Since many of the best teams took care of business and won last week, the Week 14 release of the College Football Playoff rankings experienced no change toward the top.The Alabama Crimson Tide are in the top spot for the second week in a row, riding the strength of their triumph over Mississippi State to another home triumph over Western Carolina on Saturday.Here is a look at the complete, up-to-date standings as of Tuesday evening's reveal, which showed the same top seven order as the prior edition:ESPN Stats & Info observes how Alabama has stepped up to the challenge against its best competition:The selection committee still seems to be docking Florida State for its lack of style points, even though the Seminoles continue to win while getting every opponent's best shot. That happened again this past weekend when FSU ground out a 20-17 victory over Boston College at home.Florida State ranks first in The Associated Press' poll, but it could stand to notch convincing wins over Florida and Georgia Tech in its next two games. Just one blemish on their record may put the Seminoles behind a two-loss team if they find themselves on the postseason bubble.ESPN's Mike Greenberg was hoping FSU would be at No. 1 prior to Tuesday's rankings release:However, it's hard to argue with how well Oregon has played. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has to be the Heisman Trophy favorite after another brilliant effort in the Ducks' win over Colorado, where he accounted for four total touchdowns.TCU and Baylor are both capable of representing the Big 12 in the Top Four thanks to explosive offenses. A weak non-conference schedule is hurting the Bears, though, and the Horned Frogs still lurk just behind Mississippi State.ESPN's Jake Trotter came to TCU's defense, and Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman was rather shocked the Bulldogs maintained their spot at No. 4:Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News feels both Big 12 contenders could be on the outside looking in when all is said and done:Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel weighed in on Baylor's predicament:As good of shape as Ohio State appears to be in, the Buckeyes need to manhandle archrival Michigan. OSU head coach Urban Meyer recognizes the importance of dominating:Colin Cowherd of ESPN feels the Buckeyes will eventually squeeze their way into the Top Four:The Big Ten championship presents a chance for Ohio State to get the bump in the rankings it needs, according to the opinion of ESPN analyst Danny Kanell:As for the two-loss teams, headlining that lot is UCLA, thanks largely to the play of star quarterback Brett Hundley, who threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-20 win over USC in his last outing.ESPN's Chris Fallica pointed out how UCLA could make a big, late-season move if any of the teams ahead of the Bruins stumble:UCLA must beat Stanford in Week 14 to set up a conference title clash with Oregon, where it could add yet another quality win and figure even more into the playoffs.CBSSports.com's Sam Vecenie posed an interesting question in that vein:With rivalry games looming in the regular-season finales and conference championship showdowns still to be played, anything can happen in the next couple of weeks. So while the playoff picture remains rather stable for the time being, it's feasible that a two-loss team could even sneak into the Top Four.Among the teams at the top, Florida State has looked the most vulnerable, yet the Seminoles are the only ones not to have caved to defeat yet. Oregon could well wind up facing UCLA in the Pac-12 title game, which would have huge playoff implications to say the least.Not playing in the SEC Championship Game may wind up benefiting Mississippi State, should the committee continue to favor the SEC and keep the Bulldogs ahead of TCU, Baylor and Ohio State.Presuming they knock off Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl in Oxford, the Bulldogs can even climb the rankings. Meanwhile, Alabama, should it defeat Auburn, will have to play an additional contest and could face a rematch with a more beat-up team in the College Football Playoff.
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