Louisville Football: Predicting the Week 11 College Football Playoff Poll

We give our prediction at what the new top ten will look like in the new College Football Playoff poll and where Louisville football will be ranked.

Louisville football came out and destroyed the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles had one of the best defenses in the entire country, but Lamar Jackson scored a total of seven touchdowns and put the game away very, very early.

This was such an important win for the Cardinals because everyone wanted to see how they would respond after a close win against Virginia and a close win against Duke a couple of weeks before.

As much as we don’t want to admit Louisville needs style points in November, it looks as though that is just what they are going to need.

Therefore, it’s a very good thing that the Cardinals beat the Eagles 52-7 on Saturday.

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It also helped that #4 Texas A&M dropped their first game since the College Football Playoff poll came out last Tuesday. I can garuntee you that every Louisville football fan was smiling when Mississippi State intercepted that pass to end the football game.

It is going to be a very fun and interesting last month of the football season, let’s see where each team will be ranked in the top ten going into week 11.

Nov 3, 2016; Ames, IA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Dede Westbrook (11) catches a touchdown pass in front of Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Evrett Edwards (4) at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

10. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)

Well, would you look who is back inside of the top ten. It’s taken them eleven weeks to finally get back into the picture, but the current Big 12 leader could be making some noise as we head down the final stretch of the season.

They were able to knock off Iowa State earlier in the week and improve their conference record to 6-0.

After losses by LSU, Florida, and Nebraska, I would not be surprised at all to see the Sooners back inside of the top ten on Tuesday night.

With that being said, the road to a conference championship is going to get much tougher over the next three weeks. They have to play #17 Baylor at home, #20 West Virginia on the road, and #18 Oklahoma State at home before it is all said and done.

Nov 5, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

9. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2)

The College Football Playoff committee came into week 10 by showing their complete confidence in the Penn State football team. After beating Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have moved up very far in the polls, all the way to number 12 in the country.

After another big win against Iowa, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Nittany Lions rise into the top ten teams in the playoff poll next week.

There isn’t a team on the Lions’ schedule that presents a huge threat to them finishing the season at 10-2. Neither Indiana, Rutgers, or Michigan State seem poised to take down Penn State in the month of November.

Again don’t be shocked to see them inside the top ten when the new poll is released on Tuesday night at 7:00pm.

Nov 5, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive back Tray Matthews (28) celebrates with teammates after the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

8. Auburn Tigers (7-2)

After starting the 2016 season 1-2, the Tigers have turned their season around and have won seven of their last eight games. They did barely beat Vanderbilt at home, but at the end of the day, they were able to get the win and that’s all that matters.

I don’t believe they will drop in the polls because of the committee’s obvious bias towards the Southeastern conference. If Louisville would have barely beaten Vandy, then we all know what would happen on Tuesday night.

Auburn still has a long way to go if they want to make it into the fop four teams before year’s end. They will have to play Georgia, Alabama A&M, and Alabama before the season is over.

If Auburn can finish the season 10-2, then they will be playing in the SEC Championship game in December.

Nov 5, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

7. Wisconsin Badgers (7-2)

Wisconsin has finally gotten through their brutal October schedule as they had to play Ohio State, Iowa, and Nebraska all in-a-row. They played okay against Northwestern, but you have to give credit to the Wildcats as they also played the Ohio State Buckeyes to the wire the week just before.

It’s a good thing for Louisville that the Badgers have lost two conference games because the three games they have left are against Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota. Those are three games that the Badgers will win and they will finish the season at 10-2.

It’s really unfortunate for Wisconsin because they have a great football team, however you have to win the games against the bigger schools.

Their only two losses are to Michigan and Ohio State, but as Cardinals’ fans are learning, the only way you can garuntee a playoff spot is by going undefeated.

Nov 5, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) breaks free for a rushing touchdown during the third quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. The Louisville Cardinals won 52-7. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

6. Louisville Cardinals (8-1)

Lamar Jackson and the Louisville football team did exactly what they needed to do against Boston College on Saturday. Jackson had seven total touchdowns and the defense looked very stout against former Kentucky Wildcat, Patrick Towles.

The Cardinals slipped to number seven in the country in the first College Football Playoff poll after being the fifth ranked team for a couple weeks in a row. Louisville is going to need a ton of help to make it into the top four teams by the end of the season, but it looks as though some chaos is already beginning.

Texas A&M losing to Mississippi State was huge in terms of knocking another team out of the playoff picture. Louisville has the best chance of winning-out because of their weaker end of season schedule, but they can’t control what Houston does on a weekly basis.

Look for the Cards to keep rising in the polls as these other teams still have tough games left.

Nov 5, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Mike Weber (25) runs in for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1)

Ohio State just played their best all-around game of the 2016 football season. They had #10 Nebraska coming to town and ran them back out of Columbus. This win gives the Buckeyes their second top ten win of the season and their third top fifteen win.

I wasn’t for Ohio State being ranked over Louisville last week, but after this performance, I can understand why the committee would lean in their favor. However, the Cards cannot control if the other teams win on their schedule.

This was a huge win for the Buckeyes as their only tough game remaining is number two Michigan in the last game of the season. Ohio State still controls their destiny because a win over the Wolverines would put them into the Big Ten Conference Championship game in December.

The Cardinals needed to Buckeyes to lose this one to the Cornhuskers, but we can’t worry about that kind of thing now.

Let’s hope that the Buckeyes come out and fall before the season is over.

Oct 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) picks up yards after the catch against the Oregon State Beavers during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Pettis had 112 yards and two touchdowns and Washington won 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

4. Washington Huskies (9-0)

I think that the Huskies will finally get some respect from the College Football Playoff committee and join the other four undefeated teams. They came out and simply destroyed California in the late-night game on the west coast.

Jake Browning has shown why he is the real deal at quarterback, but he still doesn’t compare to Lamar Jackson. Therefore, it’s not like he will threaten Jackson’s Heisman campaign this late into the season.

The Huskies still have a long way to go before they can be declared a shoe-in for the College Football Playoff. Actually, the Pac-12 hasn’t been decided yet as they still have to play Washington State before the year is over.

3. Michigan Wolverines (9-0)

Another week has come and gone with Michigan destroying their weak Big Ten schedule of opponents. Maryland had zero chance to knock off the Wolverines on the road, therefore this was never a true test for the very, very good Michigan football team.

Things are going to get a little more interesting for the Wolverines as the season moves along. They go to Iowa next week, then back home against Indiana, then back on the road to face off against Ohio State.

I don’t see Michigan dropping a game unless they somehow get beat by the Buckeyes in the last game of the season. The Wolverines have am extremely strong defense and a solid head coach. This team is built to last and should be cruising into the conference championship game.

However, I am not willing to say that they are a lock for the playoffs just yet.

Nov 5, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scores a touchdown on a quarterback keeper during the first quarter against the Syracuse Orange at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

2. Clemson Tigers (9-0)

The Tigers came out and absolutely destroyed the Syracuse Orange on Saturday afternoon. It was almost like watching the Louisville football team beat down Syracuse, but the Orange played even worse against Clemson on the road.

This was a huge win for the Clemson football team as they are now only one win away from clinching their spot in the ACC Championship game next month. The only two opponents they have left are Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, which won’t be easy, but they are definitely winnable games.

Unfortunately for Louisville, the Tigers are on a roll and it doesn’t look like they are slowing down anytime soon. The Cards had their chance of beating Clemson this season, but as usual, Louisville wasn’t able to won the one regular season game they needed the most.

It looks as though Clemson is going to be a lock for the College Football Playoff.

Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) throws an interception against the LSU Tigers during the first quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0)

The Crimson Tide came away with their most important win of the 2016 season as they were able to knock off the 13th ranked LSU Tigers on the road. This game was the epitome of why Alabama has been the best team in the country for the past decade. They were able to grind it out and find a way in front of a hostile LSU Tiger crowd.

The Tide go up against the Mississippi State Bulldogs next week, Chattanooga, then Auburn to close out the season. The game against Auburn should decide who makes the SEC Championship, but one might argue that a one-loss Alabama football team would make the College Football Playoff anyways.

With that being said, it’s probably better that Alabama finds a way to roll through the rest of the season and become the SEC’s conference champion.