Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 14

Tulsa came in as the final team ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee in their initial set of Top 25 rankings that were released on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. As the No. 25 team, the Golden Hurricane sit in a precarious situation at the edge of the rankings. It especially did not help that their game at Houston was postponed by an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak on the Cougars’ roster, but the committee won’t punish them — this week, at least.

Tulsa’s rise to challenge for the American Athletic Conference title this year is predicated on a top-30 defense that has been especially good at shutting down opposing passers and forcing turnovers. After losing a defensive battle at Oklahoma State in the season opener, the Golden Hurricane continued to shut down opponents. Wins over UCF and SMU opened eyes across the country to what Philip Montgomery’s crew can bring to the table.

If they win out against Navy and Cincinnati and then defeat the Bearcats in a conference title game rematch, they would have a resume that could potentially vault them past undefeated Sun Belt or C-USA champions as the top Group of Five team. We have seen precedent for such a leap in the past when Boise State overtook Marshall in the race for the New Year’s Six bid in 2014, so this race is worth keeping an eye on into December.