Things are all topsy-turvy right now in the college football landscape. It took the College Football Playoff committee to drop one ranking on Tuesday, December 3, and BOOM! Going by the bracket, there are five highest-ranked conference champions and seven more at-large teams. And definitely, the rules are different for the brackets. For instance, the top 4 conference champions will receive first-round byes. The other eight schools will have their fates decided on the home grounds of the better seeds.

While Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide is currently ranked #11, things are looking shaky for Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks, James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions, Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns, and Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. But aren’t they in the top 5?

From afar, things might look all good for these programs. For instance, Lanning’s No.1 Oregon has locked up a CFP berth. The same goes for Sarkisian’s Longhorns. Franklin’s Penn State is now No.3 and Smart’s Georgia is at No.5. So based on the current rankings, the first-round matchups might look like this:

• (12 seed) Arizona State at (5) Penn State: Winner plays (4) Boise State in the quarterfinals
• (11) Alabama at (6) Notre Dame: Winner plays (3) SMU in the quarterfinals
• (10) Indiana at (7) Georgia: Winner plays (2) Texas in the quarterfinals
• (9) Tennessee at (8) Ohio State: Winner plays (1) Oregon in the quarterfinals

That’s when CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel raised the alarm, focusing on the Top 25 playoff rankings. On ESPN’s CFP Rankings Reveal Show, Manuel stated how minute details will be taken into consideration. He also hinted at the chances of rankings change—“Yes it could change…the commissioners have asked us to rank the Top 25 through the conference championship.”

“We’ve high regard, like I’ve said, for those who are playing in those conference championships, and we will closely evaluate those games and the outcome of those games to rank the top 25 on Sunday.” The only way to save themselves from slipping down is to make their talents stand out on the gridiron even after the regular season is done. But not everybody will have that privilege.

Manuel further stated, “Any team that is not playing right now, we don’t have a data point to rearrange where he have those teams ranked. And so, that is set in terms of how we see them going into the final week of championship week. There is nothing that is going to change for us to evaluate them differently than we have those teams now. Those teams who are not playing cannot be adjusted in terms of where they are compared to other teams that are not playing. But the championship teams we evaluate that data point to determine if there’s needs to be any movement based on how the performance of the game goes.”

This approach spells trouble for SEC’s Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs, as well as Big Ten’s Oregon Ducks and Penn State. A loss in their respective championship games—especially in the SEC and Big Ten—could lead to a tougher playoff draw, given that most other conferences only have one team in contention. With the stakes so high, it seems like Penn State HC James Franklin might already be turning to prayer.

How James Franklin is dealing with the heat of the playoffs

Apparently, things might look like a bed of roses for Franklin’s Nittany Lions, coming off with a strong 11-1 season. Yes, we know how Penn State might be feeling the heat now that they would be facing off against the Oregon Ducks. Well, Lanning’s Ducks are now in a better place than the Lions, enjoying the top rank.

Franklin seems to have lost his good night’s sleep with the fear of getting crushed by Oregon. They are now in a precarious position; a loss in their upcoming big game can bring them down to a few spots.

As per the current playoff format, often the No.5 and No.6 seeds are the prime targets and the easiest draws. Isn’t this enough to leave the Penn State HC in a pool of cold sweat? Definitely! But Franklin tried his level best not to talk about his inner fears.

Instead, he pulled off a total chill attitude as he stated, “I’m focused on the things that I can control…and then those other things are outside of my control.” But at the same time, he also addressed the fears: “I think everybody recognizes that you know we want to make sure that you know these playoff games do not become a penalty.”

Such anxieties are surely simmering beneath the surface for other programs as well, whose championship dreams are hanging by a thread. What do you think?