Bleacher Report
While there aren’t many changes near the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll heading into Week 14, the College Football Playoff race was thrown into chaos thanks to what unfolded on Saturday.
The order of Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State for the first four spots was unchanged. Notre Dame moved up from sixth to fifth with Indiana losing to the Buckeyes.
While the Hoosiers only have one loss, the decisive nature of their defeat and a lack of a true signature win could put the team on the playoff bubble. They were outscored 24-8 by Ohio State in the second half and gained a total of 153 yards.
Everybody knew the stakes of Saturday’s contest, and Indiana fell completely flat.
Granted, it only took a few hours for the Hoosiers’ playoff odds to shift dramatically.
Alabama and Ole Miss are now sitting on three losses, a number that could remove them from the CFP picture entirely.
John Fanta @John_Fanta
Ole Miss lost to previously 5-5 Florida. <br>Alabama got blown out by previously 5-5 Oklahoma. <br>Texas A&M lost to previously 4-6 Auburn. <br><br>And people are trying to push a narrative that Indiana being in the playoff is in jeopardy after their one loss at … Ohio State? Child please!
Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions, while the defense had no answer for the Oklahoma rushing attack in Norman on Saturday. Sooners signal-caller Jackson Arnold went for 131 yards on the ground and running back Xavier Robinson eclipsed the century mark as well and had two rushing scores.
Welcome to life without one of the greatest head coaches in college football history, Alabama.
Falling to Florida 24-17 showed Ole Miss simply isn’t ready for prime time, either.
The Rebels have a top-12 squad on talent alone and showed as much when they beat Georgia by 18 points. But a top-12 team doesn’t lose to Kentucky along with LSU and Florida when those two schools are having down years.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart may have created the season’s lasting image. He threw interceptions on Ole Miss’ last two drives and was visibly emotional on the sideline after the second one.
Texas A&M’s upset in four overtimes at the hands of Auburn added to a brutal day for the SEC within a playoff context.
The Aggies, who were 15th in the last CFP rankings, almost certainly would’ve vaulted into the playoff bracket if they improved to 9-2. Instead they opened the door wide open for a different power conference program to earn a playoff berth.
Speaking of conferences having a tough Saturday, the Big 12’s hopes of having a representative in the CFP rest squarely with Arizona State or Iowa State after BYU and Colorado went down in upsets.
The five highest-ranked conference champions are assured of a playoff place. If the Cougars or Buffs wind up standing tall in the Big 12, they may not get ranked high enough by the selection committee to be one of the five best champions.
Dennis Dodd @dennisdoddcbs
Updating Big 12 tiebreakers…<br><br>Four teams are tied at 6-2 — BYU, Arizona State, Colorado, Iowa State.<br><br>If they all win out, it’s Arizona St and Iowa State.<br><br>However, that doesn’t account for losses by each on the final day. Also, there is still the possibility of a 5, 6, 7 or…
The AP poll offered at least one data point for how the committee could view the field of playoff contenders and which teams no longer have a realistic path.
Indiana is still looking solid at No. 10, but fans for Alabama (No. 13) and Ole Miss (No. 15) will be sweating the next CFP rankings.