Another week of college football is in the books, and it helped the College Football Playoff race become a little clearer.
We had four matchups between top-25 teams on Saturday: No. 1 Alabama downed No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 5 LSU outpaced No. 7 Florida, No. 6 Oklahoma outlasted No. 11 Texas and No. 10 Penn State fought off No. 17 Iowa — all telling games that will affect the Playoff race down the line.
MORE: Scores, updates, highlights from Saturday's top-25 games
Sporting News breaks down the College Football Playoff picture every week. Here is a look heading into Week 8 after "Separation Saturday."
College Football Playoff: Four in
1. Alabama (6-0)
Alabama took care of its business trip to College Station with a 47-28 win over the 24th-ranked Aggies. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa continued to put up big numbers, completing 21 of 34 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns. Not even his first interception of the season could sour a performance like that. The defense still has some questions to answer after lapses in coverage, and Nick Saban won't be happy with 11 penalties — but those are areas the Tide can address in the next few weeks. Alabama hosts Tennessee and Arkansas before taking a bye ahead of its Nov. 9 matchup with LSU.
2. Clemson (6-0)
Dabo Swinney's squad continued to steamroll through the ACC, this time flattening visiting Florida State 45-14. Trevor Lawrence had a pretty good day through the air, completing 17 of 25 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. The defense smothered another opponent, forcing three combined interceptions from Alex Hornibrook and James Blackman while limiting Florida State to 253 total yards. It wasn't all peachy, however; considering No. 19 Wake Forest lost a 62-59 barn-burner to Louisville on Saturday, the Tigers might not face another ranked opponent all season. They may need to stay undefeated if they want to make the Playoff.
3. Ohio State (6-0)
The Buckeyes took the week off ahead of their game vs. Northwestern, so their Playoff ranking is preserved. Ohio State still looks like one of the nation's most complete teams, but it should have some competition from Wisconsin out of the Big Ten West. The Oct. 26 meeting in Columbus between the Badgers and Buckeyes could be the first of a double-header this season if they continue their impressive play.
4. LSU (6-0)
We can already hear Oklahoma fans grumbling, but the fact is LSU and Oklahoma have a tiebreaker in the form of Texas. The Tigers and Sooners both have a seven-point victory over the Longhorns, but we think the fact LSU did it in Austin as opposed to the neutral confines of the Cotton Bowl gives it the edge over Oklahoma for now. The Tigers earned another top-10 victory on Saturday, upending No. 7 Florida in Baton Rouge. Joe Burrow was fantastic in that one, completing 21 of 24 passes for 293 yards and no interceptions against a defense that entered the game with 12 interceptions (good for first nationally) and 26 sacks (third). The defense also made some timely stops when it needed them, a good sign considering the challenge it faces in Tagovailoa and his receiving corps a month from now.
College Football Playoff: First two out
5. Oklahoma (6-0)
The Sooners remained static at No. 5 this week, but at least they know the Alabama-LSU matchup will eventually free up a space among the top four teams. Oklahoma had its own big win on Saturday over No. 11 Texas, which is better than its 4-2 record suggests. Jalen Hurts committed a couple of frustrating turnovers in the red zone but was impressive overall, putting up 366 combined yards and four total touchdowns. The real story out of Dallas, however, is the OU defense, which hurried and harried Sam Ehlinger all day and limited the Longhorns to season lows in points (27) and yards (310). If the unit can continue that level of play, then the Sooners will have their best shot at truly competing for a national championship.
6. Wisconsin (6-0)
Is there a more impressive defense than the one that calls Madison, Wis., home? The Badgers blanked Michigan State 38-0 on Saturday — its fourth shutout of the season — a week after the Spartans managed to put 10 on the board against Ohio State. Wisconsin limited Michigan State to a paltry 149 yards of total offense while notching two sacks, five tackles for loss and two interceptions. On offense, quarterback Jack Coan turned in an efficient, 18-of-21 day through the air for 180 yards and a score. Jonathan Taylor managed just 80 yards on the ground, but he did add two more touchdowns to his Doak Walker campaign. All that stands between Wisconsin and an unbeaten matchup vs. Ohio State is a trip to 2-4 Illinois.
College Football Playoff: Four to watch
7. Penn State (6-0)
Say this for the Nittany Lions: They have the most experience in grind-it-out games of any Playoff-caliber team this season. Penn State notched its second tough win of 2019, a 17-12 victory over No. 17 Iowa in Kinnick Stadium (where, you'll remember, it needed a last-second touchdown to win in 2017). Sean Clifford (12 of 24, 117 yards, one touchdown) will need to be better next week against Michigan, but the defense proved stout despite allowing 356 total yards. Now comes the time for Penn State to prove its Playoff worthiness: The Nittany Lions face Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota in their next three games, all before a showdown with No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 23.
8. Florida (6-1)
The Gators will feel the sting of their loss to LSU for a while, but they can at least take solace in knowing they're still in contention in the SEC East after Georgia's horrendous loss to South Carolina. Dan Mullen's squad isn't in the business of moral victories, but it should feel good sticking around with one of the best offenses in the country, and if it wasn't already apparent before, it should be crystal-clear now: Kyle Trask should be the man to lead the Gators through the remainder of the season. If Florida plays its cards right, it might get another shot at LSU in Atlanta. A Nov. 2 meeting with Georgia could very well decide who represents the East in that game. Speaking of the Bulldogs. ...
9. Georgia (5-1)
They suffered an inexplicably bad loss to the Gamecocks in double overtime on Saturday, which should raise some tough questions in Athens. Jake Fromm threw three picks while Kirby Smart made curious decisions in key moments. Worst of all: the kicking. The normally sure-footed Rodrigo Blankenship missed two of his three attempts on Saturday, including the attempt that would have sent the game into triple overtime. Georgia can't afford to dwell on that with big games against Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M looming. The Bulldogs can still make the Playoff if they win out.
10. Notre Dame (5-1)
The Irish advanced to 5-1 by beating rival USC 30-27 in South Bend, but the game was a lot closer than they would have preferred. They were outscored 24-13 in the second half and let the Trojans back in thanks to a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns. You can't take anything for granted in a rivalry game, but the fact Notre Dame let a mediocre USC keep this one close is less than ideal. Even though it won on Saturday, it remained pat at No. 10 because Georgia claims a head-to-head victory over the Irish.
