Yahoo - The College Football Playoff rankings are set with one surprise (Dr. Saturday

[Jenni Carlson]

The College Football Playoff is officially set. Clemson is the No. 1 seed after running through its schedule undefeated, which included a win against North Carolina in the ACC title game on Saturday night. It will play No. 4 Oklahoma, which won the Big 12 title last week, but was dropped a spot because it didn’t play on championship weekend. Those two teams will meet in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31. The No. 2 seed is Alabama, which dominated Florida in SEC title game. It will face No. 3 Michigan State, which used a long fourth-quarter drive to win the Big Ten title against Iowa and move from out of the playoff to one of the coveted top four. Those two teams will meet in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 31. This is about what we all expected. In the previous two weeks, the top four of the CFP rankings had not changed — Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa. The Big Ten title game between Iowa and Michigan State was considered a makeshift play-in game with the Spartans hovering at No. 5 during last week’s rankings. The only surprising thing was the Spartans' jump over Oklahoma. “Great discussion, great debate,” College Football Playoff Committee chairman Jeff Long said of the choice between Michigan State and Oklahoma. “Both conference champions, both four wins over Top 25 teams, but what it came down to was really Michigan State with two top 10 wins and then adding the win over last week’s No. 4-ranked team. I think when you looked at the body of work, the complete resume, that’s what pushed Michigan State just slightly ahead of Oklahoma.” Here’s a look at the*résumés of each of the four playoff teams: No. 1 Clemson Record: 13-0 Notable wins: vs. No. 6 Notre Dame; vs. No. 16 Florida State; vs. No. 10 North Carolina Notable losses: None How it got in: Clemson is the only undefeated team in the College Football Playoff and the second ACC team to claim that feat in as many years. The Tigers didn’t exactly dominate all of their competition, but they did enough to leave no doubt about their top ranking. The season was capped with a 45-37 win against North Carolina in the ACC title game. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is considered a Heisman contender, especially after he threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 131 yards and two scores in the victory against the Tar Heels. If there’s any knock on the Tigers, it’s that its competition wasn’t as tough as some of the other teams in the top four, especially down the stretch. In the final five weeks of the season, Clemson averaged 35 points per game. No. 2 Alabama Record: 12-1 Notable wins: vs. No. 2 LSU; at No. 17 Mississippi State; vs. No. 18 Florida Notable losses: vs. No. 15 Ole Miss How it got in: Similar to Michigan State, Alabama had several close wins on the schedule, but its dominance of Florida in the SEC title game secured the Tide’s spot in the top four. After losing to Ole Miss during the third game of the season, Alabama went on to average 33.4 points per game. In that span, running back Derrick Henry established himself as the player to beat in the race for the Heisman. This season, Henry has rushed for at least 100 yards in nine games and for more than 200 yards in four contests. He’s also scored at least one touchdown in every game this season. During the last two games against Auburn and Florida, Henry has rushed the ball 90 times for 460 yards and two touchdowns. His increased workload has taken the pressure off quarterback Jacob Coker, who has struggled at times this season. Coker has only thrown for more than 200 yards six times this season while the focus has been on the running game. However, when Coker does throw the ball, it’s usually to Calvin Ridley, who has 75 catches for 893 yards and five touchdowns. No. 3 Michigan State Record: 12-1 Notable wins: vs. No. 7 Oregon; at No. 12 Michigan; at No. 3 Ohio State; vs. No. 4 Iowa Notable losses: at Nebraska How it got in: Few teams have had a more charmed existence than Michigan State this season. It’s had close wins against Purdue (24-21), Rutgers (31-24), Michigan (27-23), Ohio State (17-14) and its 16-13 triumph against Iowa in the Big Ten title game. However, in nearly every game, the Spartans have cobbled together a late defining drive to put out the victory. To say the Spartans are the most gritty and determined team in the field might be an understatement. Michigan State is led by quarterback Connor Cook, who has been nursing a shoulder injury in the last few weeks. He has been the catalyst for the Spartans offense. Against Iowa, he helped orchestrate a 9-minute, 22-play drive — which included converting 5 of 6 on third down and one fourth down — that culminated in running back L.J. Scott reaching the ball over the goal line with 27 seconds remaining. The win gave the Spartans the Big Ten title and moved them from No. 5 in the CFP standings to the coveted No. 3 spot, and ousted the Hawkeyes totally. Scott leads all Michigan State rushers with 691 yards and 11 touchdowns and receiver Aaron Burbridge is one of the most dynamic players in the CFP field. He has 80 catches for 1,219 yards and seven touchdowns. No. 4 Oklahoma Record: 11-1 Notable wins: at No. 23 Tennessee; at No. 6 Baylor; vs. No. 18 TCU; at No. 11 Oklahoma State Notable losses: vs. Texas How it got in: Oklahoma beat three ranked conference opponents — two on the road — in the final three weeks of the season to become Big 12 champions and solidify a spot in the College Football Playoff. Even though the Sooners didn’t play during championship week (the Big 12 does not have a championship game), it was clear their final month was gauntlet no other team in the top four had to endure. Of all the teams in the top four, the Sooners have the weirdest and worst loss (24-17 to Texas). However, after that game, Oklahoma became one of the most formidable teams in the country, dominating its opponents on both sides of the ball. During the seven games following the Texas loss, Oklahoma averaged 52 points per game and defeated its opponents by an average of 32.5 points. The Sooners are led by energetic quarterback Baker Mayfield, a former Texas Tech walk-on, who has executed the new air raid offense perfectly. Mayfield’s job is made easier by the play of receiver Sterling Shepard, who has 79 catches for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, and running backs Samaje Perine (1,291 yards and 15 TDs) and Joe Mixon (749 yards and 7 TDs). - - - - - - - Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

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