NCAA Football Playoff 2014: Exploring Championship Implications of Week 2 Games
Just one week into the college season, the College Football Playoff landscape already has an entirely different look.
Sure, programs like Florida State and Alabama are still at the top, but both struggled in Week 1. Each team remains a favorite to reach the postseason at the end, but have question marks moving forward.
As for early talks about South Carolina and UCLA potentially contending for a spot, both dropped off after disappointing performances. The Gamecocks were blown out by Texas A&M, 52-28, while Brett Hundley and the Bruins was underwhelming against lowly Virginia.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Then there were teams that blossomed into contenders such as Georgia and Texas A&M. The aforementioned blowout of the Gamecocks helped the Aggies while the Bulldogs rolled over Clemson in prime time.
With the full slate of Week 2 games set to being on Saturday afternoon, here's a look at the standings and a breakdown of the games with championship implications.
| 1 | Florida State Seminoles (46) | Florida State Seminoles (57) |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide (1) | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 3 | Oregon Ducks (5) | Oklahoma Sooners (2) |
| 4 | Oklahoma Sooners (2) | Oregon Ducks (2) |
| 5 | Auburn Tigers | Auburn Tigers |
| 6 | Georgia Bulldogs (2) | Michigan State Spartans |
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 8 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Georgia Bulldogs (1) |
| 9 | Texas A&M Aggies (2) | Baylor Bears |
| 10 | Baylor Bears | Stanford Cardinal |
| 11 | UCLA Bruins | UCLA Bruins |
| 12 | LSU Tigers (1) | LSU Tigers |
| 13 | Stanford Cardinal | Texas A&M Aggies |
| 14 | USC Trojans | USC Trojans |
| 15 | Ole Miss Rebels | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 17 | Arizona State Sun Devils | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 18 | Wisconsin Badgers | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 19 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Wisconsin Badgers |
| 20 | Kansas State Wildcats | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 21 | South Carolina Gamecocks (T-21) | South Carolina Gamecocks |
| 22 | North Carolina Tar Heels (T-21) | Missouri Tigers |
| 23 | Clemson Tigers | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| 24 | Missouri Tigers | Clemson Tigers |
| 25 | Louisville Cardinals | Texas Longhorns |
Breakdown of Week 2 Championship Implications
Following a surprising Week 1 that saw several contenders rise and fall, the second weekend promises to be equally as enthralling.
The Seminoles and Crimson Tide have cupcakes on the schedule, so both will likely remain at the top of the rankings. But when it comes to huge matchups, it doesn't get any bigger than Michigan State vs. Oregon.
Michigan State go on the road to test its dominant defense against a high-powered offense. As for the Spartans' starting quarterback, Connor Cook believes he'll be ready to go, per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:
While much of the focus will be on Marcus Mariota—for good reason—it will be Cook that has more to prove coming in. The Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl MVP in 2013, Cook is 14-1 as Sparty's signal-caller during his career.
Both programs come in with aspirations of making the College Football Playoff, but the Ducks are currently ranked higher. Going into the matchup, Oregon has the higher percentage chance to win, per ESPN College Football:
Apart from the huge Big Ten-Pac-12 showdown, another matchup on the West Coast might have championship implications.
Currently, USC and Stanford are neither inside the top five and near contention for the playoff. But with the Cardinal cracking the top 10 in the Amway poll, they are clearly creating buzz with their play.
Heading into the huge conference clash, Stanford clearly holds the upper hand in the last several seasons, as ESPN notes:
With both teams hoping to make noise this season, this is a crucial matchup. And after early controversy for Steve Sarkisian and the USC program, a win over Stanford would help turn the corner.
The likes of Kenny Trill and other Heisman contenders will make their cases against lesser opponents, but the real competition will be in Oregon and California. As the West Coast prepares for all eyes to be firmly focused on it, all four teams in those matchups have hopes for a playoff appearance.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
