STARKVILLE – As the first-ever College Football Playoff draws near, Mississippi State remains in the thick of the conversation.
On Tuesday night, for the fifth straight week, MSU held steady in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s Top Four.
The Bulldogs, No. 1 for three weeks in the rankings until a 25-20 loss at Alabama last week, fell to No. 4 a week ago. On Tuesday night, that’s where the Bulldogs remained, checking in behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State.
The Bulldogs are followed by fellow one-loss teams TCU at No. 5; Ohio State at No. 6; and Baylor at No. 7.
After the unveiling of this week’s rankings, College Football Playoff Committee Chairman Jeff Long was asked how strong MSU’s grip on the No. 4 spot is at the moment.
“Well I think they’re holding strong where they’re located now,” said Long. “While they only have one win over a currently ranked Top 25 win, they do have wins over teams that were previously in the Top 25. The committee takes that into account. They view those teams as when those games were played.”
MSU’s one top 25 win is over No. 14 Auburn, and the Bulldogs next have a trip to face No. 19 Ole Miss on Saturday. A win in Oxford would give the Bulldogs and 11-1 regular season and would solidify the team’s case for a top four spot, which guarantees a spot in the first College Football Playoff.
Long, appearing on ESPN directly after this week’s list was released, was also asked about the strength of No. 3 Florida State, the defending national champion who has struggled with close win after close win this season.
“I think there are a number of committee members that look at that and see a team that has not controlled the games they played in,” said Long. “But they’ve had come-from-behind victories. There’s a group that looks at that and thinks that’s a flaw in Florida State, but there’s others in the room that feel like – hey, they just keep winning. Yes, they’ve had to come from behind, but a sign of a quality team is their ability to come back and win.”
Prescott a finalist for O’Brien, Maxwell Awards
Mississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott was named a finalist for the 78th Maxwell Award as well as the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, ESPNU revealed Tuesday night during its Home Depot College Football Awards Nomination Special. The winner of both awards will be announced live in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski announced Prescott’s inclusion as a Maxwell Award finalist, making the Haughton, La., native the only Bulldog ever to be named a finalist for a national collegiate player of the year award. The Davey O’Brien Foundation named Prescott a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. Along with other finalists Trevone Boykin of TCU and Mariota of Oregon, Prescott will attend the 38th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner to be held Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas.
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