Suddenly the committee is forced to re-evaluate which two-loss team is most deserving of a playoff spot.
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The Crimson Tide appears firmly entrenched at No. 2 behind Clemson. Notre Dame has beaten USC, Navy, Temple and Pitt – all good teams, but not comparable to the murderer’s row that’s faced down Oklahoma in recent weeks.
The reason that’s more important than TCU’s 16-point fourth quarter and the near-miss of an upset – or the fact the Horned Frogs played without all-star quarterback Trevone Boykin and receiver Josh Doctson – is that Mayfield didn’t play in the second half. But the Fighting Irish passed on him, and he ended up at Stanford, where he is the Cardinal’s all-time leader in wins as a starter with 33 – better than Jim Plunkett, John Elway, and Andrew Luck. After all, ask TCU about being ranked No. 3 the week before the final rankings last season.
No. 4 Iowa at Nebraska: Nebraska, the spoilers of the Big Ten, gets to host the fight for the Heroes Trophy. If one of these teams can notch a definitely win, they can possibly vault themselves into the Top Four conversation.
What if Penn State beats Michigan State, Ohio State beats Michigan and the Buckeyes beat unbeaten Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game? The Fighting Irish may have fallen out of a playoff spot for now, but they still have a chance of getting back in the equation. The Bears’ only loss is to Oklahoma and if Notre Dame loses to Stanford on Saturday and perhaps Clemson loses to North Carolina, Michigan ends up winning the Big Ten, or the Cardinal end up losing the Pac 12 championship, maybe we see two Big 12 teams in the final four. But look where Iowa (with a loss) and Ohio State is polling. Notre Dame has committed 17 turnovers this season is minus-four on the season, though nine have come in two games.
Help needed: All right, Baylor fans.
#7 Baylor at #19 TCU – This one is a tough one. Notre Dame is no different.
Ohio State at Michigan, noon, 6ABC: Should Penn State perform the Big Ten miracle and upset Michigan State, the victor here will be the Eastern Division representative in the conference championship game. Ohio State basically has no chance unless they reach the title game, and then they need help. Still, folks in the Big 12 have to feel a lot better about its chances of having a league member in the playoff this time around. Losses by those teams would assure the ascent, however.
In Les Miles’ 11th season as its head coach, Louisiana State entered November with an unbeaten record and a CFP berth squarely in its sights. The question is if two-loss conference champion Stanford could get in over a one-loss Iowa.
Oklahoma plays at Oklahoma State this weekend in a matchup of 1-loss teams. That’s the biggest obstacle, but far from the only one.
If the Hawkeyes get the victory over the Huskers, they’ll face one of three teams in the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 11 Oklahoma State: America’s hottest team, the Oklahoma Sooners are playing in its last game of the season since the Big 12 has no championship game.
Could Florida quarterback Treon Harris and the Gators miss out on the playoffs entirely even if they win the SEC?
The Cardinal also get another shot to impress the committee next week in the Pac-12 title game against either No. 23 UCLA or Southern California. Neither is Wisconsin, which Bama beat in the season opener.
The playoff committee finally gave Iowa a spot in the Top 4. Luckily for Notre Dame, the College Football Playoff committee seems to really like and respect Stanford. MI has the best defense of the three and I think Jake Rudock would be extra-motivated and could have a big game, given his familiarity with Iowa’s defensive schemes.
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#1 Clemson at South Carolina – South Carolina Clemson would probably need to lose twice to be out, but they could lose in the ACC Championship Game, too.
