College Football Playoff Picture Is Muddied Once Again As No. 1 Loses

If you thought you knew which college football teams were going to be in the playoffs, you might want to reconsider your picks. The last undefeated college football team this season, Mississippi State, lost to Southeastern Conference rival Alabama Saturday in a close game 25-20.

The Bulldogs went into Saturday’s game ranked No. 1 in the country and were a virtual lock to be in the college football playoffs if they beat the Crimson Tide. Instead, the No. 4 Tide found a way to overcome Mississippi State’s defense and marched down the field in the fourth quarter to score the decisive touchdown. Nick Saban, Alabama’s head coach, called the play one of the greatest in Alabama football history.

As CBS Sports reported, Alabama’s victory puts into question whether Mississippi State will have a spot in the college football playoffs. Depending on what happens in their game against Auburn on November 29, the Bulldogs could still make the playoffs. However, Auburn, who went into Saturday’s game ranked No. 9, will likely take a tumble in the college football rankings after their in-state rivals, No. 16 Georgia, blew them out of the water 34-7.

As ESPN reported, Mississippi State’s head coach, Dan Mullen, says he feels sick about the loss, but their season is far from over.

“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.”

In other college football games played Saturday, No. 4 TCU squeaked by Kansas 34-30 by playing tough defense against the Jayhawks in the fourth-quarter. The close game is surprising, as TCU has handily beat most of their opponents this season.

No. 8 Ohio State could move into playoff contention with their win against No. 25 Minnesota 31-24. However, the next two opponents they face, Indiana and Michigan, are not having stellar seasons, and wins against them are not likely to boost them in the rankings.

Florida State, currently the No. 3 team in college football, scored very late in the fourth quarter to get past Miami 30-26. Miami had FSU on the ropes until the last two minutes of the college football game, but a 26-yard run resulted in a touchdown and put FSU ahead for good.

Two of the top seven teams in the most recent college football rankings, No. 2 Oregon and No. 7 Baylor, did not play this Saturday. When the new college rankings come out, their positions will most likely stay the same.

College football teams have had their ups and downs this season, and this isn’t the first time the rankings have been affected by upsets. As the Inquisitr reported, upsets in October also affected the college football rankings.

There are two regular season games left in college football, and then the playoff teams will be announced on December 7.

[Image courtesy AP]