The College Football Playoff rankings were released for the fifth time this season on Tuesday, and there wasn’t much movement in the top-four.
The penultimate release of the College Football Playoff Committee’s Top 25 ranking aired Tuesday evening, and other than Michigan tumbling from their No. 4 spot, everyone above them stood pat entering conference championship weekend; Notre Dame (12-0) stayed at No. 3, Clemson (12-0) remained at No. 2, and the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) held on to their No. 1 spot.
Only five teams have reached the Top 4 of the CFP at any point this season — the four from last week and LSU in Week 9 – but a new team was elevated Tuesday night, another from the SEC: the Georgia Bulldogs.
Although they’re finally in one of the Top 4 spots, Georgia (11-1) will face-off against No. 1 Alabama Saturday in the SEC Championship Game. If Georgia loses, they’re likely out, assuming Oklahoma or Ohio State win their respective title games. But what if the Bulldogs beat Alabama? Then what happens?
The Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) undoubtedly believe they deserved the No. 4 ranking, especially after beating No. 13 West Virginia in Morgantown. But sitting at No. 5 with, finally, a Big 12 Championship Game on the line Saturday, the Sooners will have an opportunity to add that coveted 13th-data point the conference has craved since TCU was snubbed in 2014. And, they’ll get a chance to avenge their only loss of the season against Texas in Arlington.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) come in at No. 6 after shellacking the Michigan Wolverines, 62-39 this past weekend. They’ll have another opportunity to impress the committee in the Big Ten Championship against Northwestern, but will that be enough to jump the Sooners?
The Wolverines (10-2) fell to No. 7, but should’ve dropped further after their abysmal performance against the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s been up-and-down as of late, but Michigan getting whooped by their rival in the manner that they did? They’re lucky to remain so high.
UCF (11-0) reached No. 8, their highest of the CFP rankings this season, but do they deserve to be ahead of the Wolverines? They are undefeated, which we all know is difficult for any team in college football. But it’s fair to question if quarterback McKenzie Milton’s injury affected their positioning this week.
Florida (9-3) and LSU (9-3) round out the top 10, two teams the committee will use to boost the Crimson Tide’s resume should they lose to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. But being this far from the top, that’s all they are — resume boosters.
Washington (9-3), Penn State (9-3), and Washington State (10-2) take us through No. 13, and the Texas Longhorns (9-3) come in at No. 14. What if Tom Herman and the Longhorns upset the Sooners yet again in 2018? That’d surely knock the Big 12 out of the CFP. Kentucky (9-3) comes in at No. 15, placing five SEC teams in the top 15.
The rest of the College Football Playoff Top 25 is as follows.
16. West Virginia (8-3)
17. Utah (9-3)
18. Mississippi State (8-4)
19. Texas A&M (8-4)
20. Syracuse (9-3)
21. Northwestern (8-4)
22. Boise State (10-2)
23. Iowa State (7-4)
24. Missouri (8-4)
25. Fresno State (10-2)
There will be some key games on Championship Weekend to determine the final four of the CFP, and we’ll be covering all of them at Saturday Blitz. Stay with us to see how the final rankings shake out following Saturday’s games.