Notre Dame vs. Stanford

We had some good ones on Black Friday, where Iowa picked themselves up a brand spanking new 12-0 record while Baylor got trampled by the upset crowds. Most in the national media perceive the Hawkeyes to not be a legit contender, but they may have the easiest path to the playoffs of any team remaining. If Coach Mark Dantonio can get his team two more wins, they’ll be a lock for the postseason. Some fans would rather see a 16-team free-for-all the way the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) decides its title-holder. Somehow, someway, teams play well when they take on their arch-enemy. They’re playing excellent football at the end of the season.

Path to the Playoff: Beat South Carolina today and then No. 14 North Carolina in the ACC championship to close out the regular season. More on that later.

For arguments sake, we’re saying there are eight teams left with a shot at getting into the four-team field. Iowa’s best attributes are run blocking, quarterback decision-making and turnover margin.

The same Michigan State that has won 63 games since 2010 – which is more victories than powerhouses Baylor, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC in that span. The Spartans were without their starting quarterback, Connor Cook, but with their stellar defense they are always a tough opponent.

No one could dispute that Stanford was the better of the two teams after Saturday’s game.

ACC: Clemson vs. North Carolina, TBD: Clemson showed why it has remained at the top of the CFP rankings with a road victory over SC, while North Carolina pounced on NC State. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, it probably won’t come with an invitation to the final four. The Tar Heels are dogged by their season-opening loss against what turned out to be a disappointing SC team.

Rivalry games can be tricky and both Clemson and Alabama had hard times pulling away in their annual in-state grudge matches. The Crimson Tide has a date with Florida to decide the victor of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday. An early season loss to Northwestern had this team downtrodden, but Kevin Hogan has played some really great football.

The Crimson Tide has bounced back from a Week 3 defeat against Ole Miss to beat four teams that were ranked in the top 17 when they played them. The Tigers put up an impressive fight for a while, but they just didn’t have the weapons or the run defense to hang with Alabama, who is physically dominant around the line of scrimmage. That will leave the Playoff Committee to decide between Ohio State and Oklahoma as the fourth team included.

About the only mystery left about Oklahoma and its thriving transfer quarterback, Baker Mayfield, is a retroactive one: How in the name of Bevo did it lose to Texas (4-7)? He was mostly bottled up by Notre Dame (94 rushing yards), but he is still averaging 252.9 all-purpose yards per game – a stunning 52 more than the second-place guy.

J.W. Walsh passed for 325 yards and two scores, and James Washington caught seven passes for 169 yards for the Cowboys (10-2, 7-2, No. 11 CFP). A victory over the Spartans would solidify their spot in the final four. It wasn’t enough. Michigan State did their job against Penn State. There are only two reasonable options – the Big Ten West and the ACC Coastal, the latter far more than the former because the school wants to play games in the recruiting rich East Coast and Southeast. Ordinarily, last weekend’s last second loss to Michigan State by Ohio State would have taken a lot of the luster off this game. A USC win Saturday to capture the Pac-12 South would help Notre Dame’s strength of schedule rebound. And it would come at rival Oklahoma State, adding to the enormity of the annual Bedlam Series.

Considering the way both teams entered the season, you can’t help but be a little disappointed with them.

The Tigers again gave the selection committee some reason to reconsider whether they should be No. 1. But when you compare each team’s one loss, it is clear that who you lose to is not overly important, it’s when you lose. The difference between a championship campaign and one that falls can come down to the smallest details.

For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell. And, what’s Urban Meyer ever done?