The College Football Playoff rankings placed the spotlight on, where else this year, \u201c6-7″ \u2014 flip-flopping Oregon and Ole Miss in those spots while keeping their top five teams the same in Tuesday night\u2019s reveal.<\/b>
\nThe College Football Playoff rankings placed the spotlight on, where else this year, \u201c6-7\u2033 \u2014 flip-flopping Oregon and Ole Miss in those spots while keeping their top five teams the same in Tuesday night\u2019s reveal.
Oregon\u2019s impressive victory over Southern California in one of last week\u2019s few games between ranked teams accounted for the biggest change, moving the Ducks ahead of Mississippi, which didn\u2019t play.
The other meaningful shift was Miami\u2019s move to No. 12, in a switch with Utah after the Utes gave up 472 yards rushing in a tight win over Kansas State.
There are two more rankings to be revealed \u2014 next Tuesday, then Dec. 7 when the final top 25 will set the bracket for the 12-team playoff to start Dec. 19,
Pitt\u2019s return to the rankings \u2014 at No. 22 \u2014 after falling out for a week impacts the meaning of its key Atlantic Coast Conference game this week against the Hurricanes, who need a win and some help to make the conference title game but still have hopes of grabbing one of the playoff\u2019s seven at-large berths.
\u201cMiami is a team that it really appears is starting to look like the Miami team that started 5-0,\u201d said Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee.
Following the Buckeyes for the fourth time in four rankings were fellow undefeated teams Indiana and Texas A&M. Georgia stayed at No. 4, followed by Texas Tech. After Oregon and Mississippi came Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and BYU at No. 11 and first team out on this week\u2019s proverbial bubble.
Ohio State and Indiana will play in what should be a 1 vs. 2 Big Ten title game if both win rivalry showdowns on the road over Thanksgiving weekend.
Ohio State\u2019s task is more difficult \u2014 against Michigan, which moved up three spots to No. 15. Indiana plays Purdue.
No. 10 Alabama plays at Auburn with a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game on the line. The Tide\u2019s opponent would be Texas A&M if the Aggies win at No. 16 Texas.
Notre Dame and Miami were compared this week
After some confusion last week about the weight given to Miami\u2019s opening-week win over Notre Dame, Yurachek said those teams were, indeed, close enough in the rankings this week to be compared head-to-head. But still, that victory was not enough to push the Hurricanes past Notre Dame.
\u201cWe compare a number of things when looking at teams closely ranked together,\u201d Yurachek said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some teams ranked between Miami and Notre Dame, such as Alabama and BYU, who we\u2019re also comparing Miami to.\u201d
Could Kiffin\u2019s job status impact Ole Miss?
Among the factors the committee can consider is the availability of players and coaches, which has potential to bring Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin\u2019s job status into play.
Word from Oxford is that a decision will come on Kiffin\u2019s potential move to LSU or Florida after this week\u2019s game against Mississippi State. An Ole Miss team without one of the most sought-after coaches in the game wouldn\u2019t seem as good as one with him.
Still, Yurachek wouldn\u2019t tip his hand on how that evaluation might go.
\u201cWe\u2019ll take care of that when it happens,\u201d Yurachek said. \u201cWe don\u2019t look ahead. The loss of player, loss of a key coach, is in the principles of how we rank teams, but we don\u2019t have a data point for how we look at Ole Miss without their coach.\u201d
Ducks move to \u2018where they need to be\u2019
After Oregon\u2019s 42-27 win over USC, coach Dan Lanning said his team deserves credit for the schedule it plays \u2014 which included a tough conference game during a week in which many in the SEC were going against non-ranked, double-digit underdogs.
The committee agreed.
\u201cWe\u2019ve been waiting for them to have that signature win to really put them where they need to be,\u201d Yurachek said.Conference watch
No. 18 Virginia and No. 21 SMU are the favorites to reach the title game, which means one of them has an inside edge to be in the playoff. The Hurricanes are likely in an at-large showdown with the likes of BYU, Vanderbilt and maybe Alabama.
Big 12 \u2014 BYU is angling for another crack at Texas Tech in the title game. Hard to see the Cougars getting there, losing to the Red Raiders again and still making the playoff.
Big Ten \u2014 Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon are locks. Michigan\u2019s move up three to No. 15 gives the Wolverines a chance at an at-large bid (or maybe the conference title) with a win this week over the Buckeyes.
SEC \u2014 Texas A&M, Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma should all be in. Alabama can\u2019t really afford a third loss, but what if that loss comes in the SEC title game? The Tide makes it by beating Auburn. Vanderbilt would strengthen its case with a win at No. 19 Tennessee this week.
Group of 5 \u2014 No. 24 Tulane of the American is still the only team from a non-power conference in the rankings. One problem. BetMGM Sportsbook has North Texas as the favorite to win the league title. That, in turn, could bring someone like James Madison back into the conversation.Projected first-round playoff matchups
No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech: Could the Red Raiders, a deep-pocketed disruptor in the college football space, also turn into one of the sport\u2019s powerhouses?
No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Oregon: The Mario Cristobal Bowl \u2014 Hurricanes coach left Ducks suddenly in 2021 to return home.
No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi: Kiffin, the old offensive coordinator at Alabama, is 0-4 vs. Tide with Ole Miss.
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma: Notre Dame\u2019s first televised game was a 27-21 win over OU in 1952.<\/p>\n