Clemson and Alabama retained the top 2 spots in the College Football Playoff Poll, released Tuesday night.

RELATED: Week 13 College Football Playoff Poll

Here are five takeaways from the Selection Committee’s fourth set of rankings:

1. Alabama and Clemson control their destiny: The committee showed last year it’s not afraid to move teams around, but its top two teams remained unchanged in the final four polls. This season is shaping up as more of the same. As long as the Tide and Tigers win rivalry games Saturday and win their respective title games the following week, they’ll be the top 2 seeds in the playoff.

2. It’s still early for Big Ten: Social media no doubt will debate Iowa, with its softer schedule, being ranked at No. 4, one spot ahead of Michigan State, but the fact is, as long as neither loses Saturday, their matchup in the Big Ten Championship Game will determine which team advances to the playoff. Their positioning this week is just fodder for bar talk.

Committee chair Jeff Long told ESPN there were several revotes involving the order of those two teams.

3. Can we trust the committee’s take on the Big 12? Oklahoma jumped four spots to No. 3. Been there, done that. Last year, TCU was No. 3 in the next-to-last poll, then dropped out of the playoff picture just a few days later. Oklahoma is in better position, however. Whereas TCU closed with a cupcake last season, the Sooners travel to No. 11 Oklahoma State. Even if the Sooners win — which would be their third consecutive over a ranked team — they’ll have to sweat out championship games in other conferences the following weekend.

Long credited Oklahoma’s body of work and said the Sooners victory over TCU added to it.

“We think adding that really propelled them up into that third spot,” Long told ESPN.

Long also said Oklahoma’s final game Saturday is important because it’s their last opportunity.

4. Notre Dame wins … and falls: For two weeks, we’ve heard about Notre Dame’s brand name being so strong there was no way the Irish could win out and not be part of the playoff. Well, the Irish won (barely) last week and dropped from No. 4 to No. 6. They now are on the outside looking in, with only one game remaining to make a strong enough statement.

5. The Pac-12 isn’t done: Oh, its playoff chances are over, but Stanford can still impact the final four if it upsets Notre Dame on Saturday. If that happens, the Big 12 will be all but assured of occupying one of the four spots.

If Notre Dame wins, let the two-week debate begin on which team deserves the fourth and final spot.

Keep in mind, last season the No. 4 team switched each of the final three polls.