AP College Football Poll 2014: Complete Week 13 Rankings Released

Just when you think you have everything figured out in college football, another week of action turns those notions on their head.

This weekend was no different, as a series of upsets, close calls and huge conference showdowns once again altered the top of the rankings. While the selection committee's rankings are the only ones that will ultimately matter for teams trying to reach the College Football Playoff, the Associated Press offered its perspective Sunday of the Top 25 teams in the country this week.   

Let's break down that poll next to Bleacher Report's official Top 25 and take a look back at the weekend that was.  

Analysis

Once again, an SEC showdown drastically altered the top of the rankings.

This time, it was Alabama pulling off a huge 25-20 home victory against the top-ranked team in the nation heading into Saturday, Mississippi State. The result not only gave Alabama the signature victory it really needed for its resume, but it also means it controls its own fate in the SEC. 

Win out and the Crimson Tide will reach the SEC Championship Game. Win that and they'll undoubtedly qualify for the playoff. 

Mississippi State certainly isn't out of the playoff picture just yet. Alabama still has to beat Auburn, while the Bulldogs might even get into the playoff without reaching the SEC title game, seeing as they have wins over LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn and have yet to face Ole Miss, another win that would really bolster their resume. Surely, though, the team woke up on Sunday with a bad taste in its mouth.

"We should feel awful," head coach Dan Mullen told reporters. "You should have a sickness in your stomach. We should embrace this feeling to make sure that this feeling doesn't happen again. We'll feel sick tonight but then we'll get over it. Except for being undefeated, every other goal is still ahead of us."

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More than a few teams in college football barely escaped that sickness in their stomachs. Florida State had to overcome a 23-10 deficit at the half against Miami. TCU barely got past Kansas, a close call that will surely have Baylor fans calling for the Bears to vault past the Horned Frogs in the playoff committee's rankings. 

And one team didn't survive, as Arizona State fell to Oregon State and likely lost any chance of reaching the playoff in the process. It wasn't just a huge loss for the Sun Devils, as Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press tweeted:

And so the college football season has come down to the teams that seemingly control their destiny in the playoff chase (Florida State, Alabama, Oregon) and those teams that are hoping their resumes are strong enough to get them in (TCU, Baylor, Ohio State, Mississippi State).

In other words, with three weeks remaining, everything is still up for grabs in college football. In a sense, the playoff has already begun. At this point in the season, one loss can cost a team everything.