College Football Week 12 rundown

Jalen Hurts (2) makes a good run against Mercer.
Jalen Hurts (2) makes a good run against Mercer

College Football is winding down to the stage that conference title game opponents are decided. Alabama and Clemson are having tune-up games before their respective traditional rivalry games against Auburn and South Carolina, respectively.

Here are some of the scores from the College Football Playoff's Top 5 games with CFP rankings in parentheses.

(1) Alabama 56, Mercer 0

The Crimson Tide rolled over Mercer at home to improve their record to 11-0 against their FCS in-state opponent. Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) racked up 530 total yards and only allowed 161 from Mercer. The Mercer Bears dropped to 5-6 in their FCS season. Calvin Ridley of Alabama caught three receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Alabama's next game will be at Auburn (9-2, 6-1 SEC) in the traditional Iron Bowl game, with the winner to represent the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia.

(2) Clemson 61, The Citadel 3

Kelly Bryant (2) shakes off 2 Citadel defenders en route to a 61-3 victory.
Kelly Bryant (2) shakes off 2 Citadel defenders en route to a 61-3 victory

In another easy game, Clemson defeated in-state opponent The Citadel by allowing just a field goal in the fourth quarter. The Tigers improve to 10-1 overall heading into their traditional rivalry game against the University of South Carolina next Saturday.

All three Clemson quarterbacks on the roster threw over 100 yards. Kelly Bryant went 17 for 22, 230 yards and three touchdowns. Hunter Johnson threw seven for eight, 144 yards and a touchdown. Zerrick Cooper went seven for 11, 105 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins caught six passes for 178 and two touchdowns. Deon Cain caught five passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

(3) Miami, FL 44, Virginia 28

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Ahmmon Richards #82 of the Miami Hurricanes makes a touchdown catch over Juan Thornhill #21 of the Virginia Cavaliers during a game at Hard Rock Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Ahmmon Richards #82 of the Miami Hurricanes makes a touchdown catch over Juan Thornhill #21 of the Virginia Cavaliers

Miami, FL (10-0, 7-0 ACC) came back from two 14-point deficits to defeat Virginia 44-28 in a tightly contested game that ended with a victory for the Hurricanes.

Malik Rosier threw 15 for 28, 210 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. He added a rushing touchdown in the winning effort.

Miami's next game will be at Pittsburgh on Friday before they head to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game against Clemson on December 2nd.

Virginia head to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on Friday in their annual rivalry game.

(4) Oklahoma 41, Kansas 3

Kansas v Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners getting ready for their game

Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns in a clobbering win over the Jayhawks to improve their chances for the College Football Playoff and a 10-1 record overall with a 7-1 Big 12 record.

The Sooners' next game will be against West Virginia before heading to the new Big 12 Championship game.

Kansas dropped to 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the Big 12. They gave up 469 yards on defence in the loss while only coming up with 155 yards of offence. Kansas have lost 10 straight after defeating SE Missouri State in the season opener. Their final game of the season will be against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

(5) Wisconsin 24, (24) Michigan 10

Michigan v Wisconsin
Michigan's head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on as his Wolverines faced against the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Saturday.

In a hotly contested game in Madison, Wisconsin, the Badgers held off Michigan for their first ever 11-0 record in school history.

Wisconsin started the scoring with a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown from Nick Nelson.

Michigan's Brandon Peters had to be carted off the field in the third quarter after a scary hit from Wisconsin linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.

Wisconsin put up 325 yards of offence against Michigan's 234. They improved to 11-0, 8-0 in the Big 10 while the Wolverines drop to 8-3 overall, 5-3 in the Big 10.

Wisconsin's next game will be in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Golden Gophers for Paul Bunyan's Axe on Saturday.

Michigan have their traditional rivalry game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at home on Saturday.

Final take on this week's games

Look for a shakeup in the top 3. Clemson's schedule might give Miami, FL an edge, but would still put the two teams against each other in the CFP Semifinal in the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl.

Wisconsin's victory over a Michigan squad might have some leverage over Oklahoma's win against a 1-10 Kansas team.

A team's schedule would be a big factor in who gets selected to participate in this season's College Football Playoff.

There are four teams left undefeated this season, top-ranked Alabama (11-0), 3rd-ranked Miami, FL (10-0), 5th-ranked Wisconsin (11-0) and 15th-ranked Central Florida (10-0). Look for UCF to move up a few spots after 13th-ranked Oklahoma State's upset loss against Kansas State.