This week, the power rankings will focus solely on the College Football Playoff. The best thing for a conference is to be solidly into the field, while the worst thing is for a conference to be completely out of the picture. In December, that is really the only thing that matters.
Because of this, we rank the conferences by how confident each league feels about its future presence in the playoff committee’s final four.
- Big 12
The Big 12 knows it’s in because Oklahoma’s year is done. The Sooners wrapped up an impressive 2015 campaign by dismantling Oklahoma State in un-Bedlam-like fashion a week ago and now awaits its final destination.
There is enough momentum surrounding the Sooners to suggest they might climb up to the second spot from the couch this week, but at least they know they are solidly in the field. Also, Baylor plays on Saturday, so the Big 12 won’t be completely out of sight on championship weekend.
- Big Ten
The only other league that has complete and total confidence either of its conference title game competitors will be in the playoff field is the Big Ten. Unbeaten Iowa must win to get into the field due to the unimpressive nature of its slate, while Michigan State has a resume that surpasses its level of play over the course of the season.
The wild card here is Ohio State, which sits in sixth place and could feasibly sneak into the field given the proper apocalyptic scenario involving some wacky upsets. That’s how you know a league is strong: Its non-division winners still have an actual shot to get in over conference champs from other leagues.
- ACC
Clemson sits atop the standings, just as it has for more than a month. The Tigers are setting the tone for this college football season, but they might face their stiffest test in North Carolina. The Tar Heels snuck into the top ten this week after winning 11 consecutive games against rather weak competition.
If the Tar Heels win, they will have a super chance to jump other teams and get into the field, but it’s not a sure thing. The best case scenario for the ACC will be for Clemson to win and make inclusion for this much-maligned league a certainty heading into the final rankings release on Sunday.
- SEC
This doesn’t mean the SEC has fallen off the map, but when one of your divisions is represented by a team like Florida, this is the result. The Gators have virtually no chance to make the playoff field due to injuries and recent woeful performances, but people don’t really think they’ll beat Alabama, anyway.
The Crimson Tide could conceivably end up with the number one ranking with a dominant performance in Atlanta. Conventional wisdom says Nick Saban can pick a number against Florida, but a tenuous body of work could be a back-breaker given a massive upset loss.
- Pac-12
The Pac-12 is basically done unless something crazy happens. Right now, it’s the only league that has no representation inside of the playoff field. Stanford is a two-loss team with an intriguing resume, but there’s no guarantee the committee would view it more favorably than North Carolina if the Tar Heels knock Clemson out of the top group.
A win for USC would officially sink the Pac-12’s chances, but the Trojans taking home the conference crown could set the tone for a super offseason of salivating over this league once again heading into next season. Stanford has a shot, but it’s not a good one, and the Cardinal need significant help from others to rise into the final four.