CFP Penultimate Rankings Out, Mike Gundy Won’t Stare or Study, but He’s Seen Them

STILLWATER – The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has released their penultimate rankings, that is the final rankings prior to Sunday’s final result that will identify which four teams will be in the running for the national championship in the CFP semifinals and which teams will enjoy trips to New Year’s Six bowl games this December and January. As of right now, are the teams in the garden spot, but results this weekend will change that as Georgia and Alabama play in the SEC Championship Game. Michigan has to deal with Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. Cincinnati could have their unbeaten record challenged by 11-1 Houston.

The Cowboys coming in at fifth represents the highest that Oklahoma State has ever been ranked by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. The previous high was No. 6.

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The Cowboys impressed the Committee with the Bedlam win.

“One of the things we learned, this was a playoff game for all intensive purposes. The winner would move on to the Big 12 Championship Game and so one of the things you learned was how teams can handle that kind of pressure,” CFP Selection Committee chairperson and Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said. “Obviously, Oklahoma State came out on top and whether it was the offense under Spencer Sanders or the defense that has been playing so well year they found a way to win. It was also a rivalry game, so the committee took all that into account watching the game. I don’t know that we learned anything about the offense and defense per se, but we learned about the character of the team under pressure.”

Oklahoma State is in a position where they are on the edge and if they simply go out and beat Baylor, making for a third top 10 win for this season, then it would be expected they move in to the top four and the question is how high? No. 4 is high enough but moving to No. 3 could earn them another trip to Arlington with a semifinal in the Cotton Bowl.

“It’s exciting to get to this point and Friday and Saturday we are going to sit and watch all of these championship games,” Barta added of the conference title games this weekend. “We have already formed information on all these teams, and we will continue to use that information when we come back on late Saturday night an into Sunday morning, but we will have one more piece of information. We all watch the game together and I’m going to be sitting between an NFL Hall of Famer and a couple of accomplished collegiate coaches. You get an opportunity to be talking while you are watching which is invaluable.” 

Here is a complete look at the tankings.

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy admitted on Monday when asked that he has now at least pondered a playoff position. He doesn’t sit around and dwell on it, but it does cross his mind.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess, maybe, subconsciously. At some point I have to hypothetically think through every situation in my mind to be able to make a good decision the next day,” answered Mike Gundy on thinking about the CFP rankings and playoffs. “I haven't really gotten that far yet. I guess we'll just have to wait and see where it goes.”

We all know that Gundy, if nothing else is consistent. Whether it is having a conversation piece hair

Style or talking about the backbone discipline and consistency of the culture in the Oklahoma State program.

Gundy wants his players not to think about it. He wants them to quit thinking about Oklahoma and stay locked in on Baylor for this Saturday.

“What I really want, and not just coaches talk, I really want the players to focus and practice hard this week and give themselves a chance to play at the highest level on Saturday, because that'll make me happy,” Gundy said. “And as I told the team, I guess I'll kind of conclude with this, a little bit of what the question you asked me is, since we started having this format of having a championship game, years before we were playing in a game that most of the time against Oklahoma at the end of the year that the winner was the Big 12 Champion, right? Three, four, five times? I don't know. But we've been in that situation before based on it was the last game of the year, and if you won, you won it. If you didn't, you got second.

“This is the first time that this format has been out that I've been in the championship game, and for you guys, it's the same,” he continued. “There are no guarantees that you can get in this again. We don't know that, so, I'm asking you to maximize yourself in all areas to give yourself the best chance that you can play on Saturday. So, as you look back on it, you don't have any regrets.”

Especially since it is set up for Oklahoma State to have success.