College Football Playoff Rankings 2015: Predictions for Final Poll
In the end, it was all chalk. But the final weekend of college football's regular season certainly didn't disappoint.
Alabama, Clemson and Michigan State all wrapped up victories as expected but not without needing some late-game heroics and even some controversy.
Sunday's reveal of the College Football Playoff matchups likely won't bring any major surprises, but there will be some debate as to how the teams should be ranked.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Below is a projection of the committee's entire rankings, followed by a breakdown of each of the top four teams and why it is projected in its spot.
| 1 | Clemson | 13-0 |
| 2 | Alabama | 12-1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 11-1 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 12-1 |
| 5 | Stanford | 11-2 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 11-1 |
| 7 | Iowa | 12-1 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 10-2 |
| 9 | Florida State | 10-2 |
| 10 | TCU | 10-2 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 9-3 |
| 12 | Northwestern | 10-2 |
| 13 | Houston | 12-1 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 11-2 |
| 15 | Michigan | 9-3 |
| 16 | Oregon | 9-3 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 10-2 |
| 18 | LSU | 8-3 |
| 19 | Florida | 10-3 |
| 20 | Baylor | 9-3 |
| 21 | Navy | 9-2 |
| 22 | Utah | 9-3 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 8-4 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 9-3 |
| 25 | Temple | 10-3 |
Projected Final Four
1. Clemson Tigers
First, let's acknowledge the controversial offside call on North Carolina's onside kick. It was a bad call that essentially ended any hope of the Tar Heels completing the comeback. North Carolina fans will complain about it for years, and rightfully so.
But the committee will not penalize Clemson for the result. Luck is a part of college football.
In fact, Clemson isn't even the only playoff team with good luck on its side.
If Michigan's punter hadn't suffered an inexplicable meltdown, the Spartans would have been at home this weekend watching Ohio State play Iowa for the Big Ten title.
Putting that minor controversy aside, as the only undefeated Power Five conference school with impressive victories over Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina, the Tigers are the obvious choice to remain at No. 1.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
Florida gave Alabama a bit of scare in the early going Saturday, as the Gators defense proved to be up to the challenge of slowing down Heisman favorite Derrick Henry. But in the end, the Gators offense simply didn't have enough firepower to hang with the Tide.
Oklahoma and Michigan State arguably ended their seasons with more impressive victories down the stretch, but the committee's respect for Alabama and the SEC likely will have the Crimson Tide locked in at No. 2.
3. Michigan State Spartans
Iowa, despite its many vocal detractors, proved to be a worthy opponent for Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. In the end, Mark Dantonio's squad, led by Connor Cook and L.J. Scott, simply overpowered the Hawkeyes defense with a dominant game-winning drive.
The Spartans entered this week at No. 5 in the rankings (behind Iowa at No. 4 and Oklahoma at No. 3) but may be able to jump the Sooners due to their impressive late-season victories.
Michigan State now has two wins against teams that are likely to finish in the Top 10 (Ohio State and Iowa), with both victories coming in the past three weeks.
The committee rewarded Ohio State for its impressive end-of-season run a year ago, demonstrating the value it places on teams that are peaking down the stretch.
After Ohio State finished at No. 4 a season ago, Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com shared these comments from committee leader Jeff Long about Ohio State's late rise: "It was really about Ohio State's movement up. It was Ohio State improving its performance on the field."
If a similar discussion comes up for the committee this year, Michigan State will likely benefit from the value placed on late-season improvement.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
A year ago at this time TCU was sitting at No. 3 in the CFP rankings, having just wrapped up its regular season with a 55-3 victory over Iowa State. But in the final rankings, the Horned Frogs fell all the way to No. 6, missing out on the playoffs.
Oklahoma fans may be nervous history will repeat itself, given the committee's lack of respect for the Big 12 in its brief history. But this is a different scenario for the Sooners.
While the Big 12's exclusion from the playoff a season ago was controversial, TCU's fall from No. 3 was expected. During the final week of the season, despite TCU's victory, Baylor actually wrapped up the Big 12 championship due to tiebreakers. Since the committee has been transparent in its interest to reward conference titles, the Horned Frogs had no chance of staying at No. 3 once Baylor won the Big 12.
This year, however, Oklahoma already had the outright conference championship clinched when the committee ranked it No. 3 last week.
For Oklahoma to fall out of the top four, either the Pac-12's two-loss champion Stanford or a non-champion such as Ohio State would have to jump the Sooners.
The committee has given no indication that it would consider either scenario, so the Sooners' spot should be safe.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
