Final regular-season ranking sets table for College Football Playoff

Clemson is once again the top-ranked team in the CFP poll.

The top five remained unchanged from last week – No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State – while Ohio State, at No. 6, became the highest-ranked team among those who will need help from others come Saturday.

The Nebraska loss seemed to dispel any chances for Mark Dantonio’s team, but this squad turned it around to contain Ohio State’s offensive arsenal on the road.

Here’s to hoping Iowa beats Michigan State, so that the drama is a lot more positive and predictable, as there would be just two destination options. The Huskers are 5-7. The Buckeyes (11-1) moved up with a resounding win at MI last week.

It’s easy to get lost in the playoff spin because this is a particularly confusing season.

Meanwhile, in the ultimate doomsday scenario wherein North Carolina and Alabama both lose, No. 7 looms. Our guess is that they only have a chance at Playoff entry if they upset Clemson and Alabama also gets knocked off. Two-loss teams Stanford, Notre Dame and Florida State occupy the Nos.

However, the future of the Michigan State run game is bright as each of their top three rushers are either a freshman or a sophomore. “It depends on how the other teams play and what the results are above and below them”. The former defensive coordinator at Miami was 68-67 at Rutgers, leading the Scarlet Knights from a 2-9 mark his first season there to a pair of nine-win seasons and an 11-win season before leaving for the NFL. Two-loss Stanford has not been quite able to recover from a season-opening loss to Northwestern. The Gators fell six slots to No. 18 after a woeful performance against in-state rival Florida State. Well, by my count, there are three teams on the playoff “stand by” list if that were to happen: 6. Actually, every year would be an ideal year for an eight-team playoff. The Trojans rebounded from their bad start and the ensuing Sarkisian saga to take the competitive Pac-12 South under Clay Helton, who was named the team’s permanent head coach for his efforts.

No. 1 Clemson takes on No. 10 North Carolina in that game. Dabo Swinney is my favorite Dabo ever and the Tigers have had a heck of a year. Notre Dame played 4 teams that won at least 9 games this season. There is a resume here. Expect Bama to feed the beast (aka, Derrick Henry) early and often Saturday in what could turn out to be a Heisman Trophy statement game for the running back, then turn it over to its defense with future NFL’ers. Long said the committee would not alter the ranking of the top four in order to adjust whether teams play in the Cotton or Orange Bowls.

Long said the committee had “great debate” when trying to decide before selecting Clemson over Alabama for the No. 1 spot in this week’s poll. No other Playoff contender can match that, barring a Michigan State win over Iowa this weekend. The Hawkeyes have had just two coaches – Hayden Fry (Snyder was an assistant) and Kirk Farentz – since 1979. Iowa has had a dream season and hats off to the Hawkeyes.

Or maybe Clemson slips from No. 1 to No. 4, and the ACC doesn’t get shut out.

Even in a season of college football anarchy, with each week more unpredictable than the last, a Florida win against Alabama would likely serve as the largest upset of the regular season – particularly given the stakes at play, with a win sending Alabama back to the national semifinals for the second year in a row. And in this balanced season, impossible to find.