Buckeyes move up to No. 6 following win over Michigan

But the Sooners never lost faith, and as teams like LSU and Ohio State slipped up, Oklahoma slowly and impressively picked off one Big 12 title contender after another.

Deshaun Watson has the Clemson Tigers rolling into the ACC Championship Game. The biggest key next week is Kansas State, needing to beat West Virginia to get to 6-6 and bowl eligibility, but it still might get in at 5-7 because of the NCAA’s April exemption thanks to the lack of bowl eligible teams.

Bottom line: Do not expect Long to cite OU’s missing “13th data point” on its 11-1 record during Sunday’s selection show as a comparable deal-breaker to what TCU and Baylor faced with 11-1 records and playoff hopes at the end of last season. Three Big Ten teams follow with Iowa at No. 4, Michigan State No. 5 and Ohio State No. 6. But a loss isn’t a guaranteed elimination.

Samje Perine became just the 10th player in Oklahoma Sooner history to rush for at least 3,000 yards in a career which is all the more impressive when you consider the running back is just a sophomore and could have many more yards awaiting him down the road. But they would need Alabama to lose and the college football playoff committee to not fall in love with a potential PAC 12 Champion Stanford Cardinal. But what if the Spartans lose to the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship?

Situated at fifth in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, Michigan State goes to Indianapolis next weekend for the third time in five years while being ranked fifth in both major polls. “Now, hopefully and probably, there’s a bigger piece of cake out there that we have to go after”. The Sooners have proved ever since that October 10 loss they are one of the four best teams in the country. “We felt comfortable with what he could do for us offensively”.

The Buckeyes rebounded from their loss to the Spartans in spectacular fashion, wrapping their regular season at 11-1 with a pounding of rival MI.

But Oklahoma won two of the three games in convincing fashion, with only the win over TCU at home going down to the wire. After a hectic Saturday night, they’ll deservedly have that chance. Also with another game is McCaffrey, whose team plays Southern California on Saturday in the Pac-12 title game. The Tide will face Florida in the championship game next Saturday.

The Sooners’ playoff path, from all indications, should culminate with a December 31 invitation to compete in a semifinal game, very likely the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Arlington. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.