Oklahoma vs. TCU: How Horned Frogs' Win Reshapes Playoff Picture
The No. 25 TCU Horned Frogs defeated the No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Sooners 37-33 on an explosive Saturday that saw the demise of several programs previously thought to be the undisputed titans of college football.
In short, the Horned Frogs' win—combined with losses for Alabama, Texas A&M and Oregon—blows the College Football Playoff race wide open.
| Arizona | 31-24 | No. 2 Oregon |
| Wake Forest | 3-43 | No. 1 Florida State |
| No. 11 Ole Miss | 23-17 | No. 3 Alabama |
| No. 4 Oklahoma | 33-37 | No. 25 TCU |
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
NCAA Football added the Horned Frogs to the list of upsets on the day:
ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard thinks the playoff committee will have an exceedingly difficult time picking teams by the end of the season:
The upsets indeed renew hope for the likes of the winner of the crucial Big Ten game between No. 10 Michigan State and No. 19 Nebraska.
A litany of top-tier teams with one loss means that teams hanging around just outside of the Top Five now have the inside track toward a playoff-worthy ranking.
| No. 1 | Florida State |
| No. 8 | UCLA |
| No. 3 | Alabama |
| No. 7 | Baylor |
If No. 5 Auburn can survive its incredibly tough schedule, it will almost surely earn a spot in the CFP. Quarterback Nick Marshall will have to improve his accuracy and put up some bigger numbers—548 yards passing through the first four games—to get past the likes of Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M in the coming weeks.
Any team coming out of the SEC this season with just one loss deserves to make the playoff.
No. 8 UCLA has a fine chance at a playoff spot should the Bruins handle Utah and then defeat Oregon in Week 7.
They finally put together a complete game against Arizona State, and the likes of defensive back Ishmael Adams and linebacker Myles Jack will certainly help quarterback Brett Hundley maintain control of teams in the coming weeks.
TCU will enjoy a huge boost in the rankings, but the Horned Frogs will have to put up some dominating performances to put themselves in the CFP conversation, considering the caliber of teams in front of them.
Of course, the Sooners aren't out of it. A perfect finish to the season, which would include a victory over current No. 7 and noted offensive juggernaut Baylor, and some losses for top-ranked teams along the way would vault Oklahoma back into the playoff, just as it would for the Crimson Tide or the Ducks.
Conference championship games will take on an even greater significance for these teams if they make it to that point with just one loss.
The strength of schedule and the conference as a whole should go a long way to parsing out the truly elite teams worthy of participating in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
