Top 5 in CFB Playoff rankings remain the same

Iowa sits at 12-0 for the season while Michigan State is 11-1 with their lone loss coming at Nebraska by one point. After scoring their 11th consecutive victory, the Tar Heels rose to No. 10, just behind three teams with inferior records: Stanford (10-2), No. 8 Notre Dame (10-2) and No. 9 Florida State (10-2).

Let’s take a look at how each of the eight teams with some kind of chance to make the playoff can secure a spot – Notre Dame and Florida State probably are the only top 10 teams with no shot.

The fact that the Big 12 doesn’t hold a championship game in their conference was a major contributing factor to both Baylor and TCU being left out of the top four last season, and the same should hold true for Oklahoma this year. The championship game will be on January 11 in Glendale, Ariz.

The Iowa-Michigan State victor apparently is in, so any change to the playoff lineup probably would have to start with a loss by Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference) and/or Alabama (Southeastern) in their conference-title games.

– Although it’s not factored in this week’s ranking, Oklahoma will be the Big 12 champion, a key component for the committee’s criteria. However, after a disappointing performance last week at SC where they eked out a 37-32 victory, a close win over North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game coupled with a dominant Alabama performance in the SEC Title Game may result in Clemson dropping to #2 in the final rankings. They’ll come in with a chip on their shoulder and throw everything they have at the Spartans in an effort to shock the world and reach the playoff. The selection committee will unveil its final ballot the following day, December 6.

We essentially know No. 3 Oklahoma will finish in the top four as it already has the Big 12 championship and can’t lose a nonexistent conference title game (unlike with TCU previous year, the Sooners won’t have to share their conference title.) With Iowa at No. 4 and Michigan State at No. 5, the victor of the Big Ten title game will surely join the Sooners in the playoff. For those conferences in which its champion is in the playoff, the committee then places the next highest-ranked team from that same conference as a substitute. But Ohio State’s sheer talent will make them the favorites against Stanford, a very good team in its own right.

Ohio State (11-1), which wrapped up its season with a win over MI, moved up to sixth this week.

A blowout win for Michigan State over Iowa would help Ohio State because the Spartans were the only team to beat the Buckeyes.

Oklahoma State and MI fell out of the top 10 after their losses.

“Protocol clearly says there can be more than one team from a conference in the final four”, Long said.

Also out is USC, a four-time loser that plays Stanford for the Pac-12 title, and Florida, which managed only a safety last week against ACC also-ran Florida State. Those teams will then participate in the sport’s playoff bracket in January.

In my first edition of “Ohio State can still make the College Football Playoff“, I laid out four steps that could get the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff.

Aside from that, a few New Year’s Six bowl spots are also still up for grabs. The Owls (10-2) are No. 22. Temple 10-2 23. Navy 9-2 24.

The dearth of quality teams in the SEC is best illustrated by Alabama’s underwhelming resume.

Finally, I think Michigan State will knock off Iowa.

“A win at the beginning of the season, end of the season over highly-ranked teams are equal to us”, Long said.