Washington moved into fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, putting the four remaining unbeaten teams from the Power Five conferences at the top of the selection committee’s second top 25.
Alabama, Clemson and Michigan still hold the top three spots.
The committee’s first ranking of the season caused a bit of a stir because the unbeaten Huskies were behind Texas A&M last week. The Aggies then went out and lost at Mississippi State to clear up the mini-controversy.
Ohio State is behind Washington, but the Buckeyes are still in fine shape. Ohio State plays Michigan on Nov. 26 in a game that could decide the Big Ten’s East division.
Louisville moved up a spot to sixth, followed by Wisconsin and Texas A&M.
Colorado climbed from No. 15 last week to No. 12 in this week’s poll after a 20-10 win against UCLA.
If chaos is what you crave down the stretch of the college football season, these last few weeks are set to leave you feeling less than satisfied.
For sure, none of the teams in the latest top four are safe. Weird stuff happens. What mitigates the chances for real chaos is the firewall the top three teams, and to some extent Washington, has created. Alabama (vs. Mississippi State), Clemson (vs. Pitt) and Michigan (at Iowa) could all lose this weekend and still they would be fine to reach the final four if they win out and become conference champions. Washington would likely be in more trouble than the rest with a loss to Southern California on Saturday, but far from out.
For years, the folks who supported and fought for preserving the BCS beat to death one particular point: A playoff would devalue the regular season. Well, they were right, but that’s not such a bad thing. The pressure that comes with a system that is so unforgiving takes some of the drama out of late-season games, but the trade-off makes up for it. More teams are in the mix and more games matter. Losses are not quite so catastrophic, but they do create new possibilities and heighten tension.
And, of course, in the end the playoff produces a truer champion.
Four of these nine teams will almost certainly make the College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Ohio State, Louisville, Wisconsin, No. 9 Auburn and No. 16 West Virginia. Here’s where they stand.
Win out, get in the playoff. Simple.
AlabamaClemsonMichiganWashingtonOhio StateAuburnBarring a significant upset in the next couple weeks Alabama-Auburn and Michigan-Ohio State on Nov. 26 might as well be playoff games.
Teams that would be very much in the mix if they win out, but would still need some help.
WisconsinWest Virginia
WisconsinWest VirginiaWith its chance to win a conference at slim to none, the best Louisville can do is win and hope the upsets start piling up.
No. 10 Penn StateNo. 12 ColoradoNo. 14 UtahNo. 23 Washington StateUnranked FloridaThe Nittany Lions need two losses from Michigan to reach the Big Ten championship game, but they do hold the tiebreaker on Ohio State. The Utes, Buffaloes and Cougars could all still win the Pac-12 at 11-2, which at least gets them a look if there are conference championship game upsets.
Don’t laugh at the Gators. If Florida wins out it would be 10-2 with victories against LSU, Florida State and maybe Alabama to win the SEC championship. OK, yeah, you can laugh a little.
No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Oklahoma State both have two losses and could win the Big 12, but there is no reason to think the Big 12 is getting a two-loss team in the playoff without some madness down the stretch.
