How much will the College Football Playoff Rankings change in Week 13 after light slate that featured more ranked teams playing NAIA opponents than FBS teams?
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Cupcake Weekend led to wins from all the top-10 teams in the Week 12 CFP Rankings, which may not change much in Week 13, if at all. Here are predictions for the Top 10 in the Week 13 College Football Playoff Rankings from the HERO Sports staff. Scroll down for explanations from each writer.
| A. Doughty | A. Coffaro | J. Churchill | J. Oxley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | 1. Alabama | 1. Alabama | 1. Alabama |
| 2. Clemson | 2. Miami (FL) | 2. Clemson | 2. Clemson |
| 3. Miami (FL) | 3. Clemson | 3. Oklahoma | 3. Miami (FL) |
| 4. Oklahoma | 4. Wisconsin | 4. Miami (FL) | 4. Oklahoma |
| 5. Wisconsin | 5. Oklahoma | 5. Wisconsin | 5. Wisconsin |
| 6. Auburn | 6. Auburn | 6. Auburn | 6. Auburn |
| 7. Georgia | 7. Georgia | 7. Georgia | 7. Georgia |
| 8. Notre Dame | 8. Notre Dame | 8. Notre Dame | 8. Notre Dame |
| 9. Ohio State | 9. Penn State | 9. Ohio State | 9. Ohio State |
| 10. Penn State | 10. USC | 10. Penn State | 10. USC |
Andrew Doughty: Last week I wrote about the possibility of the entire CFP Top 10 remaining the same for the first time ever. There were no Week 13 results that should change a single top-10 spot.
While Alabama, Clemson and others should get zero credit for beating teams they have no business playing, their cupcake opponents won't negatively impact their respective spots from Week 12 to Week 13. Wisconsin was the only team to defeat a good team, though the Badgers victory isn't enough to bump them into the top four — for now.
Andy Coffaro: While I’m ranking Miami second behind the clear No. 1, Alabama, the Hurricanes still make me nervous after close calls with Florida State, Syracuse, and North Carolina the past two months — not to mention falling behind 28-14 at home to Virginia in the third quarter on Saturday. I also dropped Ohio State out of my top 10 as that road loss to Iowa looks even worse after the Hawkeyes lost to Purdue at Kinnick Stadium yesterday.
Jason Churchill: The only movement in the top-10 rankings is Miami dropping one spot following an ugly win over a very mediocre Virginia team. They are replaced at No. 3 by Oklahoma, and while the Sooners shouldn't been credited for beating Kansas, the Hurricanes' poor performance is worthy of a slight drop.
Jim Oxley: Cupcake Weekend did little to make anyone's case for improvement in the College Football Playoff rankings. Only No. 5 Wisconsin played a ranked team, but the committee likely won't move the Badgers up into the top four until someone trips up or the Badgers finish with an undefeated record and a Big Ten title.
The only change in the top 10 I predict is USC moving up a spot, jumping Penn State for the No. 10 position. The Trojans took down an upset-minded UCLA while Penn State struggled a bit at home against Nebraska, getting into a track meet in a 56-44 win.
