2014 College Football Playoff Contender Power Rankings: Week 14 : The 2014 college football season is winding down, and as rivalry week approaches, a clear hierarchy has developed as far as the college football playoff is concerned. For the top three teams in the selection committee’s latest rankings, they just need to win out in order to secure a spot in the four-team playoff. From there, four teams are all in the mix for the final spot in the playoffs, and here is how I see the seven teams in contention stacking up heading into Week 14 of the college football season.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
For the second year in a row, Alabama heads into the Iron Bowl with a shot to keep its national title hopes alive by clinching the SEC West crown. Of course, we all know what happened last year, but this year’s game is in Tuscaloosa and Auburn’s defense has fallen apart in recent weeks. In other words, the Crimson Tide and their second-ranked scoring defense are in great position to avenge their loss and reach the conference title game. From there, a likely showdown with an average Missouri team would be no more than a speed bump on the way to a spot in the college football playoff.
2. Florida State Seminoles
Sure, the Seminoles win ugly, but the defending national champs keep on winning. While the lack of a ground game and the antics of Jameis Winston have been pointed out over and over again, this team probably doesn’t get enough credit for remaining undefeated despite facing every opponent’s best shot week in and week out. It’s tough to imagine any team actually derailing Florida State prior to the college football playoff.
3. Oregon Ducks
Defending Heisman winner Jameis Winston continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, but the defending champs just keep winning games. No, the Seminoles have not been as dominant on either side of the ball, but they do rank in the top 15 nationally in passing and in the top 25 in scoring. Granted, the ground game has been surprisingly mediocre, but Winston is still one of the biggest game-changers in college football. Plus, wins over Oklahoma State and Clemson aren’t terrible. A showdown with Notre Dame this weekend could ultimately decide whether Florida State runs the table and earns a shot at defending its title.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Although their big wins have been devalued a bit in recent weeks, Mississippi State’s lone loss came by five points on the road to Alabama so if any team deserves to have a loss overlooked, it’s Mississippi State. Meanwhile, this team has a legit X-factor in quarterback Dak Prescott, and the Bulldogs are as big and physical as any team in the country. They still have to face Ole Miss on the road in the Egg Bowl, but the bigger concern may be whether or not another team can jump them.
5. Baylor Bears
The Bears may be No. 7 in the real-life rankings, but with a regular season finale against a ranked Kansas State team looming, they have a chance to make a major statement to cap their season that could vault them into the college football playoff. TCU and Mississippi State simply don’t have the opponents remaining to make the same type of statement.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
In many ways, the Buckeyes kind of control their own destiny. It isn’t a lock, but it is looking very likely that Ohio State will face Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. If the Buckeyes blast the Badgers the way they blasted the Spartans, I expect Ohio State to end up in the college football playoff regardless of what the other teams they are jockeying for position with do. However, I’m not sure Ohio State can beat Wisconsin given how well Melvin Gordon is running the ball.
7. TCU Horned Frogs
Coughing up a big lead in the final minutes against Baylor is going to come back to haunt the Horned Frogs unless the other three teams they are battling with for the No. 4 spot all slip up. TCU just doesn’t have a tough enough opponent remaining to make a much-needed statement to the selection committee.
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