Week 4 2016 College Football Playoff Predictions: Where does the Big Ten Stand?

A quick note on methodology: Writers are asked to vote in the 1 - 4 seed after each weeks games as if the playoff were to be selected this week.  This is not a projection for the end of the season.  Teams are then ranked based on how many votes they receive for each seed.  No. 1 seed vote receives 4 points, No. 2 seed 3 points, etc.  This is tallied and then teams are ranked 1 - 4 based on total points.

After a pretty bland schedule for the teams contending for a playoff spot this weekend, not much has changed to our predicted Top 4. What we did get though are more contenders! With Wisconsin’s drubbing of Michigan State and Clemson looking more like last year than this year we have new teams contending for the fourth spot in the playoff and can start to make out what a Top 7-8 would be. Here is how the writers voted this week:

As you can see, just like last week, Alabama, Ohio State and Louisville dominate the standings. Things got a bit more interesting with more Michigan votes coming in as well as Clemson and Wisconsin joining the picture. There is still no Big XII this week and lol Notre Dame is definitely not getting in. There is still an outside shot for Baylor, I suppose, but we’d be in multiple one loss teams getting in scenario. Here is what the voting turned out from our esteemed OTE staff:

Runners up: Michigan (8), Clemson (2), Wisconsin (1)

• Alabama blanked Kent State 48-0 this week, shocker, and takes on Kentucky at home next week. Expect a similar result.
• Ohio State managed their victory over bye well and is now preparing for conference play. Luckily for them it’ll be another rest week as they take on Rutgers at home. I’m guessing the starters are pulled mid 3rd quarter. Rutgers only offensive weapon was just lost for the season and it’s going to be a long year as they wait for football to come back around.
• And here we go for games that are going to make some real movement. Louisville, currently the No. 3 Seed in our predictions, takes on Clemson in a Top 5 showdown. Clemson is the quasi No. 6 team in this scenario and could leapfrog themselves into the Top 4 with a win over Louisville. Louisville on the other hand has a chance to squash out the remaining contender in the ACC and cruise to the title game.
• Stanford, two weeks as the No. 4 seed in our predictions, takes on #10 Washington on Friday night. This is a major Pac-12 North battle that will determine who goes to the Championship game from that division but also is who is most likely getting into the playoffs if the Pac 12 doesn’t start beating each other up and land in Big XII territory.

That’s two HUGE games for this week that are most certainly going to shake up the playoff picture early on in conference play for everyone. Louisville could almost lock up a playoff spot as long as they don’t derp a game after this one while Stanford could knock off it’s only contender in the Pac-12 North.