OR (8-3), 18. MS (8-3), 19. No they don’t. But they do control how they react to Tuesday’s disappointment.
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At least in the last two weeks, yeah, it has been. While the voters love them, it’s a risk they better not try to mess with. The Cowboys dropped to 11th after losing for the first time this season. It goes with the history of the program. They’re #3 right now.
No. 10 MI (9-2) needs MI State to lose to Penn State to have any path back into the conference title game. Big 12 championship and playoff implications, and a possible matchup of third-string quarterbacks.
It also sets things up nicely for the season finale against the Florida Gators, who came in at No. 12 in this week’s rankings.
MI: Still in the running, although barely.
The top 4 looks different this week as the Big Ten had a big shakeup with MI State knocking off Ohio State. Exactly how good? Who knows yet given the Hawkeyes’ weaker Big Ten schedule.
Iowa and Oklahoma both rose into the top four, but OU moved to No. 3. If it wins this game, many believe the Sooners will have a spot in the championship tourney.
“There’s going to continue to be movement unless you’re Clemson and Alabama at the top”, Herbstreit said.
With Oklahoma’s ascent to No. 3 in the CFP, the Sooners are conference champions and looking like a safe bet to reach the playoff with a win. Honestly, I’m not sure how they are ranked this low and would have them above Ohio State, Stanford and MI.
Unfortunately for someone, there are just four spots at the table, and only the pretty girls get asked to this dance. A two loss Florida team?
#14 North Carolina: Their resume doesn’t have near the power of the MI State’s, but beating Clemson in the ACC Championship would be a great addition. Florida State 14. North Carolina 15. The victor of that conference title game likely goes to the final four. Basically, the committee chose the easier way out this week by picking the undefeated team, knowing this debate won’t matter anyway. Still, they’re not out of it yet.
Need a look ahead to what the lines would be for the current College Football Playoff semifinals? Baylor also has a December 4 game against Texas (4-6) in Waco.
UCLA & USC: Very simple.
But a win over Stanford alone won’t be enough. The highest ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) also will receive a spot. “How they played in that game, the closeness of that loss is something that’s discussed”. In 2013, it worked so well they accidently found themselves playing for the national championship.
Temple (9-2, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) is coming off an impressive 31-12 win over Memphis this past Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. Just keep a one-loss ND team out of the conversation. A loss in that game would all but eliminate the Pac-12’s bid for a spot. The lone Irish loss has come by two points, to the top-ranked team (Clemson) in the country, on the road, and in a hurricane. That leaves one spot for the Big Ten champion, Notre Dame or some dark horse.
Should the favorites hold serve, this is the top 2 that’ll carry the College Football Playoff into New Year’s Eve.
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Western MI: Beat Toledo, and they deny them the chance to play for the MAC title. Think again. The Sooners’ rise to No. 3 and Irish’s fall to No. 6 this week is no guarantee they’ll stay there.
