Oklahoma, Iowa move up in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Everything – that being the Buckeyes’ past and present conference dominance – was flipped upside down.

Oklahoma: A one loss Oklahoma team winning the Big 12 might not be judged the way Baylor and TCU were last season.

Reason for optimism: The Spartans are bursting at the seams with optimism after jumping Notre Dame on Tuesday in the wake of their seismic 17-14 victory at Ohio State.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday his team’s resume speaks for itself.

Instead, the Big Ten is in great shape, thanks in part to its fifth-best team. One sure thing, though, happens to come in the form of Iowa. The Bears and Frogs shared the Big 12 title.

Iowa the best playoff value? While MI might be a long shot, the Wolverines can still affect how the Big Ten stands. But the Big Ten could also be looking at missing the playoff if it wasn’t for Northwestern.

After OU’s impressive victory over Baylor two games back, many were calling it the biggest game of the season in college football. Iowa has not trailed in the fourth quarter ALL season and I would prefer that script continue. Nebraska has struggled mightily with efficiency this season, especially late in games, and Iowa is surprisingly healthier than at midseason.

No. 8 Ohio State at No. 12 MI. They have already written themselves off to the spoiler roll, meanwhile Baylor, although coming off a loss, showed up to play at Oklahoma State and proved they are not out of playoff discussions just yet.

The committee selectively applies strength of schedule metrics.

The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the nation’s top interior offensive or defensive lineman since 1946.

If Notre Dame loses to Stanford, it’s out with two losses and no conference title. Oklahoma would be the Big 12 champion. The Nittany Lions gave MI a battle on Saturday and will assuredly bring their best game to East Lansing. They’re 11-0 so far, and if they beat Nebraska in Lincoln, they’ll stay on course for the playoffs (playing in the conference championship anyway). Is a two-loss Big Ten champion getting into the playoffs? Notre Dame fans should be doing some avid scoreboard watching over the next two weeks as they hope that some top teams will fall. Iowa (11-0) 5. MI State (10-1) 6. First, the Buckeyes need to beat MI in Ann Arbor this Saturday.

It’s not that improbable to think Stanford beats Notre Dame and goes on to lose to USC in the Pac-12 title game. “We felt Iowa and MI State were extremely close”. The Big 12 is now using head-to-head tiebreakers. 18 TCU at home last week and look to take a commanding lead in the Big XII with the Bedlam game against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

This last possibility looks oddly like the previous one. MI State is allowing just 25.7 percent shooting from deep and grabbing 14.5 offensive rebounds. Beat Florida in the SEC championship game?

Temple joined West Division leader Navy as the only two AAC teams in the College Football Playoff rankings. A loss to Florida would also likely bring down the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship, which Alabama can clinch a berth in with a win over Auburn, or an Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State. The Heisman hopeful had a concussion last Saturday against TCU and sat out the second half. Most in the national media perceive the Hawkeyes to not be a legit contender, but they may have the easiest path to the playoffs of any team remaining. McCaffrey is one of the most electrifying players in college football, a modern-day Reggie Bush, with the No. 5, versatility and Heisman-caliber resume to match the former Trojan.