USA TODAY Sports college football staff picks for Week 14

Whichever team wins, will likely be in the discussion to make the college football playoff along with numerous other power five conference winners.

No. 6 Wisconsin was followed by Oklahoma, Penn State, Colorado and Southern California. And the victor is hardly guaranteed a spot in the final four. The Wildcats (7-4, 5-3) will finish no lower than fourth in the Big 12 after being a preseason pick for eighth.

That’s because this year’s Bedlam rivalry game between seventh-ranked Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (9-2, 7-1) on Saturday afternoon (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX) in Norman, Okla., will decide the crown.

However, one thing could also happen that would help to solidify coach Mike Gundy as one of the best coaches in school history. “You have to have that mindset, and that’s the blueprint, and we’ve done a great job of having that mentality all year”. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to.

With just days to go before the final unveiling of college football’s top four, the usually unnerving and unpredictable sport is promising one last bit of wildness. If OU and OSU were in the same division, they could meet in the last game of the regular season with only one advancing to the conference championship. One spot in that bowl game is reserved exclusively for the highest-ranked conference champion outside the power five leagues. “You have to progress and get better as each day goes on”, quarterback Baker Mayfield said.

And Ohio State, a team which did not even win its own division, let alone the conference title, and has a head-to-head loss to the Nittany Lions, is nearly certain to hear its name called for college football’s Final Four.

Assuming the Buckeyes are a lock, and it looks good for them, and Clemson doesn’t get upset by Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, the debate for the committee when it gathers in Texas on Saturday night to watch games and discuss the only rankings that matter will be Pac-12 or Big Ten. The field is scheduled to be announced Sunday.

At the same time, MI beat Wisconsin and absolutely throttled Penn State earlier this season; regardless of whether or not any of these schools reach the CFP, this will serve as an interesting case study for the committee.

Starting out west, the Pac-12 Championship will feature two programs that had dramatic rises in 2016. Oklahoma State has surrendered 209.4 yards per game on the ground in Big 12 action. -500 team being picked.

The College Football Playoff Committee chose Alabama (#1 seed), Ohio State (#2 seed), Clemson (#3 seed) and Washington (#4 seed) as the four teams projected in the playoff. If they win, they are conference champs in a very strong Big 10. Those titles don’t automatically come with playoff spots and in some cases the wrong victor could ruin things for a conference.

Badgers might change QBs • Bart Houston began the season as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback before losing the job to Alex Hornibrook. Penn State could have a chance to land a College Football Playoff berth if they win the Big Ten title this Saturday against No. 6 Wisconsin, but a No.7 ranking and a 10-2 overall record may not bode well for the Nittany Lions and head coach James Franklin.

The Sooners have the form they did previous year.

It has been a rough ride at times for Clemson this season, but it’s looking like smooth sailing of late. Mangum started 12 games in 2015.

Oklahoma State will be bidding for its first conference title since claiming the Big 12 crown for the first time in 2011. Hill left the scene. He could face charges for that.