Washington up to 5th as Louisville Drops in CFP Rankings

If Ohio State wins Saturday, the Buckeyes will have one of the best résumés in college football, with wins over the No. 3 (Michigan), No. 6 (Wisconsin), and No. 8 (Oklahoma) ranked teams.

The Sooners and No. 12 USC have been two of the hottest teams in the country in recent weeks, with OU winning eight straight and the Trojans winning seven straight, but they remain on the outside looking in.

Alabama (11-0) remained No. 1, followed by No. 2 Ohio State (10-1), No. 3 MI (10-1) and No. 4 Clemson (10-1).

In that case, Wisconsin would have a head-to-head win over MI, and would trump Penn State, who lost to MI (while the Badgers would have beaten them). With only 5 teams remaining with one loss or less, and two of those teams going head to head next week, it remains very likely that at least one team with two losses could make the playoffs. Unless Penn State loses to Michigan State, Urban Meyer’s squad would not play for a conference crown. Clemson remains in control of its destiny in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with a rivalry date with SC preceding a return appearance in the conference championship game.

The top four of the committee’s latest ranking was comprised of Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson, respectively, with Washington, Wisconsin and Penn State as the next three teams on the list. The Wolverines would clinch the Big Ten East crown with a win, but if the Buckeyes come out on top, then Penn State could clinch the division by beating Michigan State.

The committee uses conference championships and head-to-head results to separate teams with similar resumes.

The Gators (8-2) have a long road ahead to reach the four-team playoff, but like Florida’s players, ESPN GameDay host Rece Davis sees a path. Oklahoma State, who will face the Sooners on December 3 in Norman, is ranked 10th this week. It would be preferable if Colorado won the Pac-12 and Oklahoma State won the Big 12. “The committee continues to be impressed with the MI team, who’s the only team in the current rankings to have three wins against current CFP Top 10 teams (and) continues to be very impressed with Michigan’s defense”. Otherwise, the selection committee could give a two-loss MI, a two-loss Louisville, or even a two-loss Oklahoma a berth into the playoff over a Clemson team that was upset in the ACC Championship Game. Lose to MI, and it might come to swallowing that pride and rooting for MI to beat the Big Ten West champion. Clemson remains in control of its own destiny in terms of the playoff, but face a tough challenge against a stingy SC defense this week. The team will arrive at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.

Elsewhere around the Pac-12 Colorado is 9th and still has a slim possibility at making the playoffs. By virtue of having three losses, No. 12 USC has zero chance to make the playoff (barring unprecedented chaos).

“We were obviously aware of the conditions in which that game was played in, but continue to be very impressed with Ohio State”. This should put the Huskies in the playoff.

However, a Big 12 title is not yet a certainty as Oklahoma will host in-state rival Oklahoma State on December 3 for the conference crown.

The committee catches flack at times, but its job is undeniably hard. If that were to happen, don’t assume that Clemson would automatically be in.

Clemson, for sure. They’re #4 due to just one loss (Pitt) but also wins over the other good teams in the conference (Louisville, Florida State). The victor of the Colorado-Utah game will have implications on the South race. There it must beat either Washington or Washington State.

If there’s a question mark for Penn State heading into this week’s game, it’s the fact that the offensive line is sort of a patchwork unit right now.

Next on the pecking order is the Penn State-Wisconsin Big Ten duo. They need Michigan to lose while they beat Michigan State. However, the committee is aware of what transpired in the Central Michigan game. The Badgers have better odds than many now realize. Oklahoma would have wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Colorado 10. Oklahoma State 11.