Oklahoma, Iowa move into top four; Ohio State No.8

The Sooners jumped up four spots to No. 3 after knocking off TCU to improve to 10-1 while the Hawkeyes (11-0) moved up one spot to No. 4 by staying undefeated with a win over Purdue. Many were enraged over the fact that Oklahoma was voted in at third despite losing to Texas, who Notre Dame decimated in the first week of the season.

There could be more shakeup in the rankings next week after Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State and Notre Dame plays at Stanford. Stanford is ninth, then MI.

Playoff committee chairman Jeff Long said Oklahoma’s victories over top-25 opponents Baylor and the Horned Frogs over the past two weeks lifted the Sooners, who “have an increasingly impressive body of work”. Forgetting that the Gators aren’t playing all that well, they still – for all intents and purposes – control their own destiny.

Notre Dame kicks off against Stanford this weekend in the regular season finale which could very well be a make-or-break game for Irish playoff hopes. If they win out, they’ll need help to get into the top four, but not a whole lot of it. An Oklahoma loss to Oklahoma State and a Notre Dame loss to Stanford might be all it would take to put the Bears into the Playoff. Ohio State now sits at No. 8 in the polls with a matchup against No. 10 MI looming in Ann Arbor.

That has Big 12 fans understandably wondering if the league is setup for another fall from No. 3 even if the Sooners take care of business on Saturday in Stillwater.

As I pointed out in this space earlier this week, Oklahoma has been in this exact position before, with the Cowboys the only thing standing between OU and a chance to play for the national championship. In the very last rankings, when Baylor’s and TCU’s schedule were nearly identical, the committee finally honored the head-to-head result and placed Baylor ahead of TCU. This might not bode well for the Big 12, again. What did the committee get right, and what did it mess up? The best they can get from the final week is becoming co-champions of the Big 12.

Feldman thought the Spartans’ resume merited a spot in the Playoff. The Big Ten has four teams in the Top 10. Notre Dame (10-1) 7. After the apparent turmoil following its loss to Michigan State last weekend, Ohio State will enter this Saturday’s game as the underdog – something nobody saw coming.

Also, Stanford and Oklahoma State are similar opponents. “One, that in November, when you’re having an opportunity to have a big game, (and) one that means something”.

No. 5 Michigan State led the Hoosiers just 28-26 with 13 minutes left in the game before pulling away for a 52-26 win. Beating the Cardinal by 20-plus points might turn the committee around on Notre Dame. They need to beat Ohio State and for Michigan State to lose against Penn State, while also beating Iowa for the conference championship. Exactly how good? Who knows yet given the Hawkeyes’ weaker Big Ten schedule. Northwestern and OR, the two teams to actually beat Stanford this season, both coaxed turnovers and turned in strong running efforts to pull those upsets. But Friday’s ultimate trap game at Lincoln looms first.

“Uh, what happened?” the Notre Dame defensive tackle and captain asked while expertly masking a grin.

The only chance for the Fighting Irish is by virtue of a definitive win over Stanford and a Navy victory.

This is where the situation gets a little murkier and naturally more interesting as this situation ends with Ohio State defeating Iowa in the Big Ten championship.

The 2014 game was decided on a late coverage breakdown on fourth-and-11, when Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson (center) found his tight end in the corner of the end zone for the late go-ahead touchdown.