Week 3 12-team College Football Playoff prediction: Alabama moving up after road win

After a relatively quiet week three, this week’s College Football Playoff prediction remains mostly unchanged. Most of the Big Ten contenders took the week off with Ohio State, USC, and Penn State all enjoying bye weeks. 

Top-ranked Georgia escaped Kroger Field with a 13-12 win at Kentucky, an ugly showing that caused the Dawgs to fall to no. 2 in the AP Poll. The Wildcats led for most of the game and almost pulled off the upset of the week, but Kirby Smart’s team got out of Lexington unscathed once again.

The rest of the playoff contenders generally looked impressive, beating inferior opponents by wide margins. 

The only major change in this week’s playoff prediction was flipping Alabama and USC. The Crimson Tide had arguably the best win of the week, taking down Wisconsin 42-10 on the road, while the Trojans didn’t play. 

I also considered flipping Georgia and Texas, but Kirby Smart-coached Georgia teams always have a few clunkers and can still prove to be a great team down the line. 

Texas and Tennessee were both extremely impressive once again, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Even when it had to go to backup quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns didn’t miss a beat. Meanwhile, Tennessee could’ve probably scored 100+ against Kent State and is averaging an absurd 63.7 points per game. 

I now have SEC teams in the top three at-large spots and four of the first five. Might sound insane, but the league has just been that good thus far and actually has six of the top seven teams in the AP Poll. 

I have had Kansas State as my Big 12 champion all season and, at least for the moment, the Wildcats validated my belief in them. K-State’s Friday night performance, a 31-7 romp over fellow Big 12 contender Arizona, was its most convincing win yet. They will still have to go through Oklahoma State and perhaps Utah in the conference title game, but Avery Johnson and company look good. 

I still don’t see anyone in the ACC who can beat Miami, but the Hurricanes’ dominance could be tested on the road at South Florida this week. 

Lastly, Memphis stays atop the G5 board after taking down Florida State in Tallahassee. The Seminoles aren’t much but a punchline at this point, but Memphis is a legitimate playoff contender that just added a road Power Four win to its resume. A mid-October game against South Florida could determine the AAC title and ultimately the final playoff spot. 

Oregon, Missouri, and Oklahoma State remain just outside the field for me, but will have plenty of opportunities to rise in conference play.