College Football Playoff 2014: Latest NCAA Predictions After Week 13 Standings
The warpath to the inaugural College Football Playoff came to a screeching halt in Week 13.
Weeks of upsets, intrigue and tough tasks placed on the shoulders of pollsters everywhere evaporated as the top four teams in the nation took care of business in the face of various levels of competition to stay the course in the CFP race.
There are still plenty of one-loss teams in the hunt sure to move up in the coming weeks should any of the top names suffer a setback. But for now things seem to be in a holding pattern.
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It might just be the calm before the storm.
College Football Playoff Predictions
1. Alabama
Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Ride had it the easiest in Week 13.
Call it a well-earned rest, too.
One week removed from upending Mississippi State, then the No. 1 team in the land, Saban's squad got a rest with a matchup against Western Carolina. There, Blake Sims threw for a pair of scores, Derrick Henry rushed for two and Chris Black went for more than 100 yards receiving.
To be fair, though, the Crimson Tide were a bit sloppy in the early goings of the eventual 48-14 win, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:
It is hard to fault the Crimson Tide too much, though. The team was coming off a major upset and surely already has its eyes set on the Iron Bowl against Auburn to close the season.
Given what happened in the same scenario a season ago, the team can be forgiven for overlooking the Catamounts in the early goings of Saturday's contest.
2. Oregon
One week removed from a bye, the Oregon Ducks took care of business in emphatic fashion to play their part in this week's holding pattern in regard to the CFP.
Marcus Mariota and Co. welcomed Colorado to town Saturday and scored a 44-10 victory on the back of the Heisman contender's 323 passing yards and three scores.
As SportsCenter points out, it was a record-breaking day for Mariota:
"I couldn't have done it without all those guys in the locker room," Mariota said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "To me, it is what it is—a number. I'm sure another guy will come around in the next couple of years and break it."
So long as Mariota stays healthy, the Ducks can play with any team in the nation. There has been no November slump this time around. The Ducks got past Stanford and then took down Utah, a team that is more Stanford than Stanford this year, anyway. This is also the same team that easily moved past Michigan State back in early September.
The CFP spot for the Ducks has never really been questioned.
3. Florida State
For one reason or another, the Florida State Seminoles love to live on the edge.
Just take a moment to digest an eye-popping number provided by ESPN Stats & Info:
This time the opponent was Boston College. Jameis Winston threw for just 281 yards with a touchdown and an interception while the backfield behind him managed just 3.8 yards per carry.
As a result, the Seminoles needed a field goal from Roberto Aguayo with three seconds left in regulation to pull out the 20-17 win.
To be blunt, the Seminoles are an ugly team this year. The defense continues to give up in the neighborhood of 22 points per game, and the offense sputters based on the level of competition it encounters.
NC State, Notre Dame, Louisville, Miami and Boston College have all given the Seminoles problems this year. It stands to reason, then, that the Seminoles may struggle against others that qualify for the CFP.
Given the way the team continues to pull out wins, though, they should not be discredited. As far as CFP resumes go to get that foot in the inaugural door, the Seminoles are pristine.
4. Mississippi State
A matchup with one of the bottom-feeders in the SEC was a good way for Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs to get back on track after that aforementioned upset at the hands of Alabama.
On the way to the effortless 51-0 victory over Vanderbilt, Prescott was back in Heisman form, throwing for 193 yards and three scores with another 30 yards and a score on the ground.
All the Bulldogs had to do after the loss to Alabama to make the CFP was win the rest of their games. A win over Vanderbilt was a given, which leaves the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss to close the season.
While that will prove no easy task, the Rebels did just suffer a shutout loss at the hands of Arkansas. Then again, everything goes out the window when it comes to the in-state rivalry, so the Bulldogs' season will very much be on the line next Saturday.
A seemingly countless number of one-loss teams will be watching.
Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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