TCU’s close win over Kansas costs the Horned Frogs in College Football Playoff rankings

Kansas had a say in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.

That’s the 3-7 Jayhawks. The tied-for-eighth-in-the-Big-12 Jayhawks.

But Kansas played an inspired game last weekend, pushing TCU to the final minutes before falling 34-30 in Lawrence.

The closeness of that game contributed to the Horned Frogs’ drop from fourth to fifth in the rankings.

The escape “certainly impacted” TCU’s body of work, said Jeff Long, the playoff committee’s chairman.

And not in a good way for the Frogs. The difference between fourth and fifth in the rankings means being included in the College Football Playoff semifinals or not.

TCU is behind Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Mississippi State. Ohio State is sixth and Baylor seventh, and Long said the differences between teams fourth through seven are narrow.

Kansas State was No. 12 and Missouri No. 20.

The Frogs also didn’t attempt to add a tack-on touchdown for style points, perhaps to their detriment. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin took a knee three times after the Frogs reached the Kansas 12 in the final moments.

“Would another score have made a difference? Yes,” Long said. “But I don’t know how much of a difference.”

The Crimson Tide moved from No. 5 and into the top spot after defeating Mississippi State, the team that had been ranked first through the first three weeks of the ratings.

“We think Alabama is the most complete team right now,” Long said.

But while calling the Tide’s 25-20 victory over the Bulldogs “decisive,” Long also said the committee “never felt like Mississippi State was out of it.”

The committee, which will select the four teams to meet in the national semifinals preceding the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 12, will unveil its final rankings on Dec. 7.

This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 7:54 PM with the headline "TCU’s close win over Kansas costs the Horned Frogs in College Football Playoff rankings."