College Football Playoff Rankings: Biggest Takeaways from Week 6
Some Saturday, huh?
Actually, the craziness of the first week of October started Thursday when Arizona took down No. 2 Oregon in Eugene, 31-24. And then three more teams ranked in the Top Six of the last AP poll went down Saturday.
There hasn't been this much attention paid to the state of Mississippi since Ulysses S. Grant laid siege to Vicksburg. But this time, its residents rejoiced.
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Grant's doppelganger Richie Brown got things started with three interceptions in Mississippi State's 48-31 rout of No. 6 Texas A&M. A few hours later, Ole Miss capped off the Hotty Toddy party by upsetting No. 3 Alabama 23-17.
With No. 4 Oklahoma also losing to TCU 37-33, this made for quite a shakeup of the playoff picture.
By the end of the night, only 10 teams remained unbeaten. But because we're just getting started in the conference season, it's looking increasingly likely that multiple teams with at least one loss will make the four-team playoff field.
We're still three weeks away from the selection committee's first rankings. But for better or worse, these are the movers and shakers of the week:
| ACC (2) | Florida State, Georgia Tech |
| Big 12 (2) | Baylor, TCU |
| Pac-12 (1) | Arizona |
| SEC (3) | Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State |
| Independent (1) | Notre Dame |
| Conference USA (1)* | Marshall |
Teams That Moved Up
SEC West
Considered (justly) the best division in college football, Saturday's results more or less served as confirmation.
Whichever team wins this division is just about assured a berth in the playoff—even with two losses—as long as it takes the SEC title. If any conference ends up with two entries in the four-team field, this would be the division to supply the second team.
TCU/Baylor
The Horned Frogs' upset of Oklahoma sets up this showdown next week in Waco, with the winning team staying unbeaten and staking a claim for a Top Five ranking.
Baylor has not been tested at all this season thanks to an embarrassingly easy nonconference schedule. But a win over TCU will help the Bears to start building their resume.
Michigan State
Let the debate stop right here: Oregon's loss actually helps the Spartans. But here's the catch: Michigan State will need the Ducks to lose another game to crawl its way back into the playoff picture.
With the stronger conferences beginning their own fratricides, the Spartans have only Ohio State to contend with on their way to the Big Ten championship.
Notre Dame
With Everett Golson back at quarterback, Notre Dame is working on replicating its magical 2012 season.
Just like two years ago, the Irish found a way to squeak by Stanford, this time 17-14. Notre Dame will be just outside the Top Five with its showdown against Florida State looming in two weeks.
Florida State
The defending national champions blasted Wake Forest 43-3 while no doubt enjoying all of the carnage that befell many of their competitors.
The Seminoles will not encounter too many serious challengers on their schedule, so their game against the Irish—most likely one that pits two unbeaten teams—might be the only remaining obstacle between them and a trip to the playoff.
Teams That Moved Down
Texas A&M
Of all the teams upset Saturday, Texas A&M took the most damage. The Aggies already needed a late comeback to beat SEC West cellar-dweller Arkansas after downing three Texas-sized patsies.
The fact that they were blown out by Mississippi State will send them tumbling down the rankings more than any other top team that lost this weekend.
Pac-12
Both Alabama and Oregon lost to undefeated teams this weekend by a touchdown, but expect the Ducks to fall much further than the Tide, thanks to the continued perception problem plaguing the Pac-12.
Ole Miss was ranked No. 11 last week, while Arizona was unranked despite similar strength of schedules before pulling off their respective upsets.
The two Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 10 last week will head into next weekend's showdown coming off upset losses at home, as UCLA hosts Oregon after losing to Utah on a last-minute field goal, 30-28.
With Stanford and USC (38-34 on a Hail Mary to Arizona State) losing after blowing late leads, there might not be a single Pac-12 team in the Top 10 in the new AP poll.
Rest of the Big Ten
Michigan State hung on for dear life, 27-22, withstanding a late Nebraska rally to ensure that there's no more unbeaten teams in the Big Ten. Ohio State is now the only other conference team with a flickering hope of making the playoff field.
Thus the Nov. 8 OSU-MSU game will serve as the B1G's final elimination matchup, but the winner must run the table and still isn't guaranteed anything.
BYU
The Cougars suffered two devastating losses Friday, first losing quarterback Taysom Hill to a broken leg, then losing the game to Utah State, 35-20. Without Hill, BYU will not be the same team the rest of the season.
Even with the single loss to the Aggies, any hopes of landing a New Years' Six bowl bid is most likely gone as well. Without a conference championship to play for, BYU's quest for a big postseason payday is effectively over.
Group-of-Five Team in the Best Position
East Carolina
Despite a somewhat sloppy win over SMU, 45-24, the Pirates are still in the driver's seat, though they have emerging competition within their own conference. Memphis might start to build a case of its own as its only two losses were close calls against Top 10 teams in UCLA and Ole Miss on the road.
Since ECU and Memphis don't play each other, the American title may come down to a tiebreaker—whichever team is ranked the highest by the selection committee.
Projected Conference Championship Matchups
ACC: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Big Ten: Michigan State vs. Minnesota
Pac-12: Oregon vs. Arizona
SEC: Auburn vs. Georgia
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