Week 12 of the college football season saw one of the remaining one-loss, top-10 teams from a Power Five conference win on the final play of the game in overtime while another lost as its potential game-winning touchdown pass was batted down in the end zone.

Here’s what we predict the College Football Playoff rankings will look like in Week 13.

1. Alabama (11-0): Well, that got weird for about 32 minutes, didn’t it? The Citadel, which arrived in Tuscaloosa with a 4-5 record, tied the game 10-10 at halftime thanks to a field goal on the last play of the first half and it had a field goal attempt – which it missed – on the first possession of the third quarter to take the lead.

Alabama quickly showed why it’s undefeated and ranked No. 1 by turning The Citadel’s missed field goal into a five-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, followed by an 18-yard scoop and score by Anfernee Jennings on the Bulldogs’ next offensive play. The final score was 50-17.

 

2. Clemson (11-0): What started as a 6-0 lead for Duke after the first quarter ended in a 35-6 win for Clemson as the Tigers kept the Blue Devils out of the end zone and held them to just 3.1 yards per play. Despite his second-lowest completion percentage of the season, quarterback Trevor Lawrence still threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his touchdown-to-interception ratio to 21 to 4.

Clemson closes the regular season at home against South Carolina before facing Pitt in the ACC Championship.

 

3. Notre Dame (11-0): What was on paper a potentially challenging neutral-site game against a top-15 opponent turned out to be a near-shutout for the No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish. After punting on its opening drive, Notre Dame scored on its next three, taking a 13-0 lead that set the tone in its 36-3 win. Notre Dame is a win at USC away from making its first College Football Playoff appearance.

 

4. Michigan (10-1): The Wolverines trailed 17-15 at halftime at home to Indiana but dominated the second half to win 31-20. Running back Karan Higdon provided what proved to be the game-winning touchdown run as part of a 101-yard day on the ground.

Michigan now has to beat Ohio State in Columbus to clinch the Big Ten East and play for the Big Ten Championship. The Wolverines haven’t won in Columbus since 2000 and they’ve lost six straight against the Buckeyes.

 

5. Georgia (10-1): True freshman quarterback Justin Fields was Georgia’s leading passer and rusher in the Bulldogs’ 66-27 win over UMass. He was 5-of-8 passing for 121 yards and two touchdowns with seven rushes for 100 yards and a score on the ground. Georgia ran for 424 yards, averaging 9.2 yards per carry.

If the Bulldogs can take care of business at home against Georgia Tech next week, they’ll have the chance to make the College Football Playoff with a win over No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship.

 

6. Oklahoma (10-1): Kansas hung around in Oklahoma’s 55-40 win as the Jayhawks held a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter and cutting the deficit to 21-17 in the third, before scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter. Like a lot of the Sooners’ games, the performance showed an electrifying offense and a defense that leaves major questions. Oklahoma outgained Kansas 563 yards to 524 but the Jayhawks actually averaged almost half a yard more per play, including an average of 9.7 yards per rush.

Oklahoma is likely the Big 12’s last remaining College Football Playoff contender and the Sooners will travel to Morgantown in Week 13 to face West Virginia.

 

7. LSU (9-2): The Tigers wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a 42-10 win over Rice on Saturday. They’ll travel to Texas A&M in Week 13, when they can finish the regular season 10-2 and alone second in the SEC West with a win.

LSU is on pace to finish with its highest end-of-year ranking in the final CFP rankings after finishing at No. 17, No. 20, No. 20 and No. 23 in the last four years, respectively.

 

8. Washington State (10-1): The Cougars made a statement in their 69-28 win against Arizona in which they scored 55 points in a first half that included 311 passing yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Gardner Minshew II and a touchdown in which Washington State scored a touchdown on its own kickoff.

Washington State will have to beat Washington at home next week in order to clinch the Pac-12 North and compete for a conference title. There are two things keeping the Cougars from a higher ranking: 1) their 39-36 loss at USC in September 2) the lack of wins over teams ranked by the playoff selection committee.

 

9. Ohio State (10-1): The Buckeyes nearly saw their Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes slip through their grasp at Maryland on Saturday, when Terrapins running back Anthony McFarland rushed 21 times for 298 yards and two touchdowns and a pair of defensive stops on either side of halftime resulted in a 14-point swing in favor of Maryland.

But Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes’ high-powered offense threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns, while J.K. Dobbins rushed 37 times for 203 yards and a score, as they tied the game at 45 in the final minute to force overtime. Ohio State scored on the first possession of overtime and Maryland’s game-winning two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete to give the Buckeyes the 52-51 win. Next up is Michigan at home.

 

10. UCF (10-0): The Knights finally beat a team ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings as UCF beat No. 24 Cincinnati 38-13 on Saturday. The Bearcats scored first on a strip sack of UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton but their offense accounted for just seven points and they came when Cincinnati was trailing by 29 points in the fourth quarter.

UCF finishes the regular season at South Florida, then it’ll be the AAC Championship. Unfortunately for the Knights, it would take multiple losses from multiple teams ranked ahead of them – which is highly unlikely, if not impossible – for UCF to sniff the playoff.

 

11. West Virginia (8-2): The Mountaineers only trailed for 48 seconds against Oklahoma State but it was the final 48 seconds of the game as the Cowboys knocked off another Big 12 contender, 45-41. West Virginia is still in contention for the Big 12 Championship because of its home game against Oklahoma next week but it’s all but eliminated from the College Football Playoff after its second loss of the season.

 

12. Texas (8-3): The Longhorns kept their Big 12 Championship hopes alive with a 24-10 win over No. 16 Iowa State and they only have to beat Kansas in Week 13 to play for the conference title. Starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger (12-of-15, 137 yards, one touchdown; eight carries, 32 yards, one touchdown) left the game with a shoulder contusion, leaving backup Shane Buechele to replace him in the second half but he was also excellent – 10-of-10 passing for 89 yards and a score.

 

13. Florida (8-3): The Gators’ 63-10 win over Idaho was pretty much over in the game’s opening three minutes after Florida intercepted the Vandals’ first play from scrimmage for a pick-six, then forced a three-and-out, and scored on its third offensive play of the game. The game was so out of hand that even Florida’s backup quarterback Emory Jones was able to throw for 125 yards and two touchdowns after replacing starter Feleipe Franks (19-of-27, 274 yards, three touchdowns). The Gators finish the regular season at Florida State.

 

14. Penn State (8-3): The Nittany Lions were held well below their season average of 35 points per game but they also held Rutgers scoreless through the first three quarters in their 20-7 win. Penn State will close Big Ten play at home against Maryland, which proved against Ohio State that it’s no push-over, for a shot to finish 9-3 entering bowl season.

 

15. Kentucky (8-3): After jumping ahead 17-0 in the first quarter against Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky let the Blue Raiders back in the game, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 31-23 early in the fourth quarter. Kentucky added a field goal and held on for a 34-23 win. The Wildcats can pick up their ninth win of the season at Louisville next week.

 

16. Washington (8-3): The Huskies took a 28-3 lead against Oregon State and coasted to a 42-23 win. Washington quarterback Jake Browning was 17-of-23 for 242 yards and three touchdowns, while the running back duo of Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed combined for 211 yards and three scores on just 27 carries.

Washington has a huge opportunity in Week 13 at Washington State, where it can clinch the Pac-12 North with a win.

 

17. Utah (8-3): The Utes got off to a slow start in Boulder, where Colorado took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and the game was tied 7-7 at halftime. But Utah scored 23 points in the second half, while keeping the Buffaloes scoreless.

Utah finishes the regular season at home against BYU.

 

18. Syracuse (8-3): The Orange were nearly shut out by Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium and they would’ve been had it not been for a field goal in the final 15 seconds that made the final score 36-3. Syracuse only mustered 234 yards of total offense, averaging 3.2 yards per play, as starting quarterback Eric Dungey left the game in the first half with an upper body injury.

The Orange finish the regular season at Boston College, which suffered its own loss in Week 12 to Florida State.

 

19. Mississippi State (7-4): Arkansas might be the cure for the common offense. A week after getting shut out against No. 1 Alabama, Mississippi State scored a season-high 52 points against an SEC opponent after averaging 11.2 points per game in its previous six conference games. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald didn’t throw often (14 pass attempts) or for that many yards (127 yards), but he still finished with four touchdown passes. The Bulldogs travel to Ole Miss next week for the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.

 

20. Northwestern (7-4): Northwestern was actually a three-point underdog at Minnesota, despite clinching the Big Ten West in Week 11, but the Wildcats never trailed in their 24-14 win. Freshman running back Isaiah Bowser ran the ball 29 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns in a game and Northwestern won the turnover battle 3-0.

The Wildcats will host Illinois next week before they play in the Big Ten Championship.

 

21. Iowa State (6-4): The Cyclones saw their Big 12 Championship hopes slip from their grasp on Saturday in Austin, where they lost their third conference game of the season in a 24-10 defeat against Texas. Iowa State only mustered a field goal in the first three quarters and just 168 yards of total offense.

 

22. Utah State (10-1): Utah State needed Jordan Love’s touchdown pass to Aaren Vaughns in the final minute, followed by Colorado State’s final Hail Mary catch in the end zone to be ruled incomplete due to illegal touching, in order to beat the Rams 29-24. The win preserves the Aggies’ one-game lead over Boise State in the Mountain West’s Mountain division.

The two schools will meet in Boise, Idaho, in Week 13 to decide which team plays for the conference title.

 

23. Boise State (9-2): After cracking the CFP rankings on Tuesday, Boise State won its ninth game of the season three days later. The Broncos beat New Mexico 45-14 as quarterback Bretty Rypien and wide receiver Sean Modster connected nine times for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Boise State will host Utah State in Week 13 with a spot in the Mountain West Championship on the line.

 

24. Auburn (7-4): The Tigers shut out Liberty 53-0 in their final non-conference game of the season before they travel to No. 1 Alabama in Week 13. They say to throw out the records in rivalry games but it’s hard to throw out the Crimson Tide’s 11-0 record this season.

 

25. Pittsburgh (7-4): The Panthers clinched the ACC Coastal with a 34-13 win at Wake Forest, setting up Pitt to play No. 2 Clemson in the ACC Championship. The Demon Deacons held Pitt’s ground game in check as the Panthers ran the ball 47 times for 154 yards – just over three yards per carry – while quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns.

Pitt finishes the regular season at Miami.