We are on the doorstep of a couple of very important weeks in the 2023 college football season. There’s just one week left in the regular-season and then the conference championship games before we get some tasty bowl and College Football Playoff matchups.
And while we are heading into Rivalry week, there’s still five Power Five teams unbeaten. Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington seemingly have the inside track on making that four-team playoff. Behind them, Oregon, Texas and Alabama are ready to pounce should any above them stumble.
The next couple of weeks will no doubt have some results that change where teams are and which ones have the best chances of getting into all of the fun. In fact, we know that Ohio State and Michigan will send a ripple across the landscape based on which team wins the 18th version of “The Game” on Saturday.
We like to follow ESPN to see what its “Playoff predictor” says about the teams that have the best chance to be a part of the final four, and that model has been updated heading into Week 13. Of course, we’re interested in where Ohio State lands, but we’ve also got our attention focused on the other teams that could impact the Buckeyes’ chances of making the very last, four-team version of the College Football Playoff.
Here’s a look at the teams that have the best chance of making the CFP and where Ohio State lands as we enter the final stanza of the season. We count down the top 10 teams from the least to greatest chance of heading to New Orleans or Pasadena.
9
Louisville Cardinals (10-1)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
<1% – (down from 2% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | vs. Kentucky |
| 12/2 | vs. Florida State (ACC Championship) |
8
Alabama Crimson Tide (10-1)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
14% (down from 28% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | at Auburn |
| 12/2 | vs. Georgia (SEC Championship) |
7
Texas Longhorns (10-1)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
19% (down from 26% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/24 | vs. Texas Tech |
6
Washington Huskies (11-0)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
38% (up from 24% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/24 | vs. Washington State |
| 12/1 | vs. TBD (Pac-12 Championship) |
5
Oregon Ducks (10-1)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
48% (down from 52% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/24 | vs. Oregon State |
4
Florida State Seminoles (11-0)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
56% (down from 69% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | at Florida |
| 12/22 | vs. Louisville (ACC Championship) |
3
Michigan Wolverines (11-0)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
62% (down from 63% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | vs. Ohio State |
2
Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
77% (up from 67% last week)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | at Michigan |
1
Georgia Bulldogs (11-0)
ESPN Playoff Predictor Chances
85% (up from 68%)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/25 | at Georgia Tech |
| 12/2 | vs. Alabama (SEC Championship) |
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