Path is Now There for Two Big 12 Teams in the College Football Playoff
STILLWATER – BYU enjoyed the benefit of a very deserved defensive holding penalty on Utah last Saturday night to survive and stay unbeaten with a 22-21 win over the Utes in Salt Lake City. Indiana didn’t crush 5-5 Michigan, but the beat the Wolverines well enough to climb in the latest College Foothball Playoff rankings. The rankings are very heavy to the Big Ten with four of the top five teams coming from that conference. It is a record for most teams from one conference at the top of the rankings in any year. The SEC had Texas in the top five and Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi in the bottom seven. Georgia was there too, but if those were the final rankings Boise State as the fifth conference champion would leave Georgia outside the 12-team bracket.
For me, the presence of Kansas State (7-2) at No. 16 and Colorado (7-2) at No, 17 was exciting. Should one of those teams make it to Arlington to face an unbeaten BYU, and that is a key for BYU to stay perfect. Then Kansas State or Colorado beats BYU and both schools likely make it into the top 12 and onto the bracket. As a Big 12 member, that is what all schools should hope for. It has to play out honestly and with full effort across the board, but my choice would be to get two Big 12 teams into the CFP bracket.
Here are the complete rankings of the top 14 and Big 12 teams in the CFP top 25.
| Actual CFP Rankings | Ranking | Robert Allen’s Ranking |
| Oregon (10-0) | 1. | Oregon (10-0) |
| Ohio State (8-1) | 2. | Ohio State (8-1) |
| Texas (8-1) | 3. | Indiana (10-0) |
| Penn State (8-1) | 4. | Texas (8-1) |
| Indiana (10-0) | 5. | Tennessee (8-1) |
| BYU (9-0) | 6. | BYU (9-0) |
| Tennessee (8-1) | 7. | Alabama (7-2) |
| Notre Dame (8-1) | 8. | Penn State (8-1) |
| Miami, Fla. (9-1) | 9. | Mississippi (8-2) |
| Alabama (7-2) | 10. | Miami, Fla. (9-1) |
| Mississippi (8-2) | 11. | Boise State (8-1) |
| Georgia (8-2) | 12. | Georgia (8-2) |
| Boise State (8-1) | 13. | SMU (8-1) |
| SMU (8-1) 2nd team out | 14. | Kansas State (7-2) |
| Texas A&M (7-2) | 15. | Colorado (7-2) |
| Kansas State (7-2) | 16. | Notre Dame (8-1) |
| Colorado (7-2) | 17. | Texas A&M (7-2) |
A quick explanation on my rankings, a team that loses to Northern Illinois at home does not get to play in the CFP. I’m sorry that is a loss that cannot be forgiven! Kansas State has wins over ranked teams in Colorado and Tulane (No. 25). SMU has their only loss to unbeaten BYU. My top four conference seeds would be (at this point) by seeds and not rankings:
1. Oregon
2. Texas
3. BYU
4. Miami, Fla.
My at large teams would be:
No. 5 Ohio State hosting No. 12 Georgia
No. 6 Indiana hosting No. 11 Boise State
No. 7 Tennessee hosting No. 10 Mississippi
No. 8 Alabama hosting No. 9 Penn State