The top of the college football rankings is crowded, and the pressure is only going to climb from here.
The teams sitting near the top may look comfortable for now, but the path to a first-round bye is still lined with land mines. Some of the biggest threats are obvious.
Others are waiting just around the corner. Here’s where the danger is most real for the sport’s top contenders.
Georgia’s toughest test is still ahead, and it comes on Nov. 21 at No. 17 South Carolina.
The Bulldogs have a ranked, desperate Missouri team coming to Athens this weekend, and they’ll likely face another heavyweight in the SEC championship game in a couple of weeks. But the Gamecocks are the matchup that jumps off the page.
South Carolina has won four straight, with victories over ranked Tennessee and Florida teams. LaNorris Sellers has been a major reason why.
The quarterback leads FBS with 400 scramble yards, and his ability to extend plays will put Georgia’s defense under stress. After the Bulldogs’ dominant statement against Ole Miss, any stumble would reopen questions and bring more attention to their earlier loss to Auburn.
Utah’s most dangerous game is this weekend at No. 23 Arizona.
Road trips after a big win have already bitten teams this season, with BYU losing at UCF after beating Notre Dame. That’s the kind of warning sign the Utes have to keep in mind.
Arizona has already taken losses only to the two ranked Big 12 teams it has faced, BYU and Texas Tech, and the Wildcats are trying to avoid a third. They can also light it up through the air.
Noah Fifita leads the No. 6 passing attack in college football, while Utah ranks 103rd against the pass. An unbeaten Utah team would survive a loss, but it would force the committee to take a harder look at a résumé that still doesn’t have overwhelming strength of schedule behind it.
Alabama’s biggest threat comes on Nov. 28 against Auburn. Kalen DeBoer’s team is in a strong spot after moving up to third in the playoff poll this week, and the Crimson Tide have three games that look very manageable: at Vanderbilt, against Chattanooga, and then the Iron Bowl at home.
Auburn’s season has been uneven, with SEC losses by 5 to Florida, 10 to Tennessee, 21 to LSU, and 30 to Ole Miss. But the Tigers also own the kind of result that keeps everyone honest: they beat No. 1 Georgia on the road after Georgia had beaten Alabama.
That makes Rivalry Week a little less predictable than it looks on paper. The odds say Auburn won’t be able to keep pace, but the game still carries spoiler potential.
If Alabama slips there, it would drop into a crowded SEC group of two- and three-loss teams fighting for at-large positioning. The committee has shown plenty of affection for the Tide, so they probably wouldn’t tumble all the way out of the top dozen, but it’s still not the kind of scenario they want hanging over them late in the season.
UCLA’s biggest threat is No. 18 USC on Nov.
- The Bruins have plenty of teams lurking behind them, ready to benefit from any mistake, and the committee won’t be inclined to give them much slack because of how soft their schedule has been so far.
UCLA’s opponents to date have a combined record of 36-45 (.444). The final stretch is much tougher: Illinois, Michigan, and USC have combined for an 18-9 (.667) mark.
That means every remaining game matters, and any slip against better competition could be costly in the committee room. Of the three, USC stands out most because of its passing game, which ranks 12th in FBS.
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Mack is no stranger to the role, having served as Alabamas primary backup and bringing previous game experience with him. For a team that has bigger goals than simply getting through one SEC matchup, the immediate question is less about who starts Saturday and more about how long the Tide may need to lean on that depth chart shuffle. [Read more 🡒]