- Miami joins the 12-team field: The Hurricanes are the highest-ranked ACC team but still face an uphill battle to reach the conference title game.
- USF is the new Group of Six favorite: The Bulls replace Memphis as the Group of Six favorite following the Tigers’ loss.
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With only a few weeks left in the college football regular season, the playoff picture becomes clearer every week.
Before the games kick off in Week 12, here’s what PFF’s updated playoff bracket would look like based on our top-25 for the week.
Byes
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State took care of business with a 34-10 victory over Purdue. Heisman Trophy favorite Julian Sayin had another stellar performance with an 89.2 PFF grade and an 87.5% adjusted completion rate.
2. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana survived an upset scare from Penn State, winning 27-24. Fernando Mendoza led an incredible 80-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to win the game and posted an 87.0 PFF passing grade in the game overall. The Hoosiers are now 10-0 in back-to-back seasons in their first double-digit win years in program history.
Texas A&M continued its undefeated season with a 38-17 win over No. 22 Missouri. The Aggies’ secondary dominated in the victory, allowing just -0.864 EPA per pass.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama won its rivalry game with LSU by a 20-9 final score. The Crimson Tide’s secondary was lockdown in the victory with a 90.6 PFF coverage grade. Alabama plays in one of the biggest games of Week 12 as it hosts a top-15 team in Oklahoma.
First Round
5. Georgia Bulldogs vs. 12. USF Bulls
Georgia convincingly beat Mississippi State this past weekend by a 41-21 final score. Gunner Stockton was strong in the victory with an 80.5 PFF passing grade and three big-time throws. The Bulldogs will need him to play like that in Week 12 as Georgia hosts Texas in one of the biggest games of Week 12.
USF is the new favorite for the Group of Six playoff spot following Memphis’ loss to Tulane. The Bulls recently annihilated UTSA this past week by a 55-23 margin. Byrum Brown continued to look like the Group of Six’s best quarterback with a 94.3 PFF grade in the win. His 90.7 grade on the season is third among all quarterbacks in America.
Ole Miss shut out The Citadel 49-0 on Saturday. The Rebels excelled on both sides of the ball, averaging 7.6 yards per play while only giving up 2.1 yards per play. Ole Miss seeks revenge on Florida in Week 12 after the Gators beat them last year.
Miami bounced back from its loss to SMU with a 38-10 win over Syracuse. Edge defender Akheem Mesidor was unblockable in the victory, finishing with an 87.1 PFF grade with a forced fumble, two tackles for loss/no gain and two sacks. Even though the Hurricanes are our highest-ranked ACC team, they still face an uphill climb to make the conference title game as they’re seventh in the conference with a 3-2 record in ACC play so far.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. 10. Texas Longhorns
Texas Tech’s defense dominated in the biggest game of Week 11, beating seventh-ranked BYU 29-7. The Cougars only had nine offensive plays total in Red Raider territory, and six came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of hand.
Texas stays in the top 10 following its bye week. The Longhorns likely need to win their final three games in order to make it to their third-straight playoff, which includes showdowns against two top-five teams in Georgia and Texas A&M.
8. Oregon Ducks vs. 9. BYU Cougars
Oregon made a last-second field goal to escape an upset from No. 20 Iowa, winning by an 18-16 final score. The rushing difference told the story of the game, as the Ducks averaged 7.3 yards per carry — while the Hawkeyes only averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
BYU stays in the top 10 even after its loss to Texas Tech. The Cougars’ normally great offensive line struggled to hold up against the Red Raiders’ elite pass rush, posting a 31.8 PFF pass-blocking grade as a team. That was BYU’s worst pass-blocking grade since its 2014 win over Texas.
