Chaos Comes To The OutKick Elite 12 After Upset Saturday

I know some folks weren’t excited about the weekend slate of games that many complained would be a ‘dud’. Well, those thoughts went swirling down the drain as the college football world was sent into full-blown chaos, thanks to Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, USC and Louisville all losing on Saturday. 

What a phenomenal performance from Vanderbilt, as the Dores snapped a 40-year losing streak to Alabama, shocking fans across the country in the process. We are living in the Diego Pavia era, who is starting to remind folks of Johnny Manziel, but in a Vanderbilt uniform. A monumental moment for the Dores, which led to fans tearing down the goalposts, and then hauling them to downtown Nashville, dumping them into the Cumberland River. 

Speaking of huge moments, or letdowns, however you look at it. Arkansas beating No. 4 Tennessee in Fayettville on Saturday night was such a big moment for head coach Sam Pittman. As for the Vols, they looked like a team struggling to find an offensive identity, with Florida coming to town this weekend. 

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA;  Vanderbilt Commodores fans take down the goal post after an upset victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images

In the Big Ten, it was USC and Michigan dropping games on the road. Even though Washington was favored to beat the No. 10 Wolverines, it's still an upset. As for the Trojans, I have no idea what is happening with Lincoln Riley and this program. Not living up to expectations would be an understatement, as Minnesota capped-off the win, with a late touchdown on 4th down. 

Alright, let's take a look at our expert pickers, who obviously had a very tough job at putting together the best twelve teams in college football this week. 

Here is the list of pickers for each week's OutKick Top-12 Poll. 

• Clay Travis
• Trey Wallace
• Chad Withrow
• Jonathan Hutton
• Dan Dakich
• Les Miles
• Brock Huard
• Lou Holtz
• Tommy Tuberville
• Jeannine Edwards
• Will Cain
• Ricky Cobb
• Kelly Stewart

OutKick College Football Playoff Top-12, Week Six Rankings

The fourth week of this OutKick Top-12 is going to be a bit wacky, as our panel needed to decide which teams were worthy of being in the playoffs, after a wild weekend of upsets. 

Don't forget, the rankings include the conference champions, who make up the top-four teams in the poll, with each one getting a first-round bye.

We saw Alabama drop from first in last week's poll to now 8th in this week's total, while Tennessee is hanging on at No. 11, just on the brink of the playoff poll. Surprisingly, OutKick voters have moved Texas A&M into the Top-12, coming off the win over previously ranked Missouri. 

The OutKick, College Football Playoff Top-12

And how about Clemson? After that rough loss to Georgia in the season-opener, the Tigers have played their way back into the Top-12, coming off a win over Florida State, which isn't what we thought it would be, before the season started. 

Currently, OutKick voters have the ACC getting two teams in, the SEC getting five teams in, which is going to be tough to pull-off once the season finally ends. In the Big Ten, voters have three teams from the conference in this week's playoff poll, while BYU represents the Big 12. 

As you can tell, the at-large team is Boise State, which would be fascinating to see play-out, especially with how that Broncos offense is playing right now. 

How the College Football Playoff Would Look right Now. Voters Make Their Case

Ok, this is the most fascinating part of the weekly poll. Getting to see how each panelist voted on their Top-12 this week. 

Once again, I have to give credit to Dan Dakich for his pick of the Indiana Hoosiers in the initial poll. While we still have a ways to go, Curt Cignetti has his team at 6-0, and looking to continue making noise in the Big Ten, as all roads lead to the regular season matchup with Ohio State. 

The OutKick, College Football Playoff Top-12

There is a little bit of a split between Navy and Boise State for that twelfth spot, which will be fascinating to watch down the stretch, as the Midshipmen are currently undefeated. 

And let me just say that the Big 12 could turn into a crapshoot over the next two months. The OutKick poll has BYU as the conference winner right now, but business is about to pickup. The upcoming weekend is a perfect example, as No. 18 Kansas State will travel to Colorado for a huge showdown, with the winner getting a leg up, and not to mention the Wildcats could suffer their second Big 12 loss. 

Is Deion Sanders going to have his team ranked in the top-12 next week if they beat Kansas State? It's certainly a possibility, with BYU playing Arizona on Saturday. 

The OutKick, College Football Playoff Top-12

As for the SEC, Brock Huard and Les Miles had Georgia ranked first above Texas. We'll find out a resolution to this particular situation in two weeks, as the Bulldogs travel to Austin for a massive game against the Longhorns. 

So, take a look, soak it in, and then let me know what you think about this week's OutKick Top-12 playoff projections. Email your thoughts to Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com and let me know what you think. Also, don't forget about the College Football mailbag, where we answer your questions, and respond to your feedback. 

OutKick's ELITE TOP 12 Announced on Don't@Me

We've had the upcoming weekend circled on our calendars since the season began, with monster matchups across the board in every marquee conference. 

I don't know how it tops this past weekend of pure insanity, but I have a feeling it will live up to the build.