Week 11 has brought a clearer sense of how the College Football Playoff committee stacks the nation’s contenders, and it only deepened that understanding as teams enter the final sprint of the regular season. Indiana remained unbeaten by the narrowest of margins, surviving a scare at Penn State thanks to Omar Cooper Jr.’s acrobatic go-ahead touchdown that instantly became one of the season’s signature moments. Texas Tech, meanwhile, delivered the weekend’s defining statement, overwhelming previously unbeaten BYU in a top-10 showdown that turned Lubbock into a proving ground. Oregon battled through injuries and Iowa’s trademark defense to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive with a last-second field goal, while the ACC watched two of its top hopefuls, Virginia and Louisville, stumble at home in costly upsets. With Texas A&M continuing to roll, Alabama suffocating LSU, and Vanderbilt outlasting Auburn in a wild overtime thriller, the committee now has an even more complicated puzzle as the playoff race tightens with only a few weeks left. Let’s see which teams I believe are the most deserving to fight for spots in the 12-team CFP field:

1. Ohio State (9-0)

Result: Won 34-10 @ Purdue

Up next: vs. UCLA

2. Indiana (10-0)

Result: Won 27-24 @ Penn State

Up next: vs. Wisconsin

3. Texas A&M (9-0)

Result: Won 38-17 @ #22 Missouri

Up next: vs. South Carolina

4. Alabama (8-1)

Result: Won 20-9 vs. LSU

Up next: vs. #11 Oklahoma

5. Georgia (8-1)

Result: Won 41-21 @ Mississippi State

Up next: vs. #10 Texas

6. Texas Tech (9-1)

Result: Won 29-7 vs. #7 BYU

Up next: vs. UCF

7. Ole Miss (9-1)

Result: Won 49-0 vs. The Citadel

Up next: vs. Florida

8. Oregon (8-1)

Result: Won 18-16 @ #20 Iowa

Up next: vs. Minnesota (Fri.)

9. Georgia Tech (8-1)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: @ Boston College

10. BYU (8-1)

Result: Lost 29-7 @ #8 Texas Tech

Up next: vs. TCU

11. Texas (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: @ #5 Georgia

12. Oklahoma (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: @ #4 Alabama

13. Vanderbilt (8-2)

Result: Won 45-38 (OT) vs. Auburn

Up next: Bye Week

14. Virginia (8-2)

Result: Lost 16-9 vs. Wake Forest

Up next: @ Duke

15. Louisville (7-2)

Result: Lost 29-26 (OT) vs. California

Up next: vs. Clemson (Fri.)

16. Miami (7-2)

Result: Won 38-10 vs. Syracuse

Up next: vs. NC State

17. Notre Dame (7-2)

Result: Won 49-10 vs. Navy

Up next: @ #22 Pittsburgh

18. USC (7-2)

Result: Won 38-17 vs. Northwestern

Up next: vs. #21 Iowa

19. Utah (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: @ Baylor

20. Michigan (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: vs. Northwestern (in Chicago, IL)

21. James Madison (8-1)

Result: Won 35-23 @ Marshall

Up next: vs. Appalachian State

22. Cincinnati (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: vs. Arizona

23. Pittsburgh (7-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: vs. #9 Notre Dame

24. Wake Forest (6-3)

Result: Won 16-9 @ #14 Virginia

Up next: Bye Week

25. SMU (7-3)

Result: Won 45-13 @ Boston College

Up next: Bye Week