Cupcake Week lived down to its reputation as the top four in the Power Rankings (and the College Football Playoff Rankings) won by a total of 106 points. Alabama still looks unbeatable. The ACC continues to bow before Clemson. Notre Dame's 2018 North American Tour continues unabated. Michigan looks more like Bo every week.

That leads us to Separation Week or Rivalry Week (or whatever contrived title you want to use).

It features an Iron Bowl that -- for the second straight year -- Alabama may not need to win. Michigan-Ohio State meet in their annual good-natured contest. Not! South Carolina might give Clemson a game. No one has come within 20 of the Tigers since September. 

More than Notre Dame's season hangs in the balance at USC this week. If Trojans coach Clay Helton makes it to Saturday, his job will continue to hang by a thread.

Speaking of the Pac-12, Washington State holds the conference's playoff hopes in The Pirate's hands. If, that is, it can beat Washington in the Apple Cup. And oh yeah, Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia are all alive in the Big 12 race.

Biggest Movers
5 Fresno State
7 Syracuse
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Teams
  
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1 Alabama Tua Tagovailoa did indeed play. Nick Saban did indeed need him against The Citadel. After a 10-10 halftime tie, Tua became the school's single-season passing leader with his 31st touchdown toss. Iron Bowl next. -- 8-3
2 Clemson The thrashing of a very down ACC continued with a 35-6 over Duke. South Carolina next week before the ACC Championship Game against Pittsburgh. -- 9-2
3 Notre Dame That deescalated quickly. The Irish took control from the beginning in Yankee Stadium beating Syracuse by 33. Sore ribs? What sore ribs? Ian Book threw for 292 yards and two scores. It's OK to believe the Irish a complete, physical, elite playoff team. -- 10-1
4 Michigan Stubborn and physical Indiana was a proper prelude to stubborn and physical Ohio State. Michigan clinched a share of the Big Ten East for the first time since divisions were added in 2011. Now, Hate Week begins. -- 6-5
5 Washington State The Power of the 'Stache takes over. Gardner Minshew threw seven touchdowns late Saturday against Arizona. Mike Leach won 10 games for the second time in his career. Wazzu won 10 for the first time since 2003 and looks like a complete team. Check those defensive numbers. 2 8-3
6 Georgia It's about time someone calls out Georgia for its schedule. Austin Peay, Middle Tennesse, now UMass. Things get tougher this week with Georgia Tech, followed by Alabama. 1 9-2
7 Oklahoma Kansas scored its most points in a Big 12 game in eight years (40). Kyler Murray made it a discussion in the Heisman Trophy race by accounting for five more touchdowns. That about sums up OU's season. 1 6-5
8 UCF What a scene at Spectrum Stadium. Take pride, UCF, in showing the country your best said. Who said the Knights can't play defense? After a beat down of Cincinnati, part of the remaining drama will be if UCF breaks into top 10. That would be a first by a Group of Five team in the CFP Rankings. 2 4-7
9 LSU Cupcake Saturday, Baton Rouge-style didn't impress that much. Joe Burrow passed for a career-high 307 yards against Rice. A New Year's Six bowl is still a definite possibility. -- 7-4
10 Utah State The Aggies struggled with surprising Colorado State. Snow and freezing rain had a lot to do with it. A game-winning touchdown by the Rams as time expired was negated by an illegal touching penalty. 2 4-7
11 Ohio State Urban Meyer looks distressed. The defense continues to falter. Dwayne Haskins has been carrying the team on his back. There is your backdrop to the Michigan Week. Buckle up. -- 10-1
12 West Virginia That certainly stung. Taylor "Corn Dog" Cornelius threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 32 seconds left at Oklahoma State. Gone are the Mountaineers' playoff hopes. They now must beat Oklahoma on home on Friday to get to the Big 12 title game. 4 6-5
13 Texas You probably didn't see it (because it was on the Longhorn Network), but Texas beat Iowa State setting a rather easy road to the Big 12 Championship Game. Win at Kansas on Friday and the Horns are in. 1 10-1
14 Florida You know it's a good day when the first play of the game is a pick six. The Gators rolled from there over Idaho, 63-10, with another to clinch the game. Feleipe Franks threw three TD passes and ran for another. There was also a Petrino sighting -- Mason Petrino, son of coach Paul Petrino, threw a TD. 1 6-5
15 Washington Jake Browning became the Pac-12's winningest quarterback (37 career victories) in an easy victory over Oregon State. Now it all comes down to one the biggest Apple Cups in history. The winner takes the Pac-12 North and advances to play Utah in the conference title game. 1 6-5
16 Utah Utes clinched their first Pac-12 South title with a 30-7 win over Colorado. Might as well mention it: Kyle Whittingham is going to be a candidate for the USC job if it comes open. 3 4-7
17 Kentucky Hidden in a feel-good win Middle Tennessee's Brent Stockstill completed 30-of-33 passes. That's one of the most efficient performances this season. The Wildcats ended a two-game losing streak on senior day. 3 4-7
18 Boise State The MWC Mountain all comes down to the regular-season finale against Utah State this week. The Broncos have won (at least) nine for the fifth consecutive season and 12th in the last 13 with a 31-point beatdown of New Mexico. 4 10-1
19 Fresno State The Bulldogs clinched their division for the second year in a row and fourth time in the last six seasons. Surprisingly, San Diego State couldn't run the ball (38 rushing yards). 5 6-5
20 Syracuse Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth by Notre Dame. Or something like that. The Orange were run out of Yankee Stadium, 36-3. It didn't help that Eric Dungey was knocked out of the game in the first quarter. Tommy DeVito was sacked six times and intercepted twice. 7 8-3
21 Cincinnati The Bearcats had more than kicking problems. They had UCF problems. Coach Luke Fickell admitted "we've still got a little ways to go" after a 22-point loss to the Knights. 4 5-6
22 Pittsburgh Coach Pat Narduzzi told his equipment manager to go ahead and bring the ACC division-clinching swag to Wake Forest. Pittsburgh then backed it up with a three-touchdown win that clinched the Panthers' first ACC division title. The reward is a Dec. 1 meeting with Clemson. NR 7-4
23 Northwestern The Wildcats could have taken the day off against Minnesota but turned in a solid effort to move to 7-4. A rivalry game against Illinois awaits before meeting Ohio State or Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. NR 4-7
24 Appalachian State After a four-touchdown win against Georgia State, the Mountaineers play Troy in a winner-take-all game for the Sun Belt East title. NR 5-5
25 Army West Point Now the long three-week wait until Navy. After dispatching Colgate, the Black Knights are within one win of back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time ever. 2 9-1

Dropped out: Boston College, UAB, Iowa State