There was a guaranteed move among the top four teams in the college football playoff rankings released Tuesday after Oregon, 3rd place last week, was blown out in Utah.
It was surprising to see a 2nd move with Ohio State, who moved up two places after their impressive loss to Michigan State, displacing Alabama, which slipped to 3rd after Crimson Tide battled Arkansas at home.
Cincinnati moved up one place to fourth. The undefeated Bearcats appear in solid shape to be selected as the first team in the Group of Five for the semifinals if they can beat East Carolina and then Houston in the US Athletic Title Game next week.
Michigan moves up one place to 5th place. The Wolverines face Ohio State this weekend, with the winner taking the Big Ten East title and likely one win away from securing a playoff spot.
Notre Dame follows in sixth place. The Irish will need some help as there will only be one game left against Stanford that is unlikely to raise their profile.
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A trio of Big 12 teams follows in the second half of the top 10, led by No. 7 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys and No. 10 Oklahoma have each lost one this weekend and face each other. Baylor is No. 8, followed by No. 9 in Mississippi.
Hoping to finish for a New Year’s Six Bowl, the independent Brigham Young moved up one place to 13th, placing the Cougars just outside the top 12, a ranking had to be considered for a spot.
The SEC and Big Ten top all conferences with five teams each in the rankings. The ACC comes with four and the Big 12 has three.
No. 21 San Diego State, No. 22 Texas-San Antonio, and No. 24 Houston are the other representatives of the Group of Five after Cincinnati and BYU. The highest rated champion among these conferences is guaranteed a place in a New Year’s Six Bowl.
# 23 Clemson moves into the top 25 for the first time this season after defeating Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons dropped eight places to 18th after their first defeat at the conference. Mississippi State, which was number 25 last week, was eliminated despite the Tennessee state defeat.
The final rankings for the season will be released on December 5th, with the top four teams playing in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl semifinals on December 31st. The national championship game will be played in Indianapolis on January 10th.
College Football Playoff Committee Top 25
1. Georgia (11-0)
2. Alabama (10-1)
3. State of Ohio (10-1)
4. Cincinnati (11-0)
5. Michigan (10-1)
6. Notre-Dame (10-1)
7. State of Oklahoma (10-1)
8. Baylor (9-2)
9. Mississippi (9-2)
10. Oklahoma (10-1)
11. Oregon (9-2)
12. State of Michigan (9-2)
13. Brigham Young (9-2)
14. Wisconsin (8-3)
15. Texas A&M (8-3)
16. Iowa (9-2)
17. Pittsburgh (9-2)
18.Wake the forest (9-2)
19. Utah (8-3)
20. State of North Carolina (8-3)
21. State of San Diego (10-1)
22. Texas-San Antonio (11-0)
23. Clemson (8-3)
24. Houston (10-1)
25. Arkansas (7-4)
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