Cowboys ascend to program-high No. 5 in CFP poll

Dec. 1—With a Bedlam victory secured and a conference title game ahead, the Oklahoma State football team continues to advance closer to a College Football Playoff spot.

On Tuesday, the CFP selection committee released the fifth edition of this season's poll, and OSU jumped from No. 7 to No. 5. This marks the Cowboys' best standing in CFP history, surpassing their No. 6 ranking from 2015.

To earn a playoff berth, they need to move into the top four, and there is still time for the standings to shuffle. OSU will face Baylor, the ninth-ranked team in the poll, at 11 a.m. Saturday in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys (11-1 overall, 8-1 Big 12 Conference) are fighting not only for a Big 12 title, but also for a chance to prove themselves worthy of playoff status.

On a teleconference Tuesday night, CFP selection committee chair Gary Barta said the members will watch conference championship games as a group. He said there isn't one specific factor that will dictate their decision, but those postseason matchups can provide supplementary information.

"We're looking to see what that adds to what we already believe about those teams," Barta said. "I mentioned earlier, Oklahoma State showed the committee that in a playoff-like environment against Oklahoma, in a rivalry game, they really found a way to win. We'll see how that game goes against Baylor. We'll see how Baylor does against Oklahoma State."

The Cowboys' fate also depends on how championship games play out for the teams ahead of them.

Georgia, a 12-0 program that has held steady at No. 1 since the debut poll, will take on No. 3 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, and OSU fans are rooting for the Bulldogs. If Georgia wins, then the Crimson Tide will have two losses, making their record worse than OSU's — as long as the Cowboys beat Baylor.

OSU also stands behind No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Cincinnati. Fresh off a statement win against longtime rival Ohio State, the Wolverines moved up three spots from their previous standing of No. 5. The upset loss for the Buckeyes led them to tumble out of the top four. Instead, they are at No. 7, where the Cowboys stood before their Bedlam victory.

Future Big 12 team Cincinnati can boast a 12-0 record, but the Bearcats' membership in the American Athletic Conference creates debate surrounding their strength of schedule.

Cincinnati will clash with Houston in the AAC title game Saturday, and Michigan will face Iowa on a quest for a Big Ten championship. This weekend plays a crucial role in determining how the final rankings will unfold, but as Barta pointed out, the rest of the season also matters.

During the past weekend, a 37-33 victory against then No.-10 Oklahoma served as an opportunity for the Cowboys to impress the committee. Barta said he regarded it as "a playoff game for all intents and purposes," and OSU conveyed a message that revolved around more than X's and O's.

"They were able to score some points," Barta said. "The defense continues to play well. I don't know if we learned anything specifically about offense or defense, but we certainly learned a lot about the character of the team under pressure."

For the third straight week, the Cowboys are the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the CFP poll. Baylor fell one spot from eighth to ninth after narrowly defeating Texas Tech, and OU dropped from 10th to 14th after losing to OSU for the first time since 2014.

After coach Brian Kelly left for LSU, Notre Dame slipped from No. 5 to No. 6.

The Cowboys are setting themselves up for an opportunity to be the Big 12's lone representative in the CFP, but their spot isn't guaranteed. Redshirt senior edge rusher Brock Martin recognizes how much power the Big 12 title game holds over OSU's playoff chances.

"If we don't win this game, we're not gonna make it," Martin said.

If OSU can make history with a playoff appearance, it could shape the program as a whole and influence the career trajectories of Cowboys with NFL dreams.

"I know that it will probably help me get a job in the future," Martin said. "...Success like that happens, it kind of just carries over momentum (to) recruits and everything else. Hopefully, we can do our thing this weekend and win this game and win our first Big 12 title since 2011."

After OSU and Baylor vie for the conference trophy, the official CFP selection show will air at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN. Although the Cowboys are concentrating on game planning for the Bears, the glimmering hope of a CFP appearance grows each week.

"It's hard not to look at," said senior safety Tanner McCalister. "I want to sit up here and say I'm thinking about this (Big 12 title) game, which obviously we are, but you know what's at stake. The more you win, the more you get to play for, like Coach (Mike) Gundy told us. So we're just trying to keep winning, and how you do that is just focus day to day."

Top 10 teams in the CFP rankings

1. Georgia (12-0)

2. Michigan (11-1)

3. Alabama (11-1)

4. Cincinnati (12-0)

5. Oklahoma State (11-1)

6. Notre Dame (11-1)

7. Ohio State (10-2)

8. Ole Miss (10-2)

9. Baylor (10-2)

10. Oregon (10-2)