Fans are stunned over wild movements in College Football Playoff rankings
The second-to-last edition of the College Football Playoff rankings before we get the actual 12-team field were released on Tuesday, and there were some major shakeups.
Coming into Tuesday night, everyone was interested to see how the College Football Playoff committee would handle the major carnage and losses from the weekend. Indiana was beaten soundly by Ohio State, and then we saw massive chaos in the SEC including losses by Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M to unranked teams.
The question: What would the committee do with these three-loss SEC teams and how far would they drop them for losing yet another game? We got our answer and, honestly, it left many fans stunned.
Here's a look at the new College Football Playoff rankings as we head into the final week of the regular season.
Rank | Team | Record |
---|---|---|
1 | Oregon | 11-0 |
2 | Ohio State | 10-1 |
3 | Texas | 10-1 |
4 | Penn State | 10-1 |
5 | Notre Dame | 10-1 |
6 | Miami | 10-1 |
7 | Georgia | 9-2 |
8 | Tennessee | 9-2 |
9 | SMU | 10-1 |
10 | Indiana | 10-1 |
11 | Boise State | 10-1 |
12 | Clemson | 9-2 |
13 | Alabama | 8-3 |
14 | Ole Miss | 8-3 |
15 | South Carolina | 8-3 |
16 | Arizona State | 9-2 |
17 | Tulane | 9-2 |
18 | Iowa State | 9-2 |
19 | BYU | 9-2 |
20 | Texas A&M | 8-3 |
21 | Missouri | 8-3 |
22 | UNLV | 9-2 |
23 | Illinois | 8-3 |
24 | Kansas State | 8-3 |
25 | Colorado | 8-3 |
Of course, fans were quick to jump on Alabama's ranking β which is still No. 13. However, the Tide will need some major help to get into a 12-team playoff field. In addition, SMU's rise up the rankings was also noteworthy.
Here's a look at some of the reactions to the latest edition of the rankings:
What may be most interesting here is the fact that Big 12 has almost cannibalized itself out of a playoff spot. With a four-way tie for first in the conference, there is only one team ranked ahead of Tulane: Arizona State, and Iowa State is one spot below.
What if Arizona State, Iowa State, and BYU all lost this weekend, or what if they lost in the Big 12 championship game? It is possible at this point that Tulane as the winner of the AAC could actually pick up that fifth bid for a conference champion and leave the Big 12 out entirely. We wouldn't say that it's likely at this point, but the table is set.
It will be interesting to see if we have any more chaos in store for this weekend, or if this 12-team playoff field stays the same.