Oklahoma and Iowa crack top four in latest College Football Playoff rankings

The top two teams in the country remained the same – Clemson at No. 1 and Alabama at No. 2. This was the game that everyone had circled on their calendars before the season began, thinking it would feature two unbeaten teams playing the de facto Big 12 title game.

Iowa was ranked ninth in the committee’s initial ranking on November 3 and then spent two weeks at No. 5, the first team out of the playoff, before ascending to fourth Tuesday.

The team that wants this game the most will come out the victor and reap the awards that are waiting, and you can be assured that Oklahoma State believes it will rain on the Sooners’ parade (no pun intended, given that the forecast is for rainy and cold conditions).

This Saturday, Oklahoma travels to No. 11 Oklahoma State and Notre Dame plays at No. 9 Stanford. Oklahoma (10-1), 4. Iowa (11-0), 5.

What are the big things to take away from the fourth installment of the College Football Playoff rankings? Oklahoma – which lost to Texas, which Notre Dame beat by 35 – could lose at Oklahoma State. Ohio State now sits at No. 8 in the polls with a matchup against No. 10 MI looming in Ann Arbor. The Spartans were one spot ahead of Mississippi State heading into Championship Week and both teams were left out of their respective conference title matches.

Florida would be a two-loss SEC champ. While Oklahoma State fell out of the top 10 this week, a win over the arch rival Sooners could serve as a shot in the arm while dashing any hopes Oklahoma has of vying for a national title. The Pac-12 cannibalized itself weeks before the Big-12’s dodge ball elimination tournament started adding L’s to everyone’s ledger.

MI State plays Penn State on Saturday and Iowa is at Nebraska on Friday. Oklahoma is at Oklahoma State on Saturday with a chance to win the Big 12. Following the Mids and rounding out the top 20 areNorthwestern, Oregon, Ole Miss, TCU and Washington State.

If they were held today based on the current ranking, Clemson would meet Iowa in the Orange Bowl, and Alabama would face Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. “I would like to think that our team has been prepared mentally for, at any time, whether it’s a big win or a disappointing loss – you have to get ready to go to work on Sunday”. After defeating the Midshipmen 41-24, Notre Dame has watched Navy go undefeated since, compiling a 9-1 record. MI (9-2, Big Ten) 11. Then if Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma. The Hawkeyes lost a top-25 win when Wisconsin dropped from the rankings; plus, they have only beaten No. 16 Northwestern. But without a conference championship game, the Spartans could probably do the same like when Ohio State jumped Baylor and TCU a year ago. TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (3-0): Jerome Robinson is another freshman who seems to be adapting to the college game rather well. With a win, they make a good case for belonging in the final four with wins at Tennessee, at Baylor, and against TCU. They need to beat Ohio State and for MI State to lose against Penn State, while also beating Iowa for the conference championship. Notre Dame has one of the most storied programs in the United States with eleven football championships acknowledged by the NCAA and seven Heisman Trophy winners boosting their resumes. However, the Sooners won both games against backup quarterbacks – just like Clemson’s two big wins over Notre Dame and Florida State-I-know-and-I-don’t-care-Maguire-really-is-the-No. Deyonta Davis will likely draw the responsibility of keeping Clifford off the boards, though the 6-10 freshman has proved to be more of a scorer than a stopper so far this season.