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          Familiar names rising to the top as season hits homestretch

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          College Football Top Plays: Week 11 (2:16)

          Check out the top plays from Week 11 of the college football including highlights from Oklahoma handing Baylor its first loss of the season. (2:16)

          • Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 15, 2015, 09:00 AM
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            • Senior college football writer
            • Author of seven books on college football
            • Graduate of the University of Georgia
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          The Pac-12 is finished.

          The Big 12 is still hanging on by a thread.

          With only three weeks left in the regular season, we have a pretty good idea about the two teams that are in the driver's seat to make the College Football Playoff: No. 1 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State.

          As upstart front-runners continue to fade as the pressure builds, No. 2 Alabama, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 12 Oklahoma -- three blue bloods many of you wanted to leave for dead weeks ago -- suddenly look like the top candidates to join the Tigers and Buckeyes.

          And don't think the names on the front of these teams' jerseys won't matter when the CFP selection committee meets behind closed doors during the first weekend of December to choose the four teams for the playoff.

          When there's doubt, it's much better being a traditional heavyweight than a junior mint. Ask Baylor and TCU, which were pushed aside on the final weekend last season for eventual national champion, Ohio State.

          One thing we know with almost certainty: a Pac-12 school won't be among the four teams in the playoff. No. 7 Stanford, which was the Pac-12's best hope, fell to Oregon 38-36 at home; No. 10 Utah also lost 37-30 at Arizona, leaving every Pac-12 team with at least two losses.

          The Cardinal, which had reeled off eight straight victories after losing at Northwestern in the opener, lost again when quarterback Kevin Hogan's two-point conversion pass to Austin Hooper was broken up by Oregon's Joe Walker with 10 seconds remaining.

          With the Pac-12's chances all but extinct, the Big 12 might end up being the biggest benefactor. But the conference's top contender is certainly not the team we thought it would be a month ago. Oklahoma, which was embarrassed 24-17 by reeling Texas in the Red River Rivalry game in Dallas six weeks ago, stunned No. 6 Baylor 44-34 on the road.

          The Sooners, who have ripped off five consecutive victories since losing to the Longhorns, ended Baylor's 20-game home winning streak, which was the longest in FBS. If you think the UT loss will be too much for the selection committee to get past, remember that it overlooked Ohio State's two-touchdown loss to Virginia Tech at home last season.

          With games against No. 15 TCU at home next week and at No. 8 Oklahoma State the next week, the Sooners are in prime position to really make an impression in the final weeks -- just as the Buckeyes did last season.

          "We're one of those teams that has a chance at everything," OU coach Bob Stoops said.

          So is Oklahoma State, which somehow is one of only five remaining unbeaten teams in FBS (Clemson, Houston, Iowa and Ohio State are the others). On Saturday, the Pokes rallied from a 17-point deficit for the second time this season, coming from behind to beat Iowa State 35-31 on the road. It was the sixth time in 10 games that OSU was either tied or trailing in the second half.

          "I'm sure TV loves us," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said.

          But the bigger question is if the CFP selection committee will like the Pokes when it's all said and done. OSU has struggled to put away mediocre (or worse) teams such as Texas, Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Iowa State, but the Pokes are still 10-0. With home games left against Baylor and Oklahoma the next two weeks, the Pokes have a chance to eliminate any doubts.

          Undefeated Iowa seems to be in the same boat. The Hawkeyes are off to their best start in school history at 10-0 after holding off Minnesota 40-35. Iowa has two wins over teams that are currently ranked by the committee: 10-6 over No. 25 Wisconsin and 40-10 over No. 18 Northwestern. The Hawkeyes won't play another ranked foe until the Big Ten championship game.

          The upstarts better take care of business the rest of the way. If the fourth spot in the playoff comes down to a junior mint or a blue blood, I think we all know how that's going to turn out.

          Playoff teams after Week 11

          1. Clemson: It was kind of a ho-hum day for the Tigers, who were leading Syracuse by only a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 37-27 victory at the Carrier Dome. Still, the Tigers are 10-0 for the first time since they won their only national championship in 1981, and they won at least 10 games for the fifth consecutive season.

          2. Alabama: The Crimson Tide's defense was dominant again, sacking Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott nine times in a 31-6 win on the road. It was Alabama's most sacks in a game since it had nine against Vanderbilt in 1998. The Bulldogs had allowed only 13 sacks in their first nine games this season.

          3. Ohio State: The Buckeyes welcomed back quarterback J.T. Barrett from a one-game suspension, and he passed for 150 yards and ran for 74 in a 28-3 win at Illinois. Now come OSU's real tests: home against No. 13 Michigan State next week and at No. 14 Michigan on Nov. 28.

          4. Notre Dame: Freshman Josh Adams filled in for injured tailback C.J. Prosise well, running for 141 yards in a 28-7 victory over Wake Forest. Adams had a 98-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, the longest play from scrimmage in Notre Dame history.

          Next four in contention

          1. Iowa: The Hawkeyes moved to 10-0 for the first time in school history by holding off pesky Minnesota 40-35 at home. Tailback LeShun Daniels Jr. ran 26 times for 195 yards with three touchdowns, helping the Hawkeyes claim the Floyd of Rosedale for the 11th time in their past 15 meetings against the Gophers.

          2. Oklahoma State: The Pokes once again had to come from behind to win, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 35-31 win at Iowa State. According to ESPN Stats & Info research, the Cowboys are the only FBS team this season to twice rally from 17-point deficits and win. OSU hosts No. 6 Baylor next week and then No. 12 Oklahoma in the Nov. 28 Bedlam game.

          3. Oklahoma Sooners: The Sooners stunned Baylor 44-34 on the road, putting a serious dent in the Bears' CFP hopes. OU has won five games in a row since falling to Texas 24-17 in the Red River Rivalry game. Can the CFP selection committee overlook that loss if the Sooners keep winning?

          4. Michigan State: Thanks to Maryland's five turnovers, the Spartans didn't have much trouble in a 24-7 victory over the Terrapins. MSU quarterback Connor Cook didn't play in the second half because of a shoulder injury, but he's expected to be ready for next week's showdown at Ohio State.

          Heisman candidates

          1. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide: Henry ran for more than 200 yards for the second straight game, carrying the ball 22 times for 204 yards with two touchdowns in the Tide's blowout win at Mississippi State. He had scoring runs of 74 and 65 yards.

          2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State Buckeyes: After the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball in the first half at Illinois, Elliott ran for 129 of his 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns after halftime. It was his 15th consecutive game with 100 or more rushing yards.

          3. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Mayfield threw for 270 yards with three touchdowns and made big play after big play in the Sooners' upset at Baylor. The Texas Tech transfer has now passed for more than 3,000 yards with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions.

          4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State: Cook broke Warrick Dunn's school single-season rushing record with 1,369 yards in nine games. Cook ran for 138 yards with two touchdowns in a 34-17 win over NC State on Saturday.

          Tweets of the night

          1. Stanford band doing Stanford band things.

          2. Best team in Texas.

          3. A running clock at Auburn would have been nice - for all of us.

          4. Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee got some tough love from his mom after he was blasted by Illinois on a punt return.

          Best moments

          1. Army, Navy and the Air Force honored France before their games on Saturday.

          2. Kansas apparently wants the Big Eight to return.

          3. Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones honored the Paris victims by drawing the Eiffel Tower on his cleats.

          4. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen went bodysurfing in the Mountaineers' locker room after a 38-20 win over Texas.

          Best plays

          1. Michigan State's Macgarrett Kings Jr. made a spectacular one-handed catch in a 24-7 victory over Maryland.

          2. Here's another example of why Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa might be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

          3. Reverses are one thing. A reverse with a behind-the-back flea flicker? Now that's something. BYU ran one to perfection against Missouri.

          4. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield delivered a perfect pass to Sterling Shepard, who somehow reached for the pylon for a first-half touchdown at Baylor.

          Worst plays

          1. Georgia linebackers coach Mike Ekeler got a little carried away with his sideline celebration, injuring cornerback Rico McGraw with a slap to the head.

          2. Illinois kicker Taylor Zalewski had a few problems on this short field goal try against Ohio State.

          3. Hot potato! At least seven players batted Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle's pass before it was intercepted by Texas State.

          4. Uh, this isn't how you protect your quarterback, Arizona State.

          Quotes of the night

          1. "[Alabama defensive lineman] Jonathan Allen barreled right into me. The athlete I am, I was able to keep my feet." -- Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who was sporting a cut on his left cheek during Saturday's game.

          2. "I think Trevone will be back. We just couldn't take a chance. It's an ankle [injury]. He's got to get himself healthy. He did it on the first series." -- TCU coach Gary Patterson, on injured quarterback Trevone Boykin, who sprained his right ankle in a 23-17 win over Kansas.

          3. "Stop yourself right there. Just stop. No comment." -- Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, when a reporter attempted to ask him about his interest in a potential coaching vacancy with the Indianapolis Colts.

          4. "If I was George Clooney, my wife would be a lot happier. We can't live like that. We can't dwell on what hasn't happened or what didn't happen." -- Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, when asked if the Ducks would be a top-10 team if quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. hadn't been hurt earlier this season.

          Stats that matter

          81: Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds scored four rushing touchdowns in a 55-14 blowout of SMU, giving him 81 in his career, which breaks former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball's FBS record. Reynolds is three rushing scores shy of tying the NCAA record of 84 set by Georgia Southern tailback Adrian Peterson from 1998-2001.

          6: Touchdown passes thrown by Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock, a school record, in the No. 14 Wolverines' 48-41 victory over Indiana in two overtimes. Rudock forced overtime with a touchdown pass with two seconds left and then threw two more in overtime. He threw for 440 yards on 33-for-46 passing.

          125: North Carolina has scored 125 points in its past two games, which breaks the school record for points in back-to-back games set in 1914 (118 vs. Virginia Medical and Wake Forest). The Tar Heels have also won nine games in a row in a single season for the first time since 1914.

          4: In Georgia's 20-13 victory at Auburn, sophomore Isaiah McKenzie tied school career records with his fourth punt return for a touchdown and fifth return overall (he also had a kickoff return for a score last year). McKenzie's 53-yard punt-return TD in the fourth quarter was the first Auburn had allowed since 2005.