Baylor, which still plays two more games at TCU and home against Texas, could also possibly get back into the top four by season’s end.
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Iowa moved to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll (No. 5 College Football Playoff), taking advantage of the first losses by Ohio State and Oklahoma State to slip in behind No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama.
Clemson and Alabama remained the top two teams in the third-to-last committee rankings.
Oklahoma State’s 45-35 loss to Baylor dropped the Cowboys from fourth to ninth. If things go the Seminoles’ way on Saturday, they could potentially be the beneficiaries of a bump when either Stanford or Notre Dame (No. 6) pick up a loss this weekend. Saturday, the Sooners will try to complete the regular season with a win at 11th ranked Oklahoma State in a rivalry game simply called “Bedlam”. The Hawkeyes finish the regular season at Nebraska on Saturday before, as Big Ten West champions, an appearance in the league’s championship game.
There are still two weeks of important college football left to be played before the final Playoff ranking is released. If Oklahoma loses, it could be left out again as there is no conference title game for one team to stand above the rest.
One-loss Oklahoma also made its debut in the top four Tuesday, ranked third.
Clemson (11-0) and Alabama (10-1) held steady at No. 1 and 2, respectively. “It was more about the performance of Oklahoma and Michigan State against top-ranked teams”.
Stanford (No. 13 AP) has already secured its spot in the league’s championship game thanks to its win over Cal on Saturday. If Ohio State wins, the Buckeyes would have a real playoff shot, while the Wolverines would have an outside shot as a two-loss champ if they would win the Big Ten title.
Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) celebrates with Spartans running back Gerald Holmes (24) and Spartans quarterback Damion Terry (6) after their game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. An upset there seems highly unlikely, though there could be some concern in the ACC championship game against North Carolina.
It’s fair to think that undefeated Iowa could leapfrog Notre Dame into the No. 3 spot, but the Fighting Irish should retain their No. 4 ranking unless they lose another game.
Jim McElwain’s team really hasn’t looked close to a top-10 squad in recent weeks, but it keeps winning, so it continues to stay (and climb) in the rankings. Washington State (CFP: No. 20) 19. As such, an undefeated Big Ten team continues to be ranked over Oklahoma, a Big 12 team that despite having metrics superior to both Iowa and Notre Dame, suffered the worst loss of the group to 4-6 Texas. But so is Baylor’s meeting with TCU in Fort Worth on Friday, which could factor into the Big 12 title.
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How I see it: Ohio State’s chances of repeating as national champion all but vaporized with its lack of toughness and offensive creativity in the Michigan State loss. The picture will further crystallize this week, especially if Notre Dame can knock off Stanford. The Cardinal might be the best team in the Pac-12 and could walk away with the conference championship.
