Oklahoma’s in good spot for top-four playoff spot

Alabama is the better team, and if not for five turnovers against Ole Miss it would be undefeated and ranked No. 1 like it was a year ago. Of the Cyclones’ nine losses three of them, to Toledo, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, were by a touchdown or less. Michigan State, at No. 5, can play their way in with a win over Iowa Saturday night in Indianapolis.

SB Nation has the same, and ESPN goes a step further with the Sooners topping the Tigers to meet Alabama in Glendale’s National Championship. It would be hard to explain leaving the Big 12 out two years in a row when it had a team ranked No. 3 before championship Saturday.

So while I’m not going to sit here and say Houston should be in the top 10, at 11-1, with the season it has had, it certainly deserves to be higher than No. 19 if Navy was able to reach No. 15 last week. North Carolina has won 11 straight games coming into the ACC championship and they would really make things wild if they can win over number one Clemson. Alabama gets Florida in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, and Iowa and Michigan State will face off for the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.

Maybe locking a rich and storied program like Oklahoma out of the playoffs, and having their massive fan base move to revolt would be what’s needed to wake Bowlsby and the rest of the Big 12 powers from their fall slumber.

Next up for Stanford is the Pac-12 championship against #24 USC at Levi’s Stadium, where Stanford should enjoy home-field advantage. Most of their wins have lacked an impressive quality; however, they have been hoisted back into the top four.

■Michigan State (11-1, CFP rank – 5): The Spartans have been in must-win position ever since losing at Nebraska on November 7, and that doesn’t change now. It will need it against Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game considering a loss would give the Tide two for the season and knock them out of the field.

Notre Dame (10-2), which lost a heartbreaker to Stanford last week, is at No.8.

Ohio State then must hope the selection committee overlooks its lack of a conference title.

If everything goes as expected this weekend when conference championship games are played, the final four for the College Football Playoffs is set.

Like Clemson, Alabama’s spot in the CFP secured with a conference title win. Ohio State, 7. Stanford, 10.

Tonight, the second-most important college football poll of the season will be revealed by Jeff Long and the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. However, the committee will have to move UNC up six spots and past teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State to get in.

I think, in this case, Ohio State would get the bid.

Fifth scenario (armageddon) – Clemson loses to North Carolina, Alabama loses to Florida, and Stanford loses to USC. He would replace Mark Richt, who will coach the Bulldogs for the last time in their bowl game.

For those other teams, not only is that 13th game a chance for a loss and being bumped out of the playoffs, but it’s also another opportunity for key injuries, as well as another week of pounding on the bodies of the players.