If everything goes as expected this weekend when conference championship games are played, the final four for the College Football Playoffs is set. Whether by a stroke of luck or just genius scheduling by the conference, however, the Big 12 has its “one true champion”, Oklahoma, and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
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While four of the top five teams will sweat out a conference title game this week, No. 3 Oklahoma will sit idle as the Big 12 continues to operate without a championship game. Our guess is that they only have a chance at Playoff entry if they upset Clemson and Alabama also gets knocked off. Two-loss teams Stanford, Notre Dame and Florida State occupy the Nos.
The rankings that will actually determine which four teams will play for a national title, and which ones are headed off to bowl games of a lesser stature.
Remember when Texas pimp slapped Oklahoma in Dallas and Ole Miss went to Alabama and did the same thing? Michigan State and Iowa are playing for a spot; the victor is a lock.
Clemson defeated its first six unranked Division I Bowl Subdivision teams by an average margin of 23.6 points. The second question is harder to answer as history shows it is difficult in the college game to beat a team twice in one season.
Defending champion Ohio State occupies the No. 6 spot. If not, if Alabama or Clemson lose, the committee will be faced with the unenviable task of choosing from three deserving contenders.
Next up for Alabama is the SEC Championship Game against a floundering Florida team. No muss, no fuss for a Playoff committee’s that has endured its share of criticism for the weekly rankings and Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long’s oftentimes confounding explanations. The No. 10 spot is a long way to climb, but it would be a better win than any on the Buckeyes’ schedule.
The Big XII, shut out of the bracket last season, looks like it may be the very first conference in the playoff this time around. The Big Ten had slotting for their bowls based loosely on conference standings, where the SEC would place teams in bowls to give them the best chance to win the games…but the bowls would have some input in that as well.
How Michigan State wins: Don’t stray from the plan.
While on the surface that single game might not seem like much, it really should be significant in the eyes of the committee. “It’s clear in Ohio State’s favor in the strength of schedule”.
The victor of that should have a considerable shot at the New Year’s bowl bid allotted the Group of Five, which is the tier of conferences deemed just below the Power Five.
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. Notre Dame (10-2), whose only two blemishes are by a combined four points to top ranked Clemson and seventh ranked Stanford, will certainly be left out.
Or maybe Clemson slips from No. 1 to No. 4, and the ACC doesn’t get shut out.
As a result of Stanford’s placement ahead of North Carolina, a Cardinal win would appear to eliminate the Tar Heels-regardless of the ACC title-game outcome.
The committee dropped Florida in the rankings after a close call against Florida Atlantic, and then dropped the Gators all the way to No. 18 after their embarrassing 27-2 loss to rival Florida State.
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For the record, the top five didn’t change from a week ago with Michigan State checking in at No. 5. If the newly minted Trojans coach Clay Helton can lead his team to Pasadena, he would’ve done more than just save the season.
