After a weekend of chaos on the gridiron, the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture looks markedly different this week.
Undefeated Oregon remains at No. 1 in the new rankings released Tuesday by the CFP Selection Committee. The Ducks are followed by Ohio State at No. 2, Texas at No. 3 and Penn State at No. 4, all retaining their positions from last week.
Following a resounding 49-14 win over previously unbeaten Army, Notre Dame climbs to No. 5, with rival Southern Cal the last remaining roadblock for the Fighting Irish.
Miami remains the highest ranked Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school, climbing one slot to No. 6. The Hurricanes need a win versus Syracuse Saturday to secure a spot in the ACC championship game against No. 9 SMU, who have already clinched a shot at the conference title in their first season in the league.
A slew of upsets in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) moved Georgia up to No. 7 and Tennessee to No. 8.
Shock losses by Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M put Georgia in the SEC title game, where they will face the winner of Saturday’s game between Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M. Georgia meanwhile will play a non-conference tilt against their in-state rivals Georgia Tech on Friday.
Mountain West Conference leaders Boise State rose to No. 11, and would currently earn a first round bye as the 4th-highest ranked conference champion. The Broncos host Oregon State Friday ahead of a showdown against either No. 22 UNLV or Colorado State for the Mountain West crown on December 6.
The Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 conference championship games will all be played on December 7.
In the CFP format, the five highest ranked conference champions are automatically placed into the 12-team field, with the four highest ranked conference champions receiving a bye straight into the quarterfinals.
Coming off a bonkers win against BYU, No. 16 Arizona State is presently the highest ranked team in the Big 12 Conference. That puts the Sun Devils in pole position to make the conference title game and potentially win their way into the CFP. But first Arizona State must travel south to play their nemesis Arizona on Saturday.
Rivalry Week
Thanksgiving weekend marks the final week of the college football regular season and will see many teams across the country playing against their archrivals.
With only one week remaining before conference championships, ‘Rivalry Week’ will hold extra significance for those schools still contending for a CFP berth.
In what is annually one of the most anticipated events of the season, Ohio State will host Michigan on Saturday in the 120th edition of ‘The Game.’ The Buckeyes need a win against the Wolverines to be assured of a rematch against Oregon in the Big Ten title game.
Top-ranked Oregon meanwhile must fight a border war against their neighbors to the north Washington on Saturday, though the Ducks are already assured of playing for the conference crown.
For CFP hopefuls not destined for their conference championship games, these rivalry matchups offer a final opportunity to bolster their résumés ahead of selection day.
Tennessee can solidify their chances of making it into the CFP field with a win again their cross-state rival Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Coming off a sound loss at the hands of Ohio State, Indiana fell back to No. 10, but the Hoosiers still have a great chance of being selected for the CFP if they can dispatch their rivals Purdue, who have yet to win a game in Big Ten conference play this year.
Clemson was a big mover in the latest CFP rankings, jumping five spots to No. 12 where they are currently the first team left out of the CFP bracket. But with some higher-ranked teams guaranteed to lose before season’s end, the Tigers can put their best foot forward Saturday with a win over intrastate rival South Carolina, ranked No. 15.
Alabama dropped six spots to No. 13 after an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma, while fellow SEC power Ole Miss dropped 5 slots to No. 14 after its own stunning loss to Florida. Each team will be hoping for more chaos in the coming weeks coupled with a rivalry win this weekend.
Ole Miss hosts Mississippi State Friday in the Egg Bowl, while Alabama will face Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl on Saturday.
What about us?
And last but not least, don’t count out No. 17 Tulane of the American Athletic Conference just yet. The Green Wave wrap up the regular season against Memphis on Thanksgiving and will then face Army for the conference championship on December 6.
If Tulane can win out, they could potentially sneak into the 12-team playoff through the back door if absolute mayhem ensues in the Big 12, where an astounding nine teams still have a shot at winning the conference championship. If Tulane were to find themselves ranked higher than the eventual Big 12 champ, the Green Wave would crash the CFP while the Big 12 gets snubbed.
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