The College Football Playoff picture is heating up, and the latest rankings have shaken things up! Alabama has leapfrogged Notre Dame, while Miami and Texas are lurking just outside the top 10. Let's dive into the details, shall we?
In the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night, Notre Dame slipped to No. 10, with Miami close behind at No. 12, and Texas making a significant jump to No. 13.
As we head into conference championship weekend, Ohio State and Indiana remain at the top, holding the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. These two powerhouses will clash in the Big Ten Championship Game this Saturday.
With only nine title games remaining, the opportunity for dramatic shifts in the rankings before Sunday, when the selection committee unveils the final field of 12, is limited. These second-to-last rankings offer a pretty good sneak peek at what the official bracket will look like.
Here's a snapshot of the CFP Top 25 after Week 14:
- Ohio State (12-0)
- Indiana (12-0)
- Georgia (11-1)
- Texas Tech (11-1)
- Oregon (11-1)
- Ole Miss (11-1)
- Texas A&M (11-1)
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Alabama (10-2)
- Notre Dame (10-2)
- BYU (11-1)
- Miami (10-2)
- Texas (9-3)
- Vanderbilt (10-2)
- Utah (10-2)
- USC (9-3)
- Virginia (10-2)
- Arizona (9-3)
- Michigan (9-3)
- Tulane (10-2)
- Houston (9-3)
- Georgia Tech (9-3)
- Iowa (8-4)
- North Texas (11-1)
- James Madison (11-1)
Georgia moved up to No. 3, followed by Texas Tech, Oregon, and Ole Miss. Ole Miss climbed to No. 6 after a season-ending victory against Mississippi State, but they'll be without their head coach, Lane Kiffin, who took a job at LSU.
And this is the part most people miss... Texas's win over Texas A&M knocked the Aggies out of the top three for the first time this season, landing them at No. 7. The Longhorns (9-3) are the highest-ranked team with three losses and are arguing that they're being unfairly penalized for their early-season loss to Ohio State. They lost to the Buckeyes (14-7) in Week 1, and later, they were defeated by Florida. Despite these setbacks, Texas has wins against No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt.
Alabama (10-2) moved up to ninth after winning the Iron Bowl, while Notre Dame (10-2) dropped to tenth after a loss.
"The debate between Alabama and Notre Dame over the past three weeks has been one of the strongest debates we’ve had in the room for the past two years I’ve been a member of the committee," said CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek.
The cut line to make the field as an at-large team will be No. 10, because two of the five highest-ranked conference champions that are guaranteed a spot in the CFP are expected to be ranked outside the top 12.
This puts No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Miami on the outside looking in. BYU still has a chance to reach the Playoff by winning its conference. The Cougars will face Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game.
Miami can only hope for an at-large bid.
Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has been emphasizing his team's season-opening victory against Notre Dame. Notre Dame, which plays independently, has also completed its regular season, closing with a 10-game winning streak after losing to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points.
Miami lost to Louisville and SMU within a three-week span leading into the first CFP rankings. This put the Hurricanes behind Notre Dame. Miami closed with a four-game winning streak.
"The best part of football is you get to settle it on the field, where head-to-head is always the No. 1 criteria,” Cristobal said.
But it hasn’t so far.
But here's where it gets controversial... With neither team playing again, it's unclear how it would change. Yurachek stressed that no team's ranking is set in stone.
What do you think about the committee's decisions? Do you agree with the rankings, or do you think other teams deserved a higher spot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
