Notre Dame’s leading rusher C.J. Prosise is doubtful with a sprained ankle for the biggest game of the season, when the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish play No. 11 (No. 13 AP) Stanford on Saturday with a college football playoff berth on the line. After moving to 11-0 with a 40-20 win over Purdue on Saturday, Iowa slid into the No. 4 spot in the selection committee’s poll, following mainstays Clemson and Alabama and surprise No. 3 entry Oklahoma. The No. 5 Michigan State Spartans need to beat Penn State in the season finale to make the Big Ten championship game.
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Long said Notre Dame’s slip was “more about the performance of Oklahoma and Michigan State against top-ranked teams … that combination of them (Notre Dame) not playing well the last couple of weeks, combined with both those high-ranked wins for both Michigan State and Oklahoma propelled them up there”.
The CFP committee will release another updated set of rankings December 1 before revealing the final and most important picks December 6 at noon on ESPN.
Clemson, who has been holding on tight to its No. 1 ranking for a month now, could lose to No. 14 North Carolina in the ACC championship next week and hey, maybe the Tar Heels all of the sudden become one of the best four teams in the country? Ohio State will need a lot of help to reach the playoff for the second straight year, though – beating Michigan (handily) and Penn State knocking off Michigan State this Saturday is a good start. 500 or better records vaulted the Sooners to No. 3. Look great against No. 9 Stanford on the road, and it’s Game On again.
Irish head coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday that Notre Dame believes it will be in the College Football Playoff if it wins at Stanford. McCaffrey is one of the most electrifying players in college football, a modern-day Reggie Bush, with the No. 5, versatility and Heisman-caliber resume to match the former Trojan.
Stanford, meanwhile, will enter the game having clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game by virtue of its 35-22 win over California.
But what if North Carolina beats NC State and beats Clemson?
The Spartans’ road victory at MI took some luck; their win at Ohio State did not.
Oklahoma, Michigan State, Florida, Baylor, and others, as well.
Oklahoma (10-1) handled TCU and finishes the regular season at Oklahoma State, which is 11th in the CFP rankings. Iowa takes up the mantle of the fourth seed with only their Black Friday tilt with Nebraska standing between them and Indianapolis.
No. 10 MI beat the Hoosiers 48-41 in double overtime after the Wolverines tied the game on the final play of regulation with a 5-yard touchdown pass. Notre Dame plays at Stanford on Saturday; Oklahoma plays at Oklahoma State. “His focus is here at Notre Dame, and he wants to be here”. Following the Mids and rounding out the top 20 areNorthwestern, Oregon, Ole Miss, TCU and Washington State. Why Oklahoma up to No. 3?
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No. 19 Mississippi at No. 23 Mississippi State. The way things stand, if Michigan State and Iowa win this weekend, their Big Ten Championship matchup will send the victor to the playoff, for sure.
