Takeaways from the latest CFP rankings: Stanford is the sleeper

The latest installment of the College Football Playoff rankings saw the top four schools unchanged, but the drama surrounding them is a ticking time bomb.

Everyone tends to focus on the final four, which are currently Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Iowa. But No. 5, six, and seven are now more dangerous than ever.

While Ohio State and Michigan State come in at fifth and sixth, it's the seven seed Stanford that could prove to be the sleeper of the bunch, per committee chair Jeff Long.

Conference championships matter, and Long made that abundantly clear as the weeks went by. With that said, the Buckeyes aren't playing this weekend. Instead, the Big Ten championship will feature the Hawkeyes and Spartans - two teams ranked ahead of Stanford.

Keeping that in mind, Clemson is also going up against a hot North Carolina squad in the ACC title game. Long said that the Tar Heels would have to throttle the Tigers to supplant them in the top four.

If that doesn't happen, Clemson will most likely drop out, mainly because a loss to UNC - who has wins against two FCS teams, and a loss to a soft SEC opponent (South Carolina) - looks bad on the resume.

Stanford will face another ranked opponent in No. 20 USC after its best win of the season against eighth-ranked Notre Dame. Although the Tar Heels would have the best win in the country if they upset Clemson, Stanford's overall makeup could squeak it into the top four.

So to sum it up, Stanford would have wins against USC when the Trojans were ranked No. 6, and now No. 20, No. 8 Notre Dame, and No. 18 UCLA. Mix in a Pac-12 championship, and the Cardinal have the best chance of cracking the CFP code.