Alabama Crimson Tide

Even with the No. 1 team in the country falling and the No. 3-ranked team having to pull another come-from-behind victory out of its hat, Saturday proved to be pretty predictable in the race for the four spots in the inaugural College Football Playoff.

Did you really think a team was going to run the table in the SEC? Or that Mississippi State would be the team to do it? Did you think Florida State wasn't going to break Miami's resistance in the second half? Neither did we.

The stakes are increasing as the season ventures further into November. The margin for error is slimmer, and every mistake could be the one that destroys a team's playoff hopes. With the stakes so high, it should come as no surprise to see teams that have been in this position before handling the pressure better than others, no matter how dire their circumstances.

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Defending national champion Florida State, which slipped to No. 3 in the CFP selection committee's rankings this week, hardly looked ready to make a statement at unranked Miami on Saturday. The Seminoles fell behind 16-0 in the first quarter and 23-10 at the half. FSU had already won two games this season in which it trailed by at least 15 points, but its first half against the Hurricanes might have been the worst.

However, the Seminoles proved yet again that no deficit is insurmountable, and they scored 13 consecutive points to pull to within a field goal, then went ahead on freshman tailback Dalvin Cook's 26-yard touchdown run with 3:05 left. FSU sealed its 26th consecutive victory when Jalen Ramsey intercepted Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya's fourth-down pass with 39 seconds remaining.

"They don't panic," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Our kids make plays when they have to. They have great poise and camaraderie."

Even though FSU continues to make it hard on itself, it at least made it easier for the selection committee, which would have been left with a big, hot mess if the Seminoles had lost.

The playoff picture is muddled enough after No. 1 Mississippi State fell for the first time this season in a  25-20 a loss at No. 5 Alabama on Saturday. The Crimson Tide, which has won three of the past five national championships, put itself in prime position to contend a fourth title under coach Nick Saban by taking control of the SEC West.

If the Crimson Tide defeat rival Auburn in the Nov. 29 Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa, they will win the SEC West and advance to the SEC championship game in Atlanta.

Alabama dominated Mississippi State from the start and took a 19-3 lead at the half before the Bulldogs made it respectable late in the second half. The Crimson Tide ruined Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott's Heisman Trophy hopes by intercepting him three times.

"I think anytime you beat the No. 1 team in the country, that's a significant accomplishment," Saban said. "I was really proud of how our players competed in the game. I thought the defense did a fantastic job. The turnovers were huge with three interceptions. They were all drive-stoppers."

While Alabama will surely move into the top four when the selection committee releases its new rankings Tuesday, it will be interesting to see how far the Bulldogs fall. Mississippi State was ranked No. 1 on each of the committee's first three ballots, and it still might have the most impressive résumé among the one-loss teams behind undefeated Florida State.

The Bulldogs probably can sneak into the playoff, as long as they beat Vanderbilt next week and rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29. MSU can still reach the SEC championship game if wins its last two games and Alabama loses to Auburn.

Mississippi State's résumé did take a few hits on Saturday, however, after SEC West rivals LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn each lost. Each of those teams was ranked in the top 10 when the Bulldogs defeated them in consecutive games earlier this season, but now they have 11 combined losses.

"We should feel awful," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "You should have a sickness in your stomach. We should embrace this feeling to make sure that this feeling doesn't happen again. We'll feel sick tonight, but then we'll get over it. Except for being undefeated, every other goal is still ahead of us."

TCU, which checked in ahead of Alabama for the No. 4 spot this week, would have been really sick if Kansas, of all teams, had wrecked its playoff chances Saturday. The Horned Frogs trailed the struggling Jayhawks 27-17 in the third quarter but then scored a pair of touchdowns in less than two minutes before holding on for a 34-30 victory.

The Horned Frogs were as unimpressive Saturday as they were impressive in rolling then-No. 7 Kansas State 41-20 last week.

"A lot of people would have lost that ballgame," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "There [weren't] any style points here, other than the fact that we fought back and won the game."

Will that be enough to keep the Horned Frogs in the top four? Keep in mind Alabama struggled to win at Arkansas 14-13, and Oregon had problems in a 38-31 victory at Washington State. Neither of those teams seems to have been penalized by the committee for closer-than-expected wins.

But after they struggled to beat the Jayhawks, do the Horned Frogs deserve to be ranked ahead of No. 7 Baylor, which defeated TCU 61-58 on Oct. 11? The Bears blasted Kansas 60-14 on Nov. 1 and routed then-No. 15 Oklahoma 48-14 on the road the next week (the Horned Frogs beat the Sooners 37-33 at home).

How much will head-to-head results and comparative scores matter as we move closer to Dec. 7, when the committee will announce the four teams that make the playoff? The Baylor-TCU predicament won't be going away, unless one of them (or both) loses before season's end.

"We're not too worried about it," TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin said. "It's not up to us. It's up to the committee."

And what about the eye test? Is any team in the country playing better than No. 8 Ohio State right now? The Buckeyes have won back-to-back road games against ranked foes, including Saturday's 31-24 win at No. 25 Minnesota, in which it piled up 489 yards of offense in the snow.

The Buckeyes had an unsightly 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech at home on Sept. 6, but they've won eight games in a row and might have improved more than any other team since the start of the season.

For now, the Seminoles are back to where they finished the 2013 season -- as the only remaining undefeated team from a Power Five conference.

Will that be enough to put FSU No. 1 on the selection committee's ballot? Or will a one-loss team that played a more difficult schedule replace Mississippi State at the top?

"I don't entertain that foolishness," FSU receiver Rashad Green said.

Good thing there's still plenty of football left to settle the debate.

Dalvin Cook
Joel Auerbach/Getty Images
Dalvin Cook's touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Florida State the lead against Miami.
Four teams in
1. Florida State: The Seminoles won their 26th game in a row and beat Miami 30-26 on the road. It was their third win in which they've trailed by at least 15 points, the most by an FBS team since UCLA in 2005. FSU closes the regular season with consecutive home games against Boston College and rival Florida.

2. Oregon: The Ducks didn't play after they were elevated to No. 2 (ahead of undefeated FSU) in the selection committee's rankings. Oregon's road wins at UCLA and Utah are looking better, too. The Ducks play Colorado next week and close the regular season at Oregon State in the Civil War.

3. Alabama: The Crimson Tide knocked off No. 1 Mississippi State to go along with last week's overtime win at LSU. It's pretty simple for the Tide: Defeat FCS foe Western Carolina next week, Auburn in the Nov. 29 Iron Bowl and win the SEC championship game, and they're in the playoff.

4. Baylor: It's going to be a tough call for the committee as to whether TCU stays ranked ahead of Baylor. The Horned Frogs might have made the decision easier by struggling to beat Kansas 34-30 on the road on Saturday. Baylor, which was off this weekend, has three home games left against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and No. 13 Kansas State.

Next four in contention
1. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs' loss at Alabama was a big blow, but they still have a chance to make the playoff by finishing the regular season 11-1. If Alabama loses to Auburn, MSU can make it to the SEC title game with wins against Vanderbilt at home and a Nov. 29 trip to No. 10 Ole Miss for the Egg Bowl.

2. TCU: The Horned Frogs looked surprisingly mediocre in their road victory at Kansas after blasting Kansas State 41-20 last week. The Horned Frogs' victories over then-ranked Oklahoma State and West Virginia don't look as impressive anymore, either. Their résumé won't get much of a boost from remaining games against Texas (road) and Iowa State (home).

3. Ohio State: I'm not sure many teams would want to play the Buckeyes right now. Ohio State has won back-to-back road victories over ranked opponents; the Buckeyes beat then-No.8 Michigan State 49-37 last week and No. 25 Minnesota 31-24 on Saturday. They close the regular season with home games against Indiana and Michigan.

4. Ole Miss: Some team had to be the beneficiary of No. 6 Arizona State's loss to Oregon State. Why not Ole Miss? The Rebels didn't play Saturday and finish the regular season with a trip to Arkansas and the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

Heisman Trophy candidates
1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: The No. 2 Ducks were off, but Mariota will have a chance to pad his Heisman résumé in their final two games against Colorado (home) and Oregon State (road). Mariota has thrown for 2,780 yards with 29 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: Gordon broke the NCAA single-game rushing record with 408 yards with four touchdowns on 25 carries -- despite playing in only three quarters of the No. 20 Badgers' 59-24 win over No. 16 Nebraska. Gordon broke the previous record of 406 yards, set by TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson against UTEP in 1999.

3. J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State: Barrett completed 15 of 25 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns and ran for 189 yards with one score in No. 8 Ohio State's 31-24 win at No. 25 Minnesota. He has accounted for 38 touchdowns (29 passing and nine rushing) in 10 games; that's seven more than 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith had in 13 games.

4. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU: Kansas did a pretty good job of containing Boykin in TCU's closer-than-expected 34-30 victory. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 330 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while running 11 times for only two yards.

By the numbers
Melvin Gordon
Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon rushed for 408 yards in just three quarters on Saturday.
1. 16: Years in a row the SEC won't have a repeat champion after Auburn lost 34-7 at Georgia and was eliminated from the SEC West title race. It's the longest stretch ever without a repeat champion for any current league. The last two-time defending SEC champion was Tennessee in 1997 and '98.

2. 16.3: Yards per carry for Gordon in his record-setting performance against the Cornhuskers, the highest average by a player with at least 25 carries in FBS history. Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey held the previous record of 14.6 yards on 25 carries against Colorado in 2012.

3. 5: Alabama's Nick Saban has led teams to five victories over No. 1 teams in the Associated Press top 25 poll, the most in FBS history. Four other coaches -- Lou Holtz, Jimmy Johnson, Jack Mollenkopf and Joe Paterno -- guided teams that defeated No. 1 teams four times.

4. 17: Arkansas ended a 17-game losing streak in SEC games with a 17-0 upset of No. 17 LSU. It was Hogs coach Bret Bielema's first SEC victory and the Razorbacks' first since they beat Kentucky 49-7 on Oct. 13, 2012.

Best quotes
1. "I had no idea that this is who J.T. Barrett is. Very clear picture of who he is now." -- Ohio State coach Urban Meyer

2. "It's a luxury that I've never had before as a coach. To see a performance like that was amazing." -- Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, on Gordon's record-breaking outing

3. "I don't entertain that foolishness." -- Florida State WR Rashad Greene, when asked about the possibility of one-loss teams being ranked ahead of the Seminoles

4. "They're big, physical backs. We've been blocking pretty well to give them space and get them started. Once they start going downhill a little bit, they're hard to stop." -- Georgia coach Mark Richt, after Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb combined to run for 282 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-7 rout of No. 9 Auburn

Best plays
1. Division III Cortland botched the snap on a last-second field goal, but holder Luke Hinton scrambled and threw a 4-yard touchdown to Joe Mannix on the final play of a 23-20 upset of No. 23 Ithaca.

2. You remember the Arkansas offensive lineman scoring a touchdown on a trick play earlier this season? Mercer freshman O-lineman Thomas Marchman caught a touchdown pass on Saturday and followed it up with one of the best celebrations we've ever seen.

3. Not even snow can slow down Barrett, who outran six Minnesota defenders for an 86-yard touchdown turn in the first quarter.

4. Gordon had many Heisman moments against Nebraska, including a 62-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Worst plays
1. Clemson backup quarterback Cole Stoudt kind of telegraphed this screen pass, which Georgia Tech's Jamal Gordon returned 85 yards for a touchdown in the Yellow Jackets' 28-6 victory.

2. Ugh, the Florida Gators did it again. Two offensive linemen decided to block each other in the first quarter of Saturday's 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina.

3. Not to pile on the Gators, but here's a textbook example of how you blow a late lead. First, Florida had a field goal blocked after a botched snap with about three-and-a-half minutes to go.

4. Then the Gators had a punt blocked with 39 seconds to go. Carlton Heard flew up the middle unblocked, which set the Gamecocks up to tie the score at 17 at the end of regulation and win 23-20 in overtime.