New College Football Playoff Rankings: There are only 15 teams left in the hunt
The second-to-last edition of the College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night.
Coming into the rankings, many fans were questioning exactly how the committee would value the teams vying for what will likely be the final at-large berth in the 12-team playoff. Miami finished the season 10-2, while a cluster of three SEC teams — Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina — all finished the year 9-3.
While those four teams are still hoping for a chance, this latest group of rankings became paramount for determining the pecking order and, essentially, telling fans which teams had been eliminated.
Here's a look at the latest College Football Playoff Rankings:
Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Oregon | 12-0 |
2 | Texas | 11-1 |
3 | Penn State | 11-1 |
4 | Notre Dame | 11-1 |
5 | Georgia | 10-2 |
6 | Ohio State | 10-2 |
7 | Tennessee | 10-2 |
8 | SMU | 11-1 |
9 | Indiana | 11-1 |
10 | Boise State | 11-1 |
11 | Alabama | 9-3 |
12 | Miami | 10-2 |
13 | Ole Miss | 9-3 |
14 | South Carolina | 9-3 |
15 | Arizona State | 10-2 |
16 | Iowa State | 10-2 |
17 | Clemson | 9-3 |
18 | BYU | 10-2 |
19 | Missouri | 9-3 |
20 | UNLV | 10-2 |
21 | Illinois | 9-3 |
22 | Syracuse | 9-3 |
23 | Colorado | 9-3 |
24 | Army | 10-1 |
25 | Memphis | 10-2 |
At this point, it's a guarantee that we'll see the following teams in the playoff:
- Oregon (either as Big Ten Champion or an at-large)
- Penn State (either as Big Ten Champion or an at-large)
- Texas (either as SEC Champion or an at-large)
- Georgia (either as SEC Champion or an at-large)
- Ohio State (as an at-large)
- Notre Dame (as an at-large)
- Tennessee (as an at-large)
- Indiana (as an at-large)
- The ACC Champion (either Clemson or SMU)
- The Big 12 Champion (either Arizona State or Iowa State)
- The MWC Champion as the Group of 5 bid (either Boise State or UNLV)
For those counting along, that is a total of 11 spots that are guaranteed for the playoff. Then, we have SMU, who would finished the season 11-1 and should be in the playoff regardless of what happens this weekend in Charlotte. If the Mustangs end up taking an at-large bid — meaning Clemson wins the ACC Championship — there would be no spots available for the teams we mentioned above, specifically Alabama.
The only real question — other than which conference champions emerge victorious — is if SMU takes the ACC's automatic qualfier or not. Clemson can be the biggest spoiler to Alabama, which somehow jumped Miami.
With this ranking, it is basically a guarantee that Miami, Ole Miss, and South Carolina are all out of the playoff hunt.
Read More
feed