It’s Clemson, ‘Bama, Oklahoma and Iowa

If that happens, Ohio State’s fate would be left to the committee’s whim.

“I think that was an impressive win”, Long said.

How Alabama wins: Just hand the ball to Derrick Henry and get out of the way.

How Clemson wins: Put the Tar Heels in third-and-longs.

Playoff chances: Clemson is the only team that could still make the playoff even with a loss.

Iowa jumping to #3 would have plenty of political cover. Two of Ohio State (10-1), Michigan State (10-1), and Iowa (11-0) most likely will not make the playoff. That’s the “right” reason.

Tuesday’s was the fifth ballot from the committee. No doubt, Auburn proved that they belonged on the field with No. 2 Alabama but came up short. Clemson could lose. So could Alabama – even if that seems hard to believe. Frankly, I really like this line-up. The Bulldogs played in five conference title games during his time as coach, but his resume and four straight wins to close the season weren’t enough to convince Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity to keep Richt in Athens.

It’s a cold, nasty New Year’s Eve and the party you were going to gets canceled.

After a win at North Carolina State, UNC is now set to take on the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship on Saturday. They brought Fuller’s number out of retirement, though, to give to current quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Deshaun Watson. Rank your own Top 25 here.

ESPN’s Football Power Index has Ohio State listed as the 3rd best team in the nation, but they will need Clemson or Alabama to slip up to even dream of a chance to defend their title from last season.

But what if Stanford beat USC, too?

These teams represent a stark contrast to either of the two schools likely to join them in the playoff, Iowa and Michigan State.

When asked whether the two-season-old playoff could see its first conference nonchampion as a playoff entry, selection committee chairman Jeff Long said he was unable to answer that at this point.

This is a big shift in opinion for me, but this stuff is fluid and I had not had the phone conversation prior to tonight. The Cardinal have had some notable stumbles along the way but a big win over the Trojans combined with Clemson, Alabama and Iowa faltering could open the door for them to sneak in.

Aside from that, a few New Year’s Six bowl spots are also still up for grabs. All of these teams went undefeated and won a BCS bowl game versus a top power conference foe, proving that mid-major teams can compete at the highest level when given the opportunity, and should be given that opportunity. Sure, there will be conversations, but I get the sense they are more of the “placating” variety. Four different Hawkeye players recording an interception in the win against Nebraska last weekend, the first time since Oct 23, 2004 Iowa had accomplished that in league play.

The victor of the Big Ten game appears to be headed to the CFP semifinals. But jumping those two teams only places Stanford at No. 5.

Week 13 of the college football season finally came and passed, and with it came a full slate of ACC/SEC games along with several ACC in-state rivalries.

This year has the same feeling as last year where real contenders could be excluded.

Or maybe no one knows but the selection committee.

So while the Fiesta and Peach Bowl committees will have some discussions with The Playoff committee along the way, the discussions will be inconsequential.

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.