Tracking the College Football Playoff
— -- We are a little more than two weeks from the final College Football Playoff rankings and the semifinal announcements.
Dinich projects the committee's top six
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Michigan
5. Washington
6. Wisconsin
Sooners still have work to do
The easiest declaration in the Big 12 is that West Virginia is out, done, kaput. It's more complicated with Oklahoma, which earned its first statement win -- and got it in Morgantown. The Sooners still need help, though -- lots of it -- because of a r?sum? that has just one win against a top 25 team and just three wins against teams with record above .500 (Kansas State, Baylor and now West Virginia). Five of OU's nine wins have come against teams with at least six losses.
So what has to happen?
OU first needs to beat Oklahoma State on Dec. 3. The Sooners would increase their legitimacy in the debate if Michigan loses, because if the Wolverines win out and win the Big Ten, you're looking at a top four that starts with Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. The debate would then boil down to Oklahoma and Washington. That's why if Washington loses, it also helps, because Oklahoma might have a better chance when evaluated against a two-loss Colorado Pac-12 champ. Oklahoma could also make a case against a two-loss Penn State team, but would likely lose that r?sum? test, too, because Penn State's win over No. 2 Ohio State still trumps anything the Sooners have done. OU isn't done yet, but it remains a long shot in the big picture.
Pac-12 takes playoff hit
Michigan wins O'Korn's debut, but tougher challenge awaits
Ohio State wobbles but keeps playoff hopes alive
Also in the Big Ten, Wisconsin trounced Purdue 49-20 but needed Nebraska (and Minnesota) to lose to clinch the Big Ten's West division. The Huskers thoroughly beat the Terps, so the Badgers' celebration must remain on hold, though they should remain the Big Ten's top two-loss team.
Gundy states his case for Oklahoma State
After the TCU win, Gundy reflected on his team's? controversial Week 2 loss to Central Michigan, in which on-field and replay officials admitted to an error that prolonged the game and allowed the Chippewas to complete a last-second Hail Mary.
"Nobody will ever convince me that we didn't get the win," Gundy said.
CFP selection committee chair Kirby Hocutt has said his group is considering the game a loss for the Cowboys, but Gundy isn't sure they feel that way.
"I know Kirby had mentioned that the committee feels a certain way about that game," Gundy said. "I think Kirby's playing poker and that they see us as a 10-win team. That's just my opinion."
Playoff impact games
What Louisville's loss means
After a wild Saturday filled with upsets, the ripple effect in the College Football Playoff continued Thursday, when No. 5 Louisville was thoroughly outplayed by Houston in a 36-10 loss that sent reverberations throughout the selection committee's Top 25. It's hard to envision a scenario where the Cardinals can get back into playoff contention.
To read more about how the Cardinals' loss affected the playoff, click here.