College Football Playoff Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 13

SMU wasn’t even on the field in Week 12, as they took their second bye week of the season. Yet a week after falling off the list in the wake of suffering their first loss of the year at Memphis, the 9-1 Mustangs benefitted from chaos in the bottom half of the College Football Playoff Top 25 to jump back into the selection committee’s rankings this week without even taking a snap.

As one of a dwindling number of one-loss teams left in the country, the committee is going to reward the Mustangs for their best season since earning the NCAA death penalty in the 1980s. With one of the most prolific offenses in the country and a penchant for down-to-the-wire thrillers, SMU has certainly earned the honor.

Next week the Mustangs head to Annapolis to face Navy. If Memphis takes another loss in conference play, the winner of the SMU battle against the Midshipmen will take over the division lead. If that happens, SMU will be in prime position to swoop in and earn a chance to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game.