Ohio State Moves Up to No. 2; Playoff Picture Starting to Take Shape

Any doubts or questions as to whether or not the 2016 Ohio State Buckeyes were a legitimate championship contender were answered with a resounding “no” on Saturday night in Norman.

The Buckeyes dominated from start to finish, taking the air out of the Sooner faithful and the life out of Oklahoma’s playoff chances.

The Sooners were ranked third coming into Week 1, before a loss to Houston knocked them down to 14.

After Saturday’s 45-24 thrashing, the Sooners fell to 25, while Ohio State moved up to second.

The Buckeyes continue to overwhelm opponents with their deep arsenal of playmakers and it was wide receiver Noah Brown’s time to shine.

Brown came into play with only five receptions in the first two games of the season.

Explosive doesn’t quite do justice to Brown’s play in Week 3, as the redshirt sophomore tied the single-game school record with four receiving touchdowns.

All of quarterback J.T. Barrett’s touchdown passes went to Brown, and the Heisman candidate is up to 13 total touchdowns, ten of which came through the air.

It was a marquee matchup in an exciting Saturday slate, which saw Notre Dame, Texas, and most surprisingly, Florida State, fall.

The story of the weekend was Louisville, who crushed the Seminoles 63-20.

Florida State fell 11 spots in Sunday’s AP Poll, while the Cardinals rose from tenth to third.

Here are the top ten rankings after a wild Week 3:

What is fascinating about this list is that the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 each have at least two teams in the top ten.

And then there’s Houston.

We’re only three games into the season, but the playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

There will be plenty of twists and turns throughout the road to the College Football Playoff, but here’s how it looks as of now.

SEC: Bama and everybody else

As usual, Alabama is in the driver’s seat. The Crimson Tide may very well run the table in the regular season.

(10) Texas A&M, (12) Georgia, (14) Tennessee, (17) Arkansas, and (19) Florida are all 3-0 to start the season and hope to end the reign of the Crimson Tide.

Even if Alabama loses one regular season game, the SEC is competitive enough that the rest of the teams may beat up on each other and a one-loss Crimson Tide team could still reach the conference championship.

Out of the West, it appears to be a three-team race between Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.

In the East, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and even LSU have a shot to keep Bama from reaching the conference championship.

The bottom line is that whichever team wins the SEC will be a virtual lock to make the playoff. All signs point towards Bama, but it will be an interesting race along the way.

BIG TEN: Ohio State vs. Michigan

(2) Ohio State and (4) Michigan face off in the final regular season match on Nov. 26 in what figures to be the unofficial Big Ten Championship.

However, teams like Michigan State (8) and Wisconsin (11) are alive and well in the race… for now.

Wisconsin travels to East Lansing to play Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 24, which should leave only one of those two teams standing after Week 4.

The Spartans and Badgers each play Ohio State and Michigan later in the season and even two total losses would more than likely knock the team out of contention.

Wisconsin is in an interesting position, where if the Badgers lose two regular season games, but win the Big Ten West and upset the East champs, they may have a shot of reaching the playoff.

ACC: Clemson vs. Louisville

Much like the Big Ten, it appears (3) Louisville and (5) Clemson are the only two heavyweights.

Those two teams meet at Clemson on Oct. 1, in what may be the biggest ACC game of the season.

There are no guarantees, but the road to the playoff does not get any tougher for either of the two teams after that showdown.

(13) Florida State has to play perfect the rest of the way and still hope for some help to stay alive in the playoff race.

(15) Miami is 3-0 and also has an outside shot.

PAC-12: Stanford vs. Washington

(9) Washington hosts (7) Stanford on Friday, Sept. 30 in another pivotal showdown.

In order to make the playoff out of the PAC-12, the conference champion most likely can only afford one loss on the season, and even then, they might get beat out by (6) Houston, if the Cougars can run the table.

Before we get to Houston, let’s review a conference that has underachieved to start the season.

BIG 12 Out of the Picture?

Oklahoma’s playoff hopes left when the Buckeyes packed up for Columbus.

(21) Texas lost to Cal in a shootout to dim the Longhorns’ hopes.

(18) Baylor is 3-0 and could shock the world, but barring a perfect season, it’s tough to envision a one-loss Big 12 team passing up a champion from the other four power conferences or an undefeated Houston.

Will the Cougars cruise?

Aside from its opening day upset win over Oklahoma, Houston appears to have a relatively easy schedule.

Cincinnati hung with Houston for three quarters, but the Cougars pulled away late.

The biggest threats to Houston in the American Athletic Conference are Navy, Memphis, and South Florida.

Houston cannot afford a loss, but a perfect regular season is certainly a realistic possibility.

Keeping all of this in mind, let us introduce you to the College Football Playoff Minefield, where virtually every team still alive cannot afford a misstep.

SEC

Favorite: Bama

Long shots: Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Florida

BIG TEN

Favorites: Ohio State or Michigan

Still Alive: Michigan State, Wisconsin

ACC

Favorites: Louisville or Clemson

Slim Chance: Miami, Florida State

PAC-12

Favorites: Stanford or Washington

The Outsiders: Houston (must win out)

Big 12

Favorites: Baylor, Texas

Herein lies the problem.

If Houston goes undefeated, which conference champions with one or two losses end up on the outside looking in?

Based on strength of schedule, a one-loss PAC-12 or Big 12 conference champion would be the first candidate that jumps out.

If Houston loses a regular season game, it may become a battle of resumes between the Big 12 and PAC-12 champs, which as of now, appears to benefit the West Coast.

Would it be possible for two teams (like Michigan and Ohio State) to both make the playoff?

In theory, if Houston loses a game, and if the champion of the Big 12 or PAC-12 has two losses, things could get interesting.

The picture becomes cloudy with so many variables, but compare a one-loss Michigan team to a one-loss Houston.

Or a one-loss Clemson to a two-loss PAC-12 champion.

We have a basic map going forward to provide a better view of the playoff landscape, but now that some teams have been weeded out, the road is just beginning.