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Five reactions and what we learned from the third rankings from the College Football Playoff committee. Also, the 25 best wins so far this season.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– If Alabama wins out …
– The known unknown is …
– What’s a big win? Top 25 wins
– What it all really means
5. Rapid-Fire First Reaction To Latest College Football Playoff Rankings
Nothing much actually changed, and that in and of itself is important. The College Football Playoff committee basically punted on a slew of big decisions and calls for now, but that matters.
Oklahoma didn’t get a big bump. Minnesota rocketed up to 8 last week after handing Penn State its only loss so far this year. Oklahoma came up with a special comeback and performance to get by Baylor, and it only moved up one spot. That means …
There appears to be a hard ceiling on how high the Sooners can get. Beating CFP No. 21 Oklahoma State would be nice, and getting by No. 14 Baylor would be solid again if that happens in the Big 12 Championship, but there’s not much room to move up the rankings, because …
Even at 12-1 with a Big 12 Championship – this applies to Baylor, too – there’s way too much traffic. It would take a slew of upsets along the way – like Auburn beating Alabama, a two-loss Pac-12 champion, and some other twists and turns – to get in.
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There’s an outside shot that Notre Dame can get within shouting distance of the New Year’s Six. At 16, the Irish have to count on No. 15 Auburn to lose to Alabama; hope for No. 14 Baylor to drop another game; expect No. 13 Michigan to lose to Ohio State; expect No. 10 Minnesota or No. 12 Wisconsin to lose when the they play each other – and the winner to lose the Big Ten Championship; get a loss against Ohio State out of No. 8 Penn State; and take advantage of Utah and/or Oregon losing again. The Irish might be able to move up well into the top eight and have an honest shot at one of the big bowls.
Clemson is the only ACC team in the top 25. There are three American Athletic Conference teams ranked – it’s a rough run for the ACC. Virginia Tech should be in the top 25 somewhere, and it likely will be in the near future, but that’s it for now. There’s no one on Clemson’s schedule currently in the College Football Playoff rankings.
– If Alabama wins out …
– The known unknown is …
– What’s a big win? Top 25 wins
– What it all really means
NEXT: If Alabama wins out …