A week ago, the College Football Playoff committee alienated the Pacific time zone by leaving Washington out of the Top Four.
There will be no controversy this time around.
The Huskies ascended to their rightful place as the fourth and final team in the CFP standings released Tuesday. Alabama, Clemson and Michigan comprise an unchanged Top Three. Ohio State and Louisville round out the six teams firmly positioned for a potential playoff spot.
Here is how the entire Top 25 played out:
The biggest loser of the last seven days is Texas A&M, which drops to No. 8 after it was fourth a week ago. The Aggies gave up 574 yards and never led in a 35-28 loss to unranked Mississippi State. Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had a standout performance, accounting for four touchdowns and 391 total yards.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin spoke to reporters after the loss:
I think there were some busts. Their quarterback played extremely well today. He ran it, but he also was extremely accurate when he threw it. He made some plays into tight coverage. A lack of energy would have shown up in a worse score, I’ll put it that way. All the way down to the end, we’ve got guys that are trying to get the thing to overtime. It’s more of a lack of execution.
The Aggies’ drop was the only notable change among title contenders, who for the most part took care of business without issue.
Alabama failed to score for the first three quarters against LSU but turned in perhaps its best defensive performance of the season in a 10-0 win. The Crimson Tide held LSU running back Leonard Fournette to 35 yards on 17 carries, marking the second straight year they’ve shut down the nation’s best runner. Fournette has amassed just 66 yards over the last two seasons against Alabama.
“We got some pretty hateful guys that play defense around here that are pretty good competitors,” Alabama coach Nick Sabantold reporters. “When they get challenged a little bit, they usually respond and I thought they responded really well tonight.”
Clemson and Michigan had even less trouble, defeating Syracuse and Maryland, respectively, by a combined 110 points. Ohio State and Louisville were equally dominant against Nebraska and Boston College.
The Buckeyes’ 62-3 win over Nebraska sent the Cornhuskers all the way back to No. 19 from their No. 10 ranking a week ago. J.T. Barrett threw four touchdowns as Ohio State seemingly fixed its offensive ills that cropped up against Penn State and Northwestern.
The Nittany Lions continue to make Ohio State’s lone loss look even better by moving up to the No. 10 spot. After losing two of its first four games, James Franklin’s team has reeled off five straight wins and looks like a strong bet to run the table.
If the Buckeyes can unseat third-ranked Michigan in their season finale, there could be a three-way tie for first in the Big Ten East division. If all three are 8-1 in the conference, Ohio State would win the division title and play in the conference championship game, per Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch.
Closing the season with its final two games against ranked opponents, Oklahoma is one of the two-loss teams with an outside shot of making things interesting. The Sooners have not lost in Big 12 play after starting 1-2, including a season-opening loss to Houston that may still be their death knell.
With four undefeateds from major conferences still alive, though, Bob Stoops is going to need a ton of help.
Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.
