College Football Playoff 2014: How Week 12's Results Will Impact Top-4 Ranking
If the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide are awarded the top spot in the next College Football Playoff rankings, no one should bat an eye. The Tide knocked off the No. 1 and previously-unbeaten Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday 25-20.
Bama picked off Heisman Trophy candidate Dak Prescott three times, and quarterback Blake Sims threw for 211 yards and a score. Alabama proved it could knock off a team with a stout defense and one of the best individual offensive players in the nation.
It was as impressive a win as any team has had this season. If you consider that Bama has defeated three ranked teams since losing 23-17 to Ole Miss on Oct. 4, its resume is now better than every other one-loss team's in the nation.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Bama still must beat West Carolina and then face the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl. Assuming Bama wins both of those games, it will also face the SEC East champion in the conference championship.
| 1 | Mississippi State | Lost to No. 5 Alabama 25-20 |
| 2 | Oregon | Idle |
| 3 | Florida State | at Miami |
| 4 | TCU | Beat Kansas 34-30 |
| 5 | Alabama | Beat Mississippi State 25-20 |
| 6 | Arizona State | at Oregon State |
| 7 | Baylor | idle |
| 8 | Ohio State | Beat No. 25 Minnesota 31-24 |
The defending champion Florida State Seminoles are undefeated. However, in all honesty, they haven't looked like the best team in the nation. The Noles have struggled in several games against opponents that most would suspect a team their caliber to handle easily.
It's hard to penalize a team that hasn't lost, but if the committee is voting for the squad that has played the best football, it's Alabama. If the Noles were to lose on Saturday night to the Miami Hurricanes, it would drastically change the CFP scene.
The No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs are one team hoping that the Noles fall. The Horned Frogs squeaked by the Kansas Jayhawks 34-30 on Saturday, but the close call could cost them a spot in the top four for now. Mississippi State didn't look horrendous in losing its first game to Alabama.
As the newest team to join the one-loss club in college football, the Bulldogs have to be considered right behind Bama in that group. With Bama certainly moving into a top-four spot, one team has to drop, and it should be TCU.
Yes, the Horned Frogs were on the road, but they narrowly escaped a loss to a 3-6 team. TCU's defense gave up 418 total yards and 30 points to a team that came in averaging just 19.4 points per game.
The unimpressive win puts TCU at great risk of being bumped. Without a Big 12 title game to improve their standing, the Horned Frogs will need help to get back into the CFP picture if they wind up being the odd team out.
Things might look bleak for TCU right now. However, in such a wacky college football season there's still time for an upset to breathe new life into TCU's CFP hopes.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
