Michigan State and Oklahoma are surging while Notre

But the interesting thing to note is that Alabama has defeated only one now ranked Top 25 team (Mississippi State).

Notre Dame is fourth and Oklahoma is fifth.

The Irish’s biggest “victory” this year was a two-point loss at No. 1 Clemson during a tropical storm. Losers of its last four, and six of its last seven, the Gamecocks don’t present a spoiler threat to the Tigers. The Big Ten is all over the playoff rankings. Auburn’s been a mega-disappointment this season, but this is rivalry week.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide might have the nation’s top defense.

What better way to build up to Florida -Florida State. Notre Dame can’t control the result of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game, nor can it exact any influence on getting some chaos in the Big Ten (think Penn State beating MI State and MI beating Ohio State) which could make that No. 6 slot a temporary one.

The Sooners have road wins over Tennessee and Baylor plus a home win over TCU. While Oklahoma State would climb in the rankings, maybe even to the point they pass the Spartans this weekend, MSU could get an opportunity to return the favor with a win over a potentially undefeated Iowa.

So here we are, with Bedlam approaching and the only seeming obstacle being a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately perception.

Oklahoma State: QB Mason Rudolph.

That has Big 12 observers understandably wondering whether the conference is set up for another fall from No. 3 even if Oklahoma takes care of business on Saturday. In order to do so, it will need to beat the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Reason for optimism: The Wolverines are suddenly a juggernaut offensively. posting their top yardage figures of the season in Weeks 10 and 11 before a solid performance at Penn State with 343 yards – the most by an opponent at Beaver Stadium this season. Look no further. Don’t worry, they’ll be completely different by next week. Another victory that could potentially help the Irish is their blowout 38-3 victory over the Texas Longhorns, the squad responsible for #3 Oklahoma’s only loss. With four teams in the top 10, it sure seems like the Big Ten has one of the top four spots earmarked for their conference champ, even one with two losses. The difference in this game will be the ground attack of Stanford.

If Houston wins, then it would still have the AAC Championship Game against Temple or South Florida to worry about. If Oklahoma wins, Baylor probably also needs to look good with their 3rd string QB in a win, and have Notre Dame lose and that nightmare scenario for the Big Ten, to become a non-conference victor claiming the final spot. This will be an offensive showdown, but Baylor has an extra chip on its shoulder. The Iowa and Michigan State slot will play itself out in the Big 10 Championship Game, right? The first meeting of Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh has lost some of its juice. My difference maker will be the run game of Ohio State.

They have favorable comparative outcomes involving Texas (when comparing scores vs. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) and Pitt (vs. Iowa’s three-point win). “That’s what I think will happen”. The season-long QB shuffle exploded in Ohio State’s face last week. No way would the Sooners play in the Cotton Bowl as the fourth-ranked team; that would be too much of a homefield disadvantage for the No. 1-ranked team. But he’s smart enough to know the Irish must play smarter against ninth-ranked Stanford on Saturday to have a prayer of changing anyone’s mind for the right to play in a New Year’s Eve semifinal in Miami or Dallas. Mississippi State (8-3, SEC) 22. Actually, I favor FSU in this one.