Oklahoma slides; Alabama, Michigan State in Cotton Bowl

Florida State (10-2) and North Carolina (11-1) round out this week’s top 10. But it doesn’t matter.

Oklahoma was No. 3 last week after it finished its regular season as the Big 12 champion, but Michigan State’s Big Ten championship game victory over previously unbeaten Iowa pushed the Spartans past the Sooners in the end.

Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1 Big XII) soundly defeated 11th-ranked Oklahoma State 58-23 to clinch the Big XII Conference championship, while Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC) beat Auburn 29-13 in the Iron Bowl. From a BCS logic standpoint, it works. Ultimately, it will be the committee that decides whether or not they get in.

Maybe that’s the most frustrating part about the entire committee thing. The loss dropped the Wolverines from No. 10 to No. 15.

That play shouldn’t overshadow Clemson’s excellent season or the performance of Deshaun Watson, however, who accumulated 420 total yards and five total touchdowns in the win, likely vaulting himself into serious consideration for the Heisman trophy alongside Alabama’s Henry, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.

Ohio State: The Rose Bowl bid goes to the loser of the Big Ten Championship, and the Buckeyes aren’t shipped off to face Florida State or the highest-ranked group of five team. Better yet, if you are already a huge college football fan, this will give you the ability to watch with an even clearer understanding of what is about to transpire.

Yes, Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff like pretty much everyone expected. Clemson are in the top 4 of all metrics, human and computers.

Clemson is still No. 1 and Alabama remained No. 2.

Ohio State is positioned to backdoor its way into the playoff with just one quality win on the resume if it gets the right results elsewhere.

Obviously, the television networks have their favorites – they’d love to see Alabama stay in the field and have Ohio State sneak in. The committee saw those two teams as very closely matched. Clemson remains number one overall, followed by Alabama, Oklahoma, Iowa and Michigan State.

“There were times in the meeting I actually thought Alabama was going to be voted ahead of Clemson, but they were not”. If they lose to Florida in the SEC title game, they are done. As long as they win, they will be in. They won’t make them jump 14 spots in one week. Stanford, Iowa, and Ohio State all had cases, but none could touch the top four.