College Football Playoff 2014: Updated Outlook After Release of Week 3 Rankings
After just two weeks of the 2014 college football season, we've already seen a bevy of movement among the top 25 teams. While some formerly underrated squads have surprised us with impressive performances, others have failed to live up to expectations and were sent spiraling down the rankings.
Several Week 2 contests were the biggest cause for shifts in the standings. J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State Buckeyes couldn't get out of their own way, falling to previously unranked Virginia Tech. The Michigan State Spartans collapsed in the second half, losing big to the Oregon Ducks. A close game between USC and Stanford sent the teams in opposite directions in this week's version of the Top 25.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With each contest now in the books, and another round of voting completed, the latest AP Poll has been released. Here's a look at the latest rankings followed by the current outlook for the first-ever College Football Playoff.
| 1 | Florida State | 1,463 | 38 |
| 2 | Oregon | 1,415 | 16 |
| 3 | Alabama | 1,334 | 1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1,303 | 2 |
| 5 | Auburn | 1,236 | 0 |
| 6 | Georgia | 1,201 | 1 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,101 | 2 |
| 8 | Baylor | 1,043 | 0 |
| 9 | USC | 1,039 | 0 |
| 10 | LSU | 1,029 | 0 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 815 | 0 |
| 12 | UCLA | 779 | 0 |
| 13 | Michigan State | 751 | 0 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 703 | 0 |
| 15 | Stanford | 592 | 0 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 570 | 0 |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 532 | 0 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 391 | 0 |
| 19 | Kansas State | 285 | 0 |
| 20 | Missouri | 237 | 0 |
| 21 | Louisville | 234 | 0 |
| 22 | Ohio State | 222 | 0 |
| 23 | Clemson | 206 | 0 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 199 | 0 |
| 25 | BYU | 179 | 0 |
The AP Poll can be viewed at CollegeFootball.AP.org.
College Football Playoff Outlook
1. Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles clung to their No. 1 ranking following a close contest against Oklahoma State in Week 1. After a 37-12 rout of Citadel on Saturday, the team's standing atop the rankings is secure once again.
Jameis Winston looked closer to his Heisman-winning form against the Bulldogs, completing 22 of his 27 passing attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He was helped tremendously by a receiving corps led by Rashad Green that hasn't lost a step since the departure of Kelvin Benjamin.
ESPN College Football highlighted Winston's performance:
Florida State complemented its passing attack with a solid ground game featuring a time share between Dalvin Cook, Karlos Williams and Mario Pender. As a team, the Seminoles rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.
Stout on the defensive side of the ball as well, Citadel quarterbacks combined to complete five of their 14 passing attempts for 72 yards and a pair of late-game touchdowns. While the Bulldogs did rush for 250 yards as a team, it took 56 carries and quarterback scrambles to get there.
The Seminoles reaffirmed why they are the nation's top team, increasing their win streak to 18 games. Expect them to be well in the mix for the College Football Playoff for the remainder of the season.
2. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks were given the week's biggest challenge when Michigan State's stout defense rolled into town. The win didn't come easy for Oregon—it was down 24-18 at the half—but a surging Marcus Mariota led a brilliant second-half comeback to earn the 46-27 win and leapfrog Alabama to gain the No. 2 spot in the rankings.
Aside from a 70-yard touchdown strike to Devon Allen in the second quarter, Mariota took some time to figure out the Spartans defense. After some halftime adjustments, he lit up the scoreboard with four more touchdown drives.
Mariota continues to be well in the Heisman discussion after completing 17 of his 28 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns—while adding nine rushes for 42 yards—against one of the nation's most feared defensive units.
Here's a good look at what the Ducks accomplished on Saturday, via ESPN College Football:
While Oregon's offense looked as prolific as ever, its defense was just as impressive. Erick Dargan and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu each came away with an interception against a usually efficient Connor Cook. The Ducks limited running back Jeremy Langford to average just 3.6 yards per carry on the game.
This team proved it can compete with some of the best in the nation. There's every reason to expect the Ducks in the College Football Playoff.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
It didn't even take Alabama a full 60 minutes of playing time to rout Florida Atlantic. The game was called off due to lightning in the fourth quarter with the Crimson Tide already leading 41-0. While Alabama dropped a spot in the poll due to Oregon's big win, it did appear to solve a quarterback controversy in the process.
Blake Sims started the game, and while most of his early passes were simply bubble screens, he showed a nice release which resulted in a good amount of velocity and accuracy on his passes. He finished the game completing 11 of his 13 passing attempts for 214 yards and two scores.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper had a hand in the quarterback's success, via ESPN College Football:
As for Jake Coker, his passes didn't have the zip produced by Sims. This caused several to find their targets late and others to sail high. He completed 15 of his 24 attempts for 202 yards and one score against Florida Atlantic.
Alabama's defense only allowed a total of 145 yards to the Owls offense. Quarterback Greg Hankerson comlpeted 12 of his 19 attempts for 88 yards, and the team's running game produced just 57 yards on 24 carries.
Once again, the Crimson Tide proved to be one of the nation's most well-rounded teams. Despite falling one spot, it certainly doesn't look like this squad will be leaving the top four any time soon.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
After destroying Louisiana Tech in Week 1, the Sooners continued the trend, defeating Tulsa by a score of 52-7 on Saturday. Oklahoma's combination of a balanced offensive attack and stout defense helped secure its spot within the top four teams in the nation.
Quarterback Trevor Knight had a far better showing in Week 2, completing 21 of his 34 passing attempts for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Sterling Shepard was one big factor in Knight's success against Tulsa. He proved to be the real deal, racking up 177 yards and a score on eight receptions.
The Sooners were efficient on the ground as well. The team continued its committee approach and combined to rush for 261 yards and four scores on 31 carries—an average of 8.4 yards per rush.
Knight's dual-threat ability was a factor in the team's success on the ground, via Eye on College Football:
Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans found little success through the air. He did throw one touchdown pass, but was also picked twice and completed just 23 of his 42 passing attempts. Tulsa didn't fare much better on the ground, rushing 34 times for 94 yards—an average of 2.8 yards per carry.
This Oklahoma team showed its capability of dominating a game in all phases on Saturday. With a relatively easy Big 12 schedule remaining, it would take a major upset to knock this well-rounded team out of the top four and the College Football Playoff.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
