The selection committee will prepare two more rankings, including the final set on Selection Day (Dec. 6).
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Clemson has six wins over teams with winning records this year, including No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 13 Florida State.
There is even an outside chance for two-loss Stanford, provided it can close with wins against Notre Dame and the Pac-12 South champion. Notre Dame and Stanford don’t have a catchy nickname for what has become an annual clash of powers, but the importance of their Saturday game is unmistakable.
Les Miles’ LSU coaching career twists in the wind, in the same month in which his Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Stanford vs. Notre Dame – Line: The Cardinal are the 3.5-point favorites; the total is at 55 points. Baylor jumped three spots to No. 7 after beating the Cowboys on the road last week, could climb higher in the rankings with a road win over TCU, and stay there with a win over Texas the following week. They looked good in their last two home games vs. Arizona and Utah. 2 – and it nearly collapsed late against the Horned Frogs.
If Michigan State were to win out, if would be hard for the committee to keep them from reaching the playoff.
How Mayfield’s injury impacted the Sooners’ defense allowing 22 second-half points to TCU’s “B” offense isn’t entirely clear.
The conference’s other one-loss team, Baylor (9-1) plays TCU this week and Texas on December 5. History is not on Notre Dame’s side though. It’s worth noting they dropped only from No. 6 to No. 10 after that. It’s immaterial that Iowa is No. 4 and Michigan State is No. 5.
Before taking a look at the rest of the teams in the conversation, remember that this is all under the assumption that the Spartans win this weekend and beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship.
Kelly this week said Notre Dame’s best argument is the Irish’s “strength of our schedule throughout the year”.
Here’s why: Navy is 8-2 against the Vegas spread and Houston has lost its last three ATS including last weekend’s outright loss to UConn. No team has more to lose in a rivalry game than the Tigers. Basically, the committee chose the easier way out this week by picking the undefeated team, knowing this debate won’t matter anyway.
The trophy has come down to a two-man race between Alabama RB Derrick Henry, the front-runner, and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. Clemson is also No. 1 this week by Associated Press and USA Today. There wasn’t much interest in shifting the order. Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer’s No. 2 Sooners were 9-1-1 and still had a game to play in the Orange Bowl against No. 4 and 11-1 Washington. Teams now ranked ahead of Notre Dame on the other hand, can.
The only now ranked opponent Alabama has beaten is No. 21 Mississippi State. They have two losses. More likely, it showed the committee was paying attention to how teams were playing – yeah, the eye test.
Teams that are lurking. The victory pushed the Bears up from No. 10 to No. 7 in this week’s poll. The Iowa and Michigan State slot will play itself out in the Big 10 Championship Game, right?
The committee comprises 12 people, so four is the minimum number for a re-vote.
North Carolina: The ACC Coastal Division champs have won 10 games for the first time since Mack Brown’s past year in 1997.
Just outside the top 4, several teams are vying for a spot in the playoffs. But Stanford’s hoping to get past Notre Dame, too.
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Despite not having to win go all out in this game, the Cardinal will give the Irish a run for their money and will make it a tight contest in preparation for their opponent in the PAC-12 championship game. So never say never until Tuesdays with Jeff Long shift to Sundays with the Real Rankings on December 6. Oklahoma, who jumped four spots to No. 3 this week after beating TCU by one last Saturday, could lose to Oklahoma State and then what happens to the Big 12?
