5. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0)
Oklahoma State is in the College Football Playoff if … it goes 13-0 with a Big 12 Championship. It doesn’t matter what anyone else does, it would be in, getting more credit than an unbeaten Wake Forest – which won’t happen – or a two-loss Alabama, or a 13-0 Cincinnati.
It’s all going to go wrong against … at Iowa State this weekend? Even if it does, if the Cowboys can roll the rest of the way and beat Oklahoma twice – or get a revenge win over the Cyclones in the Big 12 Championship – it’ll be knocking on the door.
Will Oklahoma State get into the College Football Playoff? If it beats Iowa State, it might get a whole lot closer than anyone is talking about.
After the Cyclones is the Kansas free space, then at trip to West Virginia, then TCU, then Texas Tech. All of those shouldn’t be a problem, and then Oklahoma has to make the short drive to Stillwater.
Don’t be totally stunned if the Sooners are 11-1 and needing the win over an unbeaten Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship.
Ranking the teams alive for the College Football Playoff
UTSA | San Diego State | Coastal Carolina
SMU | Texas A&M | Auburn | Ole Miss
Notre Dame | Kentucky | Cincinnati
Baylor | Pitt | NC State | Wake Forest
Ohio State | Oregon | Penn State | Iowa
Michigan State | Oklahoma St | Michigan
Alabama | Oklahoma | Georgia
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings