Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
How does the top 25 shake out heading into conference championship weekend?
Welcome back to the College Football Playoff rankings, where we rank teams based on things that may or may not change each week! Rivalry week in over, and the dust has settled before going into the conference championships. The Game has come and gone, and with that we get new rankings with new teams in different spots.
Let’s get into the rankings, shall we?
1 . Georgia Bulldogs
The beat goes on. For 29 straight games the Bulldogs have come out on top, and once again they face Alabama in the SEC Championship game. It’s pretty simple: win and you stick with the one seed and make the playoff. Lose…and then things get hairy.
2. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan won The Game, and to the winner goes the spoils. A date in Indy with the Hawkeyes is basically a tune-up game for the playoff, where the Wolverines need to start cashing the checks their talking has written them.
3. Washington Huskies
Washington is also undefeated, and has an opportunity to not only send an emphatic message on Friday against Oregon, but also potentially leap Michigan in the playoff rankings. The Huskies control their destiny, and have a very good chance at making the playoff.
4. Florida State Seminoles
Don’t worry, Noles fans. With this ranking, it shows that the committee is still respecting the Noles and what they’ve done, despite losing QB Jordan Travis. If the Noles win the ACC and finish with a perfect record, they’re in. If they lose, that’s when things get hairy.
5. Oregon Ducks
It’s simple: if you win, you’ll more than likely hop into the top four and make the playoff. This is the game Oregon and their fans have wanted since the clock hit zero in Seattle, and now it’s finally come. If they win the rematch, they’re in. Simple as that.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
So, you lost The Game.
Ohio State is sitting at 6 despite the loss due to early season wins over Notre Dame and Penn State, but they’ll probably still be headed to a New Years Six. Can they still make the playoff? Well, they’ll need help…a lot of help. They’ll need an Alabama loss, an Oregon loss, a Texas loss and a Florida State loss to even be considered. Their destiny is out of their hands, but it’s college football, so anything can happen.
7. Texas Longhorns
Texas might stand the most to gain out of any one-loss team that isn’t Oregon on conference championship weekend. They have a date with Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game, and if they win with style points, it would mean a lot to a committee who might be looking at that win over Alabama very differently at the end of the night. With Ohio State sitting at home and Oregon getting their rematch with UW, Texas can win and get in—with help.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
Ok folks, here’s your spoiler. The Crimson Tide have an opportunity to do something the committee would not want, and that’s beating Georgia in the SEC Championship game. If they do, then that creates the conundrum of who gets left out between a one-loss, non SEC champ Georgia, a one-loss SEC champ Alabama, a one-loss Big 12 champ Texas (who beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa), and a potential one-loss Pac-12 champ Oregon. The Tide are coming in off a chaotic Iron Bowl, but with the way QB Jalen Milroe is playing and Nick Saban being Nick Saban, anything can happen.
9. Missouri Tigers
What a turnaround for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. They’ll be headed to a New Years Six bowl as the third best SEC team, but getting to ten wins this season is a big, big plus for the Tigers.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
Look man, I have no idea how they continue to be in this spot, but the Nittany Lions find their way back into the top ten after some movement above them. They’ll likely be headed towards the Cotton Bowl or Fiesta Bowl, so congrats to them.
11. Ole Miss Rebels
12. Oklahoma Sooners
13. LSU Tigers
14. Louisville Cardinals
15. Arizona Wildcats
16. Iowa Hawkeyes
17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
18. Oklahoma State Cowboys
19. NC State Wolfpack
20. Oregon State Beavers
21. Tennessee Volunteers
22. Tulane Green Wave
23. Clemson Tigers
24. Liberty Flames
25. Kansas State Wildcats
