[BostonCard]

We are up to #12 in the college football playoff rankings (up 9 spots after beating ND) as the highest ranked 3-loss team and ranked above 2-loss UW (as well as some G5 teams with fewer losses).

http://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings

USC #10
UW #13
ND #15
WSU #18

BC

[BostonCard]

We are up to #12 in the college football playoff rankings (up 9 spots after beating ND) as the highest ranked 3-loss team and ranked above 2-loss UW (as well as some G5 teams with fewer losses).

http://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings

USC #10
UW #13
ND #15
WSU #18

BC

[TreesAndBirds]

Our 9 spot increase was the biggest increase of any team.

Would have been nice if SDSU had been ranked.

[TreesAndBirds]

Our 9 spot increase was the biggest increase of any team.

Would have been nice if SDSU had been ranked.

[CTcard]

Would have been nice if SDSU had been ranked.

Would have been nicer if SDSU had one more loss.

[CTcard]

Would have been nice if SDSU had been ranked.

Would have been nicer if SDSU had one more loss.

[Farm93]

Didn't watch the rankings show.

Given recent history I doubt ESPN analysts talked about the Pac-12, but....

If Stanford wins it would go to one of the NY6 bowls, and it is quite possible that USC would stay in the top 12.  And with that USC might beat out TCU for that 12th bowl invitation if TCU falls to Oklahoma.  It might be the only way the Pac-12 gets 2 NY6 teams.

The SJMN theory was that USC would drop below TCU, but this poll suggests the committee probably views Stanford as a very good team that had a couple of early season losses with a QB that is no longer starting. And all three loses were to winning teams on the road.  The combined record of those three teams is 29-7.

Hard to see UW or Stanford moving ahead of TCU if Stanford and TCU lose this weekend.

For the good of the Pac-12 I sure hope Stanford wins on Friday.  :)

[Farm93]

Didn't watch the rankings show.

Given recent history I doubt ESPN analysts talked about the Pac-12, but....

If Stanford wins it would go to one of the NY6 bowls, and it is quite possible that USC would stay in the top 12.  And with that USC might beat out TCU for that 12th bowl invitation if TCU falls to Oklahoma.  It might be the only way the Pac-12 gets 2 NY6 teams.

The SJMN theory was that USC would drop below TCU, but this poll suggests the committee probably views Stanford as a very good team that had a couple of early season losses with a QB that is no longer starting. And all three loses were to winning teams on the road.  The combined record of those three teams is 29-7.

Hard to see UW or Stanford moving ahead of TCU if Stanford and TCU lose this weekend.

For the good of the Pac-12 I sure hope Stanford wins on Friday.  :)

[Mick]

the committee probably views Stanford as a very good team that had a couple of early season losses with a QB that is no longer starting.

Speaking of...

I wonder how or if the coaching staff's thinking evolves on how to determine starters, and how long to stay with an ineffective starter.  It's simple for me to Monday morning quarterback the decision to go with Chryst and stay with him for so long, when (in my eyes) Costello appeared to be so much more effective.  I find myself asking, could we be 11-1 if Costello was the starter all season?

More to the point, this season's nearly over.  How will this experience affect the coaching staff's willingness to pull the trigger in the future?

[Mick]

the committee probably views Stanford as a very good team that had a couple of early season losses with a QB that is no longer starting.

Speaking of...

I wonder how or if the coaching staff's thinking evolves on how to determine starters, and how long to stay with an ineffective starter.  It's simple for me to Monday morning quarterback the decision to go with Chryst and stay with him for so long, when (in my eyes) Costello appeared to be so much more effective.  I find myself asking, could we be 11-1 if Costello was the starter all season?

More to the point, this season's nearly over.  How will this experience affect the coaching staff's willingness to pull the trigger in the future?

[cardcrimson]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

[cardcrimson]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

[CTcard]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

I am not sure that is necessarily the case. There isn't a lot of precedent, and there have been very few upsets in conference championship games since the cfp started, so we are all guessing here.

The committee says that winning a conference championship matters a lot, but they cannot weigh that in until somebody has actually won the conference championship. It would not surprise me that tOSU, or TCU, would scoot on up upon winning their conference championship somewhat like tOSU did in 2014.
The counter-example would be tOSU last year, but they got in as basically an intra-Big Ten decision. I think choosing a second team from one conference is a much more difficult trigger to pull.

[CTcard]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

I am not sure that is necessarily the case. There isn't a lot of precedent, and there have been very few upsets in conference championship games since the cfp started, so we are all guessing here.

The committee says that winning a conference championship matters a lot, but they cannot weigh that in until somebody has actually won the conference championship. It would not surprise me that tOSU, or TCU, would scoot on up upon winning their conference championship somewhat like tOSU did in 2014.
The counter-example would be tOSU last year, but they got in as basically an intra-Big Ten decision. I think choosing a second team from one conference is a much more difficult trigger to pull.

[Spiny_Norman]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

The committee chair said that there was very little separation between teams 5 through 8. I think he was setting up a scenario where Georgia, Miami or Ohio St wins and passes Alabama.

[Spiny_Norman]

Looks like Alabama would be in if either Oklahoma or Wisconsin stumbles. The SEC is very weak this year, would be a travesty if they get two into the playoffs. Bama has played no one,

The committee chair said that there was very little separation between teams 5 through 8. I think he was setting up a scenario where Georgia, Miami or Ohio St wins and passes Alabama.

[winflop]

I expect that we will be 9 or 10 after we take care of business on Friday night. I think Bama is screwed. SEC & ACC winners will be in, and if Ohio State wins I could see a scenario where they take Wisconsin over Alabama - neither has played a tough schedule and Wisconsin was undefeated in the regular season and played in their CCG while Alabama sat at home.

Bama's only hope for a spot is Wisconsin and TCU winning their respective games

[winflop]

I expect that we will be 9 or 10 after we take care of business on Friday night. I think Bama is screwed. SEC & ACC winners will be in, and if Ohio State wins I could see a scenario where they take Wisconsin over Alabama - neither has played a tough schedule and Wisconsin was undefeated in the regular season and played in their CCG while Alabama sat at home.

Bama's only hope for a spot is Wisconsin and TCU winning their respective games

[BostonCard]

If Wisconsin wins, they are in.  Really, alabama’s Hope is that TCU beats Oklahoma and that the committee doesn’t have them leapfrog Alabama.  But it will still be hard to justify sending a team that didn’t even win its division and has few marquee wins over a conference champion that just finished beating Oklahoma.

BC

[BostonCard]

If Wisconsin wins, they are in.  Really, alabama’s Hope is that TCU beats Oklahoma and that the committee doesn’t have them leapfrog Alabama.  But it will still be hard to justify sending a team that didn’t even win its division and has few marquee wins over a conference champion that just finished beating Oklahoma.

BC