The Hawkeyes (11-0) moved up one spot to No. 4 in the four-team postseason field.
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Iowa was ranked No. 4 and MI State was ranked No. 5 in the latest rankings.
Think about it: Last week, the Gators were comfortably stationed at No. 8; but that waterlogged overtime victory over Florida Atlantic obviously rubbed the Playoff committee the wrong way. 18 TCU at home last week and look to take a commanding lead in the Big XII with the Bedlam game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. From 16 to 20 are Northwestern, Oregon, Ole Miss, TCU, Washington State.
But after viewing Tuesday’s rankings shift, No. 12 Florida suddenly has minimal odds of vaulting eight spots in the coming days, short of fleecing Florida State and Alabama (SEC championship) by 30 points apiece over the next two weekends.
Not only would a Spartan loss to Penn State hurt MI State’s resume, it’d definitely end any Playoff hopes, as it would mean either Ohio State or MI would win the Big Ten East title and play Iowa in the conference championship game. 6 Oklahoma State last weekend.
The College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings of Week 13 November 24 results today were expected to prompt debate.
The Big Ten and Pac 12 have the most teams in the top 25, with five each. Notre Dame, the No. 6 team in the rankings, has a top-10 matchup with Stanford, providing an opportunity for the Irish to impress and do better to enhance their chances in the conversation for a Playoff spot. MI State (10-1, Big Ten) 6. Iowa (11-0, Big Ten) 5. A strong finish, and perhaps a Big Ten Title, along with some chaos above, could crack the door open for Sparty. Notre Dame (10-1, Independent) 7. The committee’s respect for Art Briles’ team gets clearer with each passing week, with Baylor landing ahead of No. 8 Ohio State, also a one-loss team. Ohio State (10-1, Big Ten) 9.
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Of course, the ACC’s 14 full-time members wouldn’t be too thrilled if the Fighting Irish somehow made the national semis and subsequently bumped a one-loss Clemson and one-loss North Carolina (the hypothetical conference champ) from the Playoff. Also, Navy can play for the American Athletic Conference championship if it beats Houston on Saturday.
