College Football Playoff Rankings 2014: Predictions for Final Poll

Now is the time we wish the College Football Playoff Committee good luck.

The battle for the coveted fourth playoff spot was fierce on championship Saturday. No. 3 TCU dominated Iowa State as expected, rolling to a 55-3 win behind a four-touchdown, 460-yard masterclass from quarterback Trevone Boykin.

The win earned them a share of the Big 12 title with No. 6 Baylor, who defeated a strong Kansas State team 38-27 and is holding out hope that the playoff committee recognizes their 61-58 win over the Horned Frogs from earlier in the season.

Ohio State essentially tried to end the Wisconsin football program in the Big Ten championship game, rolling over the Badgers 59-0 behind a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Cardale Jones and a suffocating defense.

Florida State did what they've done all season long, scraping out a win over Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game to preserve their undefeated record. 

Here are my predictions for the final Top 25 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Rank	Team
1	Alabama
2	Oregon
3	Ohio State
4	Florida State
5	TCU
6	Baylor
7	Michigan State
8	Mississippi State
9	Goergia
10	Arizona
11	Ole Miss
12	Kansas State
13	Georgia Tech
14	UCLA
15	Arizona State
16	Wisconsin
17	Boise State
18	Clemson
19	Missouri
20	Auburn
21	Louisville
22	Utah
23	LSU
24	Oklahoma
25	USC

No. 2 Oregon looked like a good bet to take the top spot with their dominant 51-13 win over Arizona in the Pac-12 championship on Friday, but No. 1 Alabama put in a brilliant, suffocating performance of its own in a 42-13 trouncing of Missouri in the SEC championship game. 

Forget the controversy that is sure to surround the final playoff spot; just be glad these two teams have proved they are the cream of the crop in the NCAA. A Ducks-Crimson Tide game is a matchup any non-partisan football fan should be eager to see. 

Marcus Mariota had five total touchdowns against the Wildcats on Friday. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller compared Mariota to a current professional star after his brilliant performance:

Wide receiver Amari Cooper was his usual brilliant self for 'Bama in the SEC championship, putting up 12 catches for 83 yards and setting an SEC record in the process, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Running backs Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon put up two rushing touchdowns each, while Blake Sims was nearly perfect throwing the football, completing 23-of-27 passes for 262 yards and two scores.

Determining the final two playoff spots is going to be an unbelievable headache for the playoff committee considering the resume's of the teams in contention. 

Florida State was arguably less impressive this season than any of the other teams in the Top Six heading into Week 15, but it would be an absolute absurdity to freeze out the undefeated defending champions. They are just as much a lock for a playoff spot as Oregon and Alabama.

Ohio State has a considerable edge over the Big 12 schools with an outright Big Ten championship to its credit. Their thorough demolition of Wisconsin with the third-string Jones at the helm was the single most impressive performances of the season.

It shows that Ohio State might be the most well-rounded team in the nation, considering one can't point to a single player as the impetus for most of their success.

TCU and Baylor earned a share of the Big 12 title, but the lack of a championship game in their conference just might hurt them in the eyes of the playoff committee. Bears coach Art Briles was upset with the decision to have co-champions after his team won the head-to-head matchup against the Horned Frogs earlier this year.

"You know, if you're going to slogan around and say there's 'One True Champion,' all the sudden you're gonna go out the back door instead of going out the front?" Briles said, via ESPN.com's Max Olson. "Don't say one thing and do another."

The playoff committee isn't getting any help in sorting out this mess from Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, either.

Baylor closed out the season with two close wins over Texas Tech and Kansas State; a blowout performance in the latter would have earned them greater consideration.

TCU pummeled Iowa State, but they could suffer by not finishing off the season against a marquee opponent like Ohio State, FSU and Baylor did.

"I feel like we did everything we needed to do on our end to be one of those top four teams," said Boykin after the game, via The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde noted a potential line of thinking for the committee, one that would shut out the Big 12 from the playoff:

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

This scenario just might play out when the decisions are in. It's tough to punish TCU for winning by 52 points on Saturday, but it's equally as tough to lock out a Buckeyes squad that was one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch. These two squads are the proverbial rock and hard place boxing in the playoff committee after Saturday's results.

Any way you slice it, there are six teams deserving to go to the inaugural College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, there are just four spots. The committee will have no choice but to disappoint two programs and their fanbases when the final selection comes out, but it's best that they stick with a host of outright conference champions and as soon as the decisions are in, cue the campaign for an eight-team playoff.

Rankings listed in text are courtesy of CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.