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| For the third straight week, Deshaun Watson has the Clemson Tigers atop the rankings. (Photo courtesy The Greenville News) |
Clemson needs to skate through to the ACC Championship Game, where it will have one final chance to lock up a Playoff spot.
Alabama might be looking better every week, but their résumé takes a hit with every LSU and/or Ole Miss loss. And those two teams play each other this weekend.
Ohio State can likely reclaim at least the No. 2 spot with wins in its final two regular season games - at home against Michigan State and at Michigan.
This is where it gets interesting...
Notre Dame remained in the Top 4 with Iowa No. 5 and Oklahoma State No. 6.
Notre Dame remained in the Top 4 with Iowa No. 5 and Oklahoma State No. 6.
Oklahoma moves up to No. 7, which I believe was expected. The Sooners jump Florida, but remain behind Notre Dame, Iowa and Oklahoma State.
What we know is OU and Oklahoma State will play each other in the final week, with one getting a huge win to potentially propel it up the rankings. Both teams also get a chance to pick up Top 20 wins this weekend with Baylor visiting Stillwater and TCU visiting Norman. We also know someone ahead of those two will lose - either Iowa of Ohio State.
Should the scenario play out that OU wins out and its résumé is compared with Notre Dame, who also wins out, it will be one of the most hotly debated topics in America. They have one common opponent: Texas. Notre Dame defeated Texas in Week 1 by a score of 38-3. OU's only blemish is to the Horns, a 24-17 defeat in the Cotton Bowl in early October.
My argument, though, is you can't compare one game on a schedule of 12. Oklahoma's wins at the end of the season would be much more impressive than Notre Dame's, even if the Irish defeat Stanford to close the season.
Obviously, if it is Oklahoma State winning out and finishing as an undefeated Power 5 conference champion, the Cowboys are in.
Rounding out the Top 10 are No. 8 Florida, No. 9 Michigan State, and No. 10 Baylor. The Gators wrap up the season with Florida Atlantic and Florida State. MSU goes to the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State this week, then finishes with Penn State. Baylor, as mentioned, goes to Oklahoma State, then has a road trip to TCU before closing the season with Texas.
Only three rankings remain until we find out who will make their way to South Florida and North Texas. Buckle up.
What we know is OU and Oklahoma State will play each other in the final week, with one getting a huge win to potentially propel it up the rankings. Both teams also get a chance to pick up Top 20 wins this weekend with Baylor visiting Stillwater and TCU visiting Norman. We also know someone ahead of those two will lose - either Iowa of Ohio State.
Should the scenario play out that OU wins out and its résumé is compared with Notre Dame, who also wins out, it will be one of the most hotly debated topics in America. They have one common opponent: Texas. Notre Dame defeated Texas in Week 1 by a score of 38-3. OU's only blemish is to the Horns, a 24-17 defeat in the Cotton Bowl in early October.
My argument, though, is you can't compare one game on a schedule of 12. Oklahoma's wins at the end of the season would be much more impressive than Notre Dame's, even if the Irish defeat Stanford to close the season.
Obviously, if it is Oklahoma State winning out and finishing as an undefeated Power 5 conference champion, the Cowboys are in.
Rounding out the Top 10 are No. 8 Florida, No. 9 Michigan State, and No. 10 Baylor. The Gators wrap up the season with Florida Atlantic and Florida State. MSU goes to the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State this week, then finishes with Penn State. Baylor, as mentioned, goes to Oklahoma State, then has a road trip to TCU before closing the season with Texas.
Only three rankings remain until we find out who will make their way to South Florida and North Texas. Buckle up.
-BtW
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