“But I know as we stand as Ohio State here today, I feel like we are one of the top teams in the country, one of the top four teams in the country and I will take us against anybody”. The Irish went 3-2 against ranked teams, beating No. 20 USC, No. 22 Temple and No. 23 Navy by a combined 31 points while losing to No. 1 Clemson and No. 7 Stanford by a combined 4 points.
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The committee made the right decision to keep Clemson football at number one, but after hearing Long’s comments I’m not sure they will stay there.
Clemson has been ranked atop the CFP poll all along, and they figure to keep that spot if they beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship game on Saturday. However, a loss to the Tar Heels would drastically change the outlook for the Tigers’ season and could be enough to bump them out of the top four entirely.
Undefeated Iowa is No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings heading into Saturday’s Big Ten championship game against No. 5 Michigan State.
The Tar Heels will need Michigan State and Stanford to lose to jump them, and then Alabama as well as they hold the two seed. A win over USC gives the Cardinal 11 on the year, and an argument no other Playoff contender can match: They will have played a remarkable 12 Power Five opponents. Yet every team in the West got to play a down Nebraska team, down Purdue team, down IL team, down Minnesota squad.
The Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl will be either the loser of Michigan State-Iowa or Ohio State.
The reality is, by Kelly’s logic, Notre Dame also is three more plays away from being 7-5, something he didn’t mention but the College Football Playoff committee surely noticed.
Barrett and the Buckeyes took care of business last week against MI. Ohio State, now sixth, is the highest-ranked team without the possibility of a conference championship and appears to be the only non-champion with the opportunity to sneak into the playoffs.
It’s worth asking: Could Clemson get in with a loss? I knew Ohio State in August of 2014 had canceled a planned series with North Carolina that was supposed to be played in 2017 and 2018. North Carolina 11-1 11.
For Clemson, it is pretty simple: win and they’re in. Notre Dame, which lost a heartbreaker to Stanford last week, checks in at No. 8. However, the Sooners could slip to No. 4 if Iowa wrecks Michigan State.
Effectively out of contention after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Stanford on a last-second field goal.
Barring a major upset in the ACC and/or SEC title games, the Big 10 championship is going to determine the fourth playoff team. Alabama (11-1), 3. Oklahoma (11-1), 4. Even if they are aware that they are 0-9 against AP No. 1 teams in school history.
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Should North Carolina complete the unlikely, and Florida achieve the seemingly impossible, the Playoff committee better have plenty of Excedrin on hand, though.
