All this is just background noise Sergio Rodriguez Jersey for Ryan Kelly. The heavy lifting began back in September.Weve been playing with our backs to the wall for more than a month now, Alabamas All-American center said. This is nothing new.MORE: | Maybe thats the way to look at this College Football Playoff. Forget about everyone else and everything else, and play like one lo s ends your season. Because it more than likely does.MORE: | LSU was the first casualty of Week 1, a lo s to Alabama dropping the Tigers all the way to No. 9. While its po sible LSU can find its way back, the Tigers need an Alabama lo s to go along with the win-or-go-home philosophy. Even then, it still may not happen.A look at this weeks Four In, Four Out:Four In1. Clemson: The only question with the Tigers: Can they hold onto the No. 1 spot if they win out against Syracuse, Wake Forest, South Carolina and their opponent in the ACC championship game, while those behind them are winning significant games? At this point, it doesnt really matter. All that does is this: Keep winning, and Clemson is one of the four teams when the final poll is released. Up next: at Syracuse.MORE: 2. Alabama: OK, you have one game to win. Who are choosing? Ill take Alabama vs. the field and Im fairly certain Vegas would, too. But theres still some work to do for a Tide team that has grown with each pa sing week and is playing with a ton of confidence at Robert Covington Jersey the perfect time. There are potential obstacles ahead, but nothing too damaging as long as this team continues to play at the same level it has since losing at home to Ole Mi s. Up next: at Mi si sippi State.3. Ohio State: So heres an interesting thought: CFP committee chairman Jeff Long said the 12-person committee has had problems ranking teams without significant wins. I dont know if the committee sees this, but Ohio State has yet to register a significant win. Enough of these nonsensical metrics that are to sed around week after week. This is an eye test. And right now, Ohio State pa ses. Up next: at Illinois.4. Notre Dame: The committee clearly loves Notre Dame. That, or Moses Malone Jersey the committee thinks Clemson is far and away the best team in college football and is giving the Irish credit for a two-point lo s at Clemson. ND has some solid wins, but an argument could be made for a few other teams at this spot. The Irish arent a lock here. They need there to be only two unbeatens from the Power 5 conferences. Three unbeatens (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12), and theyre out if the one-lo s team is Alabama.Four Out5. Iowa: Never has a win over Indiana Indiana, people done so much for one team. If the committee truly is looking at significant wins, then Iowa has more significant wins than Ohio State no matter what you think of Big Ten wins. Why, then, are the Hawkeyes two places behind Timothe Luwawu Jersey the Buckeyes? Up next: Minnesota.MORE: 6. Baylor: It has taken nine weeks, but here we are, at the heavy-lifting portion of the Baylor schedule. Hallelujah. It is here where we find just how good freshman QB Jarrett Stidham is, and just how different (for the good) the Baylor defense is. Win, and the Bears are in. Lose once, and its a long fall maybe even from the New Years Six bowls if the Bears dont win the Big 12. Up next: Oklahoma.7. Stanford: The Cardinal keep grinding out wins, and keep doing so in relative obscurity, away from the eyes of Joe Sixpack. Dont think the committee doesnt value wins at Washington State and against Washington in the last three weeks. The problem: Theres no real signature win and wont be until the regular-season finale against Notre Dame and a Pac-12 championship game against No. 10 Utah. Up next: Oregon.8. Oklahoma State: Another area where the committee says one thing and does another. Clearly Oklahoma States strength of schedule is an i sue, but the Cowboys schedule is as good or better than Ohio States schedule and includes a significant win over TCU. Its all in front of the Cowboys: Win out Julius Erving Jersey and theyre in the playoff. Up next: at Iowa State.