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Here is the 5th College Football Playoff poll for the 2015 season.
PLAYOFF TEAMS
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK |
| 1 | CLEMSON | 12-0 | 1 |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 11-1 | 2 |
| 3 | OKLAHOMA | 11-1 | 3 |
| 4 | IOWA | 12-0 | 4 |
Playoff Semi-Finals:
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Iowa
Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Same top 4 as last week!
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK |
| 5 | MICHIGAN STATE | 11-1 | 5 |
| 6 | OHIO STATE | 10-1 | 8 |
| 7 | STANFORD | 10-2 | 9 |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 10-2 | 6 |
| 9 | FLORIDA STATE | 10-2 | 13 |
| 10 | NORTH CAROLINA | 11-1 | 14 |
| 11 | TCU | 10-2 | 19 |
| 12 | BAYLOR | 9-2 | 7 |
| 13 | OLE MISS | 9-3 | 18 |
| 14 | NORTHWESTERN | 10-2 | 16 |
| 15 | MICHIGAN | 9-3 | 10 |
| 16 | OREGON | 9-3 | 17 |
| 17 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 10-2 | 11 |
| 18 | FLORIDA | 10-2 | 12 |
| 19 | HOUSTON | 11-1 | NR |
| 20 | USC | 8-4 | NR |
| 21 | LSU | 8-3 | NR |
| 22 | TEMPLE | 10-2 | 25 |
| 23 | NAVY | 9-2 | 15 |
| 24 | UTAH | 9-3 | 23 |
| 25 | TENNESSEE | 8-4 | NR |
Projected New Year's Six Bowls:
Rose Bowl: Michigan State vs. Stanford
Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Ole Miss
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Peach Bowl: Florida State vs. Houston
Since we're so close to the bowl matchups being finalized some of these projections don't really make any sense until conference championship weekend is finished.
If all of the favorites win this weekend a few things happen:
- Houston stays where they are in either the Peach/Fiesta as the highest ranked Group of 5 program.
- Michigan State no longer heads to the Rose Bowl instead making the playoffs.
- Baylor should beat Texas and the Big 12 uses their own tie-breaker system (not the playoff poll) which means the Bears head to the Sugar Bowl instead of TCU.
- Stanford over USC allows the Cardinal to head south to the Grand Daddy of Them All.
The biggest question with all the favorites winning is where Iowa drops in relation to Ohio State? Since the Buckeyes are already up very high at No. 6 I would think the Hawkeyes would fall behind OSU with a loss in the Big Ten Title Game. Really, any result in the B1G Title Game is going to result in the loser falling behind Ohio State so the Buckeyes seemed destined for the Rose Bowl if they don't sneak into the playoffs.
Clemson is only a 5-point favorite over North Carolina and what happens if the Tar Heels spring the upset? UNC began the playoff poll 5 weeks ago unranked and have moved up to 23rd, 17th, 14th, and now 10th this week. Unless they absolutely hammer Clemson there's a good chance no ACC teams make it into the playoff. Then again, a win over the No. 1 team and a conference championship might be enough for North Carolina to make the jump into the Top 4--but it's still a huge jump.
With only a drop of 2 spots from last week the Irish look to be very safe for either the Fiesta or Peach Bowl. If the Tar Heels upset Clemson let's assume North Carolina enters the playoff with Alabama, Oklahoma, and Michigan State.
Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Ole Miss
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa
Peach Bowl: Clemson vs. Houston
It looks like Florida State would be bumped out so it's a big deal that the Irish are currently one spot ahead of the Seminoles. Odds are, Notre Dame will be playing the loser of the Big Ten Title Game in the Fiesta Bowl.