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Anything can happen during rivalry week, but not enough big upsets happened to move Ohio State into the top four in the playoff selection committee. Mississippi State losing the Egg Bowl to Ole Miss, coupled with Ohio State's win over Michigan, was enough to move them a little closer, as the latest College Football Playoff rankings have Ohio State at 5, still ahead of Baylor, but behind Alabama, Oregon, TCU, now up to No. 3, and Florida State, who drops to No. 4.
Ohio State's situation is further complicated by the season ending injury to J.T. Barrett, making their pathway to the playoff a little murkier. The Buckeyes have one last game of the season, against Wisconsin (No. 13) in the Big Ten Championship game. They will need to give a strong impression if they're to rise any more in the rankings, without the help of other upsets.
Baylor remains at 6 behind Ohio State, in part due to a lackluster performance against Texas Tech. The Bears finish the season against Kansas State.
Alabama, Oregon and Florida State must all play next week in games they could potentially lose, so Ohio State may still be able to move up even if their performance against Wisconsin is unsteady.
Ohio State's best win remains Michigan State (No. 8), while Minnesota fell out of the Top 25 altogether.
For more on the playoff, visit SBNation.com
| Rank | Team | Last week | Week 14 result | Final opponent | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Alabama (11-1) | 1 | Won 55-44 vs. No. 15 Auburn | Missouri | Sugar Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 2 | Oregon (11-1) | 2 | Won 47-19 at Oregon State | Arizona | Rose Bowl vs. TCU |
| 3 | TCU (10-1) | 5 | Won 48-10 at Texas | Iowa State | Rose Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 4 | Florida State (12-0) | 3 | Won 24-19 vs. Florida | Georgia Tech | Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama |
| 5 | Ohio State (11-1) | 6 | Won 42-28 vs. Michigan | Wisconsin | New Year's bowl |
| 6 | Baylor (10-1) | 7 | Won 48-46 vs. Texas Tech | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 7 | Arizona (10-2) | 11 | Won 42-35 vs. No. 13 Arizona State | Oregon | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | Michigan State (10-2) | 10 | Won 34-10 at Penn State | None | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech* |
| 9 | Kansas State (9-2) | 12 | Won 51-13 vs. Kansas | Baylor | New Year's bowl |
| 10 | Mississippi State (10-2) | 4 | Lost 31-17 at No. 19 Ole Miss | None | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Georgia Tech (10-2) | 16 | Won 30-24 (OT) at No. 9 Georgia | Florida State | Orange Bowl vs. Michigan State |
| 12 | Ole Miss (9-3) | 19 | Won 31-17 vs. No. 4 Mississippi State | None | |
| 13 | Wisconsin (10-2) | 14 | Won 34-24 vs. No. 18 Minnesota | Ohio State | |
| 14 | Georgia (9-3) | 9 | Lost 30-24 (OT) vs. No. 16 Georgia Tech | None | |
| 15 | UCLA (9-3) | 8 | Lost 31-10 vs. Stanford | None | |
| 16 | Missouri (10-2) | 17 | Won 21-14 vs. Arkansas | Alabama | |
| 17 | Arizona State (10-2) | 13 | Lost 42-35 at No. 11 Arizona | None | |
| 18 | Clemson (9-3) | 21 | Won 35-17 vs. South Carolina | None | |
| 19 | Auburn (8-4) | 15 | Lost 55-44 at No. 1 Alabama | None | |
| 20 | Oklahoma (8-3) | 20 | Idle | Oklahoma State | |
| 21 | Louisville (9-3) | 22 | Won 44-40 vs. Kentucky | None | |
| 22 | Boise State (10-2) | 23 | Won 50-19 vs. Utah State | Fresno State | New Year's bowl |
| 23 | Utah (8-4) | 25 | Won 38-34 vs. Colorado | None | |
| 24 | LSU (8-4) | NR | Won 23-17 at Texas A&M | None | |
| 25 | USC (8-4) | NR | Won 49-14 vs. Notre Dame | None |