College football: Play it forward

Five things to watch this week in college football:

1) Friday’s Pac-12 title game in Santa Clara may not just be a playoff play-in game for Oregon. It may also be a play-in game for Arizona, which has cracked the top 10 and could now make the final four with a second win over the Ducks.

2) The Texas Christian-or-Baylor playoff debate should be decided Saturday when Baylor plays host to Kansas State in Waco, Texas. A victory over a top-10 opponent will cinch the Big 12 title for Baylor and probably move the Bears past TCU in the College Football Playoff ranking.

3) Alabama needs a victory over Missouri in the Southeastern Conference title game to secure the top seeding for the playoffs, meaning the Crimson Tide would host a semifinal game in the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl. Last year, Missouri won the SEC East and got trounced by Auburn in the SEC title game.

4) Ohio State’s playoff hopes became complicated when starting quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle in Saturday’s win over Michigan. It’s now up to Ohio State backup Cardale Jones to defeat Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game.

5) Fast-charging Georgia Tech, which earned a spot in the ACC title game, will get the last regular-season crack at undefeated Florida State. Georgia Tech is coming off an overtime win at Georgia and has a running attack that could put an end to the Seminoles’ 28-game winning streak.