How the final Saturday’s changing the College Football Playoff picture, updated throughout
Notes on what each Playoff committee-ranked team is up to during conference championship weekend.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
| Cotton | No. 2 Alabama | No. 3 Michigan State | December 31 | Arlington, TX | Playoff rankings top 4 |
| Orange | No. 1 Clemson | No. 4 Oklahoma | December 31 | Miami | Playoff rankings top 4 |
I’m guessing a win over No. 4 and a 12th win would boost No. 5 ahead of No. 3, but it makes little difference. Everybody in the Playoff’s got to play a good team for a shot at the National Championship.
| Fiesta | Notre Dame | Houston | January 1 | Glendale, AZ | At-large |
| Rose | Ohio State | Stanford | January 1 | Pasadena, CA | Big Ten 1 vs. Pac-12 1 |
| Sugar | Oklahoma State | Ole Miss | January 1 | New Orleans | Big 12 1 vs. SEC 1 |
| Peach | Florida State | Iowa | December 31 | Atlanta | At-large |
The Rose and Sugar are almost set, unless madness strikes. I’m guessing Ohio State sneaks ahead of Iowa, but this could go either way.
How to match up Houston, Iowa and Notre Dame in the Fiesta and Peach? That could end up being the only real drama. Florida State going all the way to Arizona would be silly. So unless something totally wild happens today, there’s little room for budging.
What’s changed so far?
No. 1 Clemson (13-0) beat No. 10 North Carolina (11-2), 45-37: Clemson’s in, after a controversial ending.
No. 2 Alabama (12-1) beat No. 18 Florida (10-3), 29-15: Bama’s in, and the Gators can’t overtake No. 13 Ole Miss for the Sugar Bowl spot.
No. 3 Oklahoma is idle, already somewhere in the Playoff, reflecting on its many wise decisions and scouting its potential Playoff opponents.
No. 5 Michigan State (12-1) beat No. 4 Iowa (12-1), 16-13: MSU’s in, thanks to a soon-to-be-legendary finish.
No. 6 Ohio State is idle and the one contender most in need of mayhem. A New Year’s Six bowl is assured, likely the Rose.
No. 7 Stanford (11-2) beat No. 20 USC (8-5), 41-22: The Cardinal are going to the Rose, and almost certainly have a Heisman finalist.
No. 8 Notre Dame is idle and basically assured of a spot in either the Fiesta or Peach.
No. 9 Florida State is idle and in great shape for the Peach, unless a Clemson loss somehow hurts its case a lot, I guess.
No. 11 TCU is idle, but loses its temporary Sugar Bowl spot to No. 17 Oklahoma State due to Big 12 tiebreakers.
Texas (5-7) beat No. 12 Baylor (9-3), 23-17: The Bears were down to a non-quarterback quarterback due to injuries, but the result’s the result. Big 12 tiebreakers mean the Sugar Bowl bid is now Oklahoma State’s.
No. 19 Houston (12-1) beat No. 22 Temple (10-3), 24-13: The Cougars lock up a spot in either the Fiesta or Peach by winning the American and being assuredly the top-ranked non-power-conference champion. Let’s celebrate by listening to “Still Tippin’.”
All other ranked teams are idle, too.
Can any unranked teams make the final top 25?
Maybe. They’re all non-powers, actually. But if the committee values conference championships like it says it does, a couple should merit looks.
Bowling Green (10-3) beat NIU (8-5), 34-14: The Falcons’ only losses were to Memphis, Tennessee, and Toledo, each of which has been ranked at some point in the last few weeks by the Playoff committee. They’ve beaten the Power 5’s (technically) Maryland and Purdue, and eight of their wins had double-digit margins. This is a rankable MAC champion.
Western Kentucky (11-2) beat Southern Miss (9-4), 45-28: The Conference USA champ’s two losses were at LSU and a close one at Indiana. The rest of the Hilltoppers’ schedule was flames and a win over Vanderbilt. Every conference champion that plays in a city called Bowling Green should be ranked.
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