Iowa knocked off third-ranked Michigan with just 66 passing yards.

Pitt stunned second-ranked Clemson with a kicker surnamed, off all things, Blewitt.

And Ole Miss toppled eighth-ranked Texas A&M with a freshman quarterback donning 20 as his jersey number.

This was the weekend of chaos that the Big 12 had been longing for. Like Adoree' Jackson's backflip commemorating USC's takedown of No. 4 Washington, the college football world was turned on its head, as No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 lost on the same day for the first time in 31 years.

Suddenly, the playoff picture doesn't look so straightforward, which is a welcoming development for a conference whose playoff chances had previously been pronounced dead.

Make no mistake, the Big 12 remains a longshot to sneak a team into the final four. But it no longer seems to be a no-shot, either.

Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma could still make it back to the College Football Playoff, but several results would have to go their way for it to happen. Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire

Oklahoma, which figures to slip into the top 10 of the playoff rankings Tuesday night, appears to be the Big 12's best hope for a playoff bid. The Sooners are the conference's lone undefeated squad in league play. But West Virginia and even Oklahoma State still cling to hope as well. They'll both be knocking on the door of the playoff top 10 come Tuesday.

Could one of those three pull the once unthinkable and close the gap this final month?

The numbers suggest there’s actually a window.

The analytics website FiveThirtyEight.com now gives the Sooners a 39 percent chance to make the playoff by winning out, which would include a win at West Virginia this weekend, followed by a home victory against Oklahoma State on Dec. 3. Oklahoma’s playoff rate, however, bumps up to 56 percent when combined with a Louisville loss to Houston on Thursday.

West Virginia, according to FiveThirtyEight, would have a 26 percent shot of making the playoff by defeating Oklahoma, Iowa State and Baylor to finish 11-1. But that number would jump up to 40 percent with a Louisville loss to Houston.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, would have a 20 percent chance of sliding into the playoff by running the table with victories at TCU and Oklahoma. But according to FiveThirtyEight, that number shoots up to 32 percent when combined with a Louisville loss to the Cougars.

Not great odds. But not impossible odds, either.

So what exactly has to occur for the Big 12’s playoff dreams to improbably become a reality?

When it comes to the current playoff deliberation, there seems to be only three assurances. The ACC and Big Ten are all but locks to place at least one team in the playoff. And Alabama, well, the Crimson Tide are getting in pretty much regardless.

If the Tigers bounce back to win the ACC -- Clemson's remaining games are against Wake Forest, South Carolina and whoever comes out of the mediocre Coastal Division in the ACC title game -- the Tigers will be in. The winner of the Big Ten championship game, even if it’s two-loss Wisconsin or Penn State, will most likely sneak in.

That leaves one spot for the taking.

And after this past weekend, the Big 12, all of a sudden, is in the running for that final spot. But this is what needs to happen for the Big 12 to grab it:

1. Washington loses the Apple Cup in Pullman. That would give Washington State the Pac-12 North title and send the Cougars to the Pac-12 title game. Given the Huskies' poor overall strength of schedule -- their best nonconference win was against Rutgers -- there's virtually no scenario in which the selection committee would put a two-loss Washington that didn't win its own division into the playoff.

2. Louisville loses to Houston or Kentucky. The Cardinals are a real problem for the Big 12. Behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, they have been about as impressive as any team in the country, outside Alabama, and would be a strong choice for the committee even if Clemson won the ACC. A one-loss Louisville would almost definitely get into the playoff over a Big 12 champion. The Cardinals have to lose again.

3. The Big Ten winds up with only one playoff option. What does this mean? Essentially, the Big 12 needs Michigan to win out. An 11-1 Ohio State, which would have a win against the Wolverines, would be an unconquerable obstacle for the Big 12, even if the Buckeyes didn't advance to the Big Ten championship. Ohio State throttled Oklahoma in Norman, which has basically locked in Ohio State ahead of the Big 12 champion in the pecking order. But if the Wolverines ran the table, they would be handing the Buckeyes a second loss, blocking Penn State from making the Big Ten title game and eliminating Wisconsin from the discussion. And when the dust settled, Michigan would be the Big Ten’s only real playoff possibility.

Should those three scenarios play out, the Big 12 champion would be back in business. Not a likely proposition by any stretch.

Then again, chaos already struck college football over the weekend. All the Big 12 needs now is a little more.