Both the Pac-12 and the Big-12 conferences appear to have lost their chances for berths in the 2016 College Football Playoff.
The Oregon Ducks derailed No. 7 Stanford’s season with a 38-36 road victory that featured eight lead-changes. Stanford dropped to No. 15 with the loss. The Ducks found their way back into the rankings at No. 23 and must win their final two home games against USC and Oregon State, plus get help with a California win over the Cardinal in the Big Game in order to win the Pac-12 North.
Arizona stunned No. 10 Utah with a 37-30 win in double-overtime in Tempe, Ariz. that squashed the Utes’ hopes at a College Football Playoff spot. Back-up quarterback Jerrard Randall completed one pass — a 25-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Phillips — on the first play of the second overtime to knock Utah into a first-place tie with USC in the Pac-12 South, in which USC owns the tie-breaker. The Utes fell to No. 18 and the Trojans climbed into the rankings at No. 22.
No. 6 Baylor fell to No. 12 Oklahoma 44-34 at home due in large part to Samaje Perine’s 166 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The Sooners made the jump to the No. 7 and Baylor dropped to No. 10.
No. 9 LSU sunk all the way to No. 17 after a 31-14 home loss to Arkansas, its second consecutive defeat. It was ranked No. 4 before its loss to No. 7 Alabama the week prior.
Washington State jumped into the rankings at No. 24 and knocked UCLA out of the rankings with a last-second 31-27 win in Pasadena, Calif.
The top three teams remained No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Alabama, and Oklahoma State ascended to No. 4 from No. 5 last week.
Here are the full rankings:
1. Clemson (34 first-place votes), 10-0 record, 1,496 points (1 last week)
2. Ohio State (23), 10-0, 1,460 (2)
3. Alabama (4), 9-1, 1,424 (3)
4. Oklahoma State, 10-0, 1,301 (5)
5. Notre Dame, 9-1, 1,286 (6)
6. Iowa, 10-0, 1,216 (8)
7. Oklahoma, 9-1, 1,182 (12)
8. Florida, 9-1, 1,055 (11)
9. Michigan State, 9-1, 1,008 (14)
10. Baylor, 8-1, 946 (4)
11. TCU, 9-1, 857 (13)
12. North Carolina, 9-1, 791 (17)
13. Houston, 10-0, 790 (16)
14. Michigan, 8-2, 738 (15)
15. Stanford, 8-2, 668 (7)
16. Florida State, 8-2, 559 (19)
17. LSU, 7-2, 549 (9)
18. Utah, 8-2, 514 (10)
19. Navy, 8-1, 465 (22)
20. Northwestern, 8-2, 397 (24)
21. Wisconsin, 8-2, 338 (23)
22. Southern Cal, 7-3, 201 (NR)
23. Oregon, 7-3, 170 (NR)
24. Washington State, 7-3, 167 (NR)
25. Mississippi, 7-3, 44 (NR)
Others receiving votes: Toledo 39, Arkansas 35, Memphis 32, Mississippi St. 25, UCLA 18, Pittsburgh 15, Temple 13, Georgia 8, Texas A&M 8, Bowling Green 4, Western Kentucky 4, Air Force 1, Arkansas State 1.
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