rob Heller