The teams in the top four spots when the final rankings are released December 6 will compete in a four-team playoff December 31 for the right to play in the national championship game January 11.
Advertisement
Undefeated Iowa edges one-loss MI State.
Iowa was ranked ninth in the committee’s initial ranking on November 3 and then spent two weeks at No. 5, the first team out of the playoff, before ascending to fourth Tuesday.
Baylor, which is No. 8, and MI, slotted at No. 10, are the other two teams in the top 10.
That puts MI State and Notre Dame as the “first two out”. They will face SC in their regular season finale in Columbia.
There will be only three games in the College Football Playoff, but there are many virtual elimination games leading to it, including Saturday’s game between long-shot Stanford and short-shot Notre Dame.
Northwestern is the only other Big Ten team ranked, and comes in at 16.
What’s the highest No. 8 Ohio State could be next week? But did you see Cardale Jones against Alabama and Oregon? Committee chairman Jeff Long said the Notre Dame drop was mostly about impressive wins for MSU and Oklahoma (over TCU).
No. 7 Baylor (minus 1 1/2) at No. 15 TCU: A battle of third-string quarterbacks in the rematch of last season’s game of the year? The Hawkeyes have already punched their ticket to the Big Ten title game, and the Spartans just need to win Saturday against Penn State to clinch their spot.
The rest of the Top 10 was rounded out by Baylor (9-1) at No. 7, Stanford (9-2) at No. 9 and MI (9-2) at No. 10. Baylor obviously needs to be a one-loss Big 12 champion, meaning the Bears must beat TCU and Oklahoma State needs to defeat Oklahoma. The Notre Dame slight can be rationalized on some levels, given its sloppy, painful-to-watch victory over Boston College at iconic Fenway Park; but the snub of 11-0 Iowa makes little sense, given how the BC Eagles rank as one of the lowest-scoring team among FBS schools.
Another team having a rough second season in the Big Ten, Rutgers will be looking to just improve ever so slightly from this point on. The Buckeyes fell to MI State over the weekend, dropping Ohio State to eighth. Stanford 10. MI 11. Exactly how good? Who knows yet given the Hawkeyes’ weaker Big Ten schedule.
Advertisement
Or say you were Nick Saban, heading an Alabama team that has looked superb since a September stumble against an amped up the Ole Miss squad. Johnson entered Baylor’s win over Oklahoma State in the second half after starter Jarrett Stidham was injured. The Gators’ CFP dreams are alive, but I’m not sure they beat Florida State this weekend. Houston falls to 10-1 and now must beat Navy (9-1) to win the American Athletic Association West Division.
