Undefeated Oregon retained the top spot in the second round of College Football Playoff rankings, while Tuesday’s poll dramatically ousted Georgia from playoff contention following their hefty defeat to Mississippi.
Leading the rankings, Oregon is followed by Ohio State, as the Big Ten dominates four of the top five positions. Texas from the Southeastern Conference, ranked at No. 3, interrupts this sequence and is set for a first-round bye.
Georgia’s crushing 28-10 loss to Ole Miss plummeted the Bulldogs from third all the way down to 12th. Despite ranking as the highest team left out, they trail No. 13 Boise State of the Mountain West, which claims an automatic bid and the final place in the 12-team bracket as a conference champion.
Brigham Young University, ranked sixth, would also secure a first-round bye if they win out, solidifying their position as the Big 12 champion. The byes are awarded to the four highest-ranked conference champions. Thus, Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference, despite dropping five spots to No. 9 after a loss to Georgia Tech, would move directly to the quarterfinals according to this week’s bracket.
Other ranked teams this week include No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 10 Alabama, and No. 11 Ole Miss.
The College Football Playoff selection committee releases these rankings weekly, culminating on December 8 with a final poll to determine the official pairings. The inaugural 12-team playoff kicks off with first-round games on December 20-21, concluding with the championship game on January 20.
This week’s discussions have centered around Georgia’s significant nine-spot drop and exclusion from the bracket. While the Bulldogs have faced two losses, their schedule is notably one of the toughest nationwide. However, it would be inappropriate to rank them higher than Ole Miss after last weekend’s decisive defeat.
“Both Alabama and Ole Miss beat them head-to-head,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, chair of the selection committee, elucidated. “While assessing the rankings and evaluating each team, Georgia settled at 12 due to head-to-head results and overall performance metrics.”
The SEC and Big Ten each have four teams in the projected Week 2 bracket.
Undefeated Army from the American Athletic Conference ascended one spot to No. 24, still trailing behind three teams with three losses. Additionally, Colorado, coached by Deion Sanders, is now No. 17. The Buffaloes could secure a place in the Big 12 title game by winning their next two games.
Projected first-round matchups are slated to occur on the higher-seeded team’s campus. Here are the pairings based on current rankings:
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State: The Buckeyes might have a chance to avenge their narrow loss to Oregon in the Big Ten title game.
No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Penn State: A budding rivalry, as the Rebels previously defeated the Nittany Lions 38-25 in the 2023 Peach Bowl.
No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Indiana: Alabama boasts 77 bowl appearances, whereas Indiana has only 13.
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Tennessee: The programs are evenly matched, having split their eight meetings. Notre Dame claimed victory in their last encounter in 2005.
Upcoming significant games to watch include Utah at Colorado and Kansas at BYU. Last week, Utah and KU played as anticipated Big 12 contenders and now have the opportunity to disrupt other teams’ rankings.
Tennessee at Georgia is the sole matchup between top-12 teams this coming week. A win for the Bulldogs might push them back into the playoff bracket.
Clemson at Pittsburgh also holds weight. The 20th-ranked Tigers could re-enter contention for a significant position, perhaps a spot in the ACC title game, with a crucial win.
