For five consecutive weeks, the Washington football team had been ranked 5th in the AP Poll, looking up at the same four teams above them: Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida State. Now with Michigan and Ohio State playing next Saturday in what will be a heated and high-stakes edition of The Game, the Huskies had to have felt like as long as they maintained unbeaten status, they wouldn't be passed over for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Of course, the Playoff committee might not feel the same way if, say, Georgia were to lose a tight game in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama, or if Michigan and Ohio State looked dead even in their matchup next Saturday. But now, in the most recent AP Poll, a slight yet seismic shift in the top five indicates that Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies may truly control their own College Football Playoff destiny.

In the most recent AP Poll, the Washington football team has leap-frogged over Florida State for the #4 spot in the poll. Now one could choose to look at this one of two ways: Washington's path to 11-0 has included four wins over opponents who were ranked at the time of the meeting (Oregon, USC, Utah, Oregon State), plus one over an Arizona team that was not yet ranked. Florida State's resume boasts a neutral site win over LSU in week one and a home win over a Duke squad that was ranked 20th. You could very easily make a case that both of Washington's wins over Oregon and Oregon State are the two best wins either team has.

The other way to look at this would be the voters in the AP Poll are penalizing Florida State simply because the Seminoles starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, suffered a horrible, season-ending leg injury in FSU's win last night over North Alabama. Now I'll go on record and say that even with Travis in the picture, I thought Washington has proven to be a more complete team all year long, but it's unfortunate for the Noles, and more so for Jordan Travis, that the season is coming to a close in such somber fashion.

As for the Huskies, there is still business that needs to be handled. The Washington football team needs to avoid a trap game loss to in-state rival Washington State, and then they'll need to finish the job against either Oregon or Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 1st. If they can do that, the Huskies should not only be on their way to the College Football Playoff, but Michael Penix Jr. should've also done enough to secure a Heisman Trophy win.