Projected College Football Playoff Rankings Top Four: Notre Dame?

Projected College Football Playoff Rankings: Make Your Case For The Top Four

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Shhhhh … pretend you didn’t read this next part as you watch me on the College Football Playoff Show tonight at 8 ET/7 CT on Campus Insiders.

This week’s rankings sort of don’t matter.

They’ll be a nice snapshot, but they’re going to change up dramatically after this weekend because of three big games.

The Big 12 and Big Ten would love nothing more than for 1) Stanford to beat Notre Dame.

Oklahoma could use the Fighting Irish out of the way, and a one-loss Big Ten champion – if there is one – would like to end the drama, too. A Notre Dame win and an 11-1 record with a phenomenal resume will put the pressure on the committee to make a call next week.

2) Penn State vs. Michigan State is massive, considering it comes right after Ohio State vs. Michigan. If the Spartans lose, the Buckeye-Wolverine winner is off to the Big Ten title game.

And then there’s 3) Oklahoma. Beat Oklahoma State, get a Notre Dame loss to Stanford, and Boomer Sooner – OU will almost certainly be in the final top four.

But for tonight, knowing that last week No. 3 Ohio State is about to drop, and figuring Clemson and Alabama are in the top two, who will take the other two spots?

No. 4 Notre Dame

In The Top Four: It’s still an impressive resume, even after last week’s yuckfest in Boston. Beating USC, Pitt, Navy and Temple will still mean plenty, while the one loss to Clemson remains just fine.

Out Of The Top Four: That was brutally ugly – and not just the uniforms. Boston College is awful, and Notre Dame hardly played like a team cranking down the stretch for a possible College Football Playoff bid. It’s a hard sell to put the Fighting Irish in over that performance.

In Or Out?: In. There’s a chance Notre Dame could move up to No. 3 and be in the exact same position TCU was in last year at the same time.

No. 5 Iowa

In The Top Four: Ohio State lost. So did Oklahoma State. So did Houston. It might not be pretty, and it might not be anything to get America excited, but Iowa is one of just two unbeaten teams left. No matter how it happened, it’s still impressive just to be one of the last teams standing.

Out Of The Top Four: There’s a chance the committee likes the No. 9 Michigan State win over Ohio State just enough to make a massive leap. There’s also a shot that Oklahoma’s win over TCU is just strong enough to make a hop up into the four spot from seven.

In Or Out?: In. No. 5 last week, the Hawkeyes will slide on in to No. 4 at worst, possibly No. 3 ahead of Notre Dame considering the way the Irish played against Boston College.

No. 7 Oklahoma

In The Top Four: Who’s had better back-to-back wins than the Sooners? Not only did they beat last week No. 10 Baylor on the road, but they also knocked off TCU. It might have been a struggle, but the resume is starting to build. After moving up five spots last week, going up to No. 4 wouldn’t be that hard.

Out Of The Top Four: At home, the Sooners were a batted two-point conversion attempt away from losing to a depleted Horned Frog team. QB Baker Mayfield is supposed to be okay for Oklahoma State, but that was a rough performance without him.

In Or Out?: Nope. It’ll be a hard sell to put OU in over a Notre Dame team that actually beat Texas. Undefeated Iowa might not have anything special aesthetically, but it’ll get the call over the Sooners.

No. 8 Florida

In The Top Four: Say what you want, but the Gators are still a one-loss team from the SEC. The blowout win over Ole Miss is looking stronger now, and the defense is playing …

Out Of The Top Four: … stop. Florida 20, Florida Atlantic 14 in overtime.

In Or Out?: No, and the Gators could drop. It doesn’t matter, though. Beat Florida State, beat Alabama, get in the playoff no matter how it looks.

No. 9 Michigan State

In The Top Four: Up four spots last week, after beating Ohio State on the road the Spartans might deserve a place in the top four. Now, the Oregon win looks fantastic, the Michigan win looks even better, and no matter what, this is the team that stopped the defending national champions’ win streak and dream season – maybe.

Out Of The Top Four: There are still too many close calls along the way, and too many shaky moments, to overcome with the Ohio State win. The Nebraska loss is still a problem.

In Or Out?: No, but don’t be stunned if the Spartans get up to No. 5. Technically, according to last week’s rankings, that was the second-best win by anyone all year behind the Ole Miss win over Alabama.