Matchup: Stanford vs. Notre Dame

With Clemson and Alabama relatively safe bets to make the College Football Playoff – though we’ve seen stranger upsets in past seasons – and the Big Ten likely sending either Iowa or Michigan State, there’s only one spot up for grabs between Notre Dame and Oklahoma, which travels to Stillwater to play No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday. Michigan State (10-1) moved up to No. 5, while Notre Dame, after a lackluster victory over Boston College, fell out of the top 4 to No. 6. On Tuesday night, Florida (10-1), following an overtime scare against C-USA foe FAU, dropped from eighth to 12, leaving the SEC with just one Top 10 team and two Top 15.

The top four teams in the final rankings released December 6 will qualify for the national championship playoff, with the semifinals scheduled for New Year’s Eve and the title game set for January 12 in Glendale, Ariz.

The team that wants this game the most will come out the victor and reap the awards that are waiting, and you can be assured that Oklahoma State believes it will rain on the Sooners’ parade (no pun intended, given that the forecast is for rainy and cold conditions). After beating TCU – who was without Trevone Boykin – by one point last week, Oklahoma rose four spots in the ranking to No. 3.

While the Big 12 is filled with CFP possibilities, the SEC is taking some hits.

It is not the same situation.

The best way for the Irish to continue to do that is to dish out punishment like men against the Cardinal.

There is still much to play as the college football season winds down.

That can’t happen this season. “All we can do is try to get a win against Stanford, and hopefully the committee changes their mind”. Ohio State basically has no chance unless they reach the title game, and then they need help. Notre Dame needs someone ahead of it to slip up. The weekend schedule finds 18 games involving every team in the AP Top 25, with seven contests matching ranked teams. Both teams can score points in bunches, but Oklahoma State has been a slow starter this season often finding themselves in deficits.

Of the teams in the mix, Iowa is perhaps the most intriguing. Baylor faced a good Kansas State team at home, posted a solid win, but still was being dragged down by its nonconference schedule and a loss at West Virginia, which finished in the middle of the Big 12.

While we’re on the subject of the Big 12; is it a bit perplexing to anyone else that the Sooners moved all the way up to No. 3? For the sake of simplicity, let’s take a look at the teams behind and in front of the Cowboys to see where the best path forward is. The Irish could be blocked without an upset or two in the Big Ten over the next couple weeks. Michigan State can clinch the division with a home win over Penn State. A two loss Iowa team won’t get love from the committee, even as Big Ten champions, right?

Everything you need to know about the Notre Dame vs. Stanford online live stream and TV broadcast, as well as game notes and prediction.

That seems to be the only reason that the Hawkeyes have been ranked higher than Notre Dame which is frustrating because one of the reasons for having a selection committee is that this should not automatically make you a contender. They can end up as Big 12 champions or co-champions, but it might not be enough to gain the favour of those 12 making the decisions about the Final Four.