TCU Horned Frogs

Feldman's Top 10: Spartans deserve playoff spot if they beat Iowa

Published Nov. 29, 2015 2:47 a.m. ET

Bruce Feldman

Editor's note: Each week, Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel will break down their top-10 teams based on the most recent slate of games. Here are Feldman's rankings after Week 13:

1. Clemson (12-0): The Tigers are unbeaten, have a fast D and a terrific QB. They also have two good wins on their resume over ND and FSU.

2. Alabama (11-1): Derrick Henry is rampaging his way to the Heisman, leading a power run game to go with a fierce defensive front. ’Bama still doesn’t have any W's over top-20 teams right now, but it has been mauling a bunch of decent teams.

3. Oklahoma (11-1): The hottest team in the country, OU is playing really well on both sides of the ball, blasting archrival OSU by 35 on the road Saturday night. Lincoln Riley’s offense has kicked into another gear since the Texas loss, averaging 300 rushing yards per game.

4. Iowa (12-0): Beating MSU next week would be the Hawkeyes' best win although crushing a 10-2 Northwestern by 30 at NU is good, too.

5. Michigan State (11-1): If Mark Dantonio’s team can beat Iowa next week, it should be in the playoff. MSU already has a road win over Ohio State and beaten Oregon with Vernon Adams and won at Michigan.

6. Ohio State (11-1): Finally, the Buckeyes delivered an impressive performance against a good team, thumping archrival Michigan on the road.

7. Stanford (10-2): The Cardinal rallied to beat a very good ND team thanks to some superb play from QB Kevin Hogan.

8. North Carolina (11-1): One of the only teams in the top 20 in both offense and defense nationally. The Tar Heels seem to have come a long way from their opening-night clunker against a bad South Carolina team.

9. TCU (10-2): As banged up as any team in the country but coach Gary Patterson still found a way to beat Baylor and get to 10 wins.

10. Notre Dame (10-2): No big wins, but ND has had two last-second road losses to very good teams.

Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FS1. He is also a New York Times best-selling author. His new book, “The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks,” came out in October 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB and Facebook.