ESPN reporters update College Football Playoff picks after SEC’s Week 11
By Keith Farner
Published:
Another week of relative stability among the top teams in college football left most predictions for the College Football Playoff intact.
The one subtle move was outside of the top four, at least for the ESPN reporters who make weekly picks. Ohio State still has the most votes for the fourth-place team, but Cincinnati and Texas A&M remain just outside the top four, waiting for a team to slip up. Cincinnati was on a bye this week, while Texas A&M used a third-quarter comeback to win at Auburn 31-20.
Ohio State and Clemson pulled away from Michigan State and Virginia Tech. The Tigers led Virginia Tech only 17-10 at halftime but outscored the Hokies 28-0 to close out the game 45-10. The Buckeyes got back on the field after a couple of weeks off and quickly found their rhythm. Justin Fields posted four total touchdowns, and Ohio State routed Michigan State 52-12.
The Crimson Tide wasted no time, had 35 points in almost no time en route to a 55-17 victory.
Of the 13 voters this week, Alabama and Notre Dame secured unanimous votes, while Clemson had votes from all but one voter. Ohio State had 11 votes, followed by Cincinnati (2) and the Aggies (1).
This week, Alabama gets Arkansas, Texas A&M faces Ole Miss and Florida meets LSU.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.