Ted Miller, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Stanford needs help this weekend to earn CFP slot

Stanford remains in striking distance of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff, but it's going to need some help. Significant help.

The Cardinal were ranked seventh in the penultimate rankings of the 2015 season, up two spots from last week after beating Notre Dame, which only fell from sixth to eighth.

First, Stanford must take care of its own business. It needs to beat No. 20 USC in the Pac-12 championship game on Saturday.

Then it needs either No. 18 Florida to upset No. 2 Alabama, which would probably knock the -- oh, the horror -- SEC out of the CFP, or No. 10 North Carolina to beat No. 1 Clemson.

Again, both are long shots.

Oklahoma, ranked third, is almost certainly in as the Big 12 champion, which is crowned without a conference title game. The Big Ten champion, either No. 4 Iowa or No. 5 Michigan State, also is almost certainly in.

Based on what the committee has said and shown in its rankings, this year and last, Stanford, as the 11-2 Pac-12 champion, would leap over No. 6 Ohio State into the No. 4 spot, also eclipsing either SEC champion Florida or ACC champion North Carolina.

Defending national champion Ohio State, despite just one loss, would be hit for not winning its conference. Same with Alabama and Clemson. And Stanford would have matched the Tigers' best win by beating Notre Dame.

UNC might be the controversial one there; the Tar Heels have just one loss, whereas Stanford has two. But their schedule is significantly weaker. It includes two FCS teams, and the opening loss to South Carolina is much worse than either of Stanford's losses, to No. 14 Northwestern and No. 16 Oregon.

Of course, this is just speculation based on some generally unlikely results this weekend.

But, because this is college football, you never know. Until you do.

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