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 — 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:
SMU finally getting respect pic.twitter.com/LvDdZlTpxY
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) November 27, 2024
Putting Bama anywhere near the playoffs is pathetic and a disgrace to the sport. Got blown out by a .500 football team LAST WEEKEND, and lost to Vanderbilt. If we're putting a 3 loss team in, SC and Ole Miss both deserve it over Bama.
— . (@nosnibor1) November 27, 2024
clemson over alabama? 💀
— 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝟑.𝟎 🫧 (@positionsmafiaa) November 27, 2024
That Alabama bias is CRAZY
— Tyler 🇺🇸 (@1ForeverUSA) November 27, 2024
3 loss Alabama! What a joke.
— Corey Smith (@SmithDog2244) November 27, 2024
Penn State is not a top 5 team
— BiasedVol7 (@TheBiasedVol07) November 27, 2024
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.
How does Tulane move up 3 spots on a bye week and UNLV stays the same? Also a 9-2 Tulane should not be above any of the 9-2 Big 12 schools. Tulane has 2 losses to unranked opponents and UNLV has 1 and that was against Syracuse in OT.
— Austin Rowe (@AustinRowe19) November 27, 2024
Tulane is going to have a Cinderella run in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/cw50xCelDN
— Keaton It Real (@KeatonItReal_) November 27, 2024
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.