Michigan State rises in the new CFB rankings
Michigan State rose one spot to No. 11 in this week's College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings, from No. 12 a week ago. The Spartans earned a 30-27 win over Penn State on Saturday, securing their first 10-win season since 2017.
It was a nice turn around for MSU in their regular season finale, after being eliminated from Big Ten championship contention in a crushing 56-7 defeat to Ohio State the week prior.
At No. 11, the Spartans are primed to secure a New Year's Six bowl berth. Perhaps the only scenario in which Michigan State does not get a New Year's Six bowl bid is if Iowa defeats Michigan in the Big Ten Championship game.
In that scenario, the Hawkeyes -- No. 13 in the new committee rankings -- would go to the Rose Bowl, while the Wolverines and Buckeyes would likely gobble up two New Year's Six bids.
No. 1 Georgia extended their streak at the top spot for the fifth straight week. The Bulldogs have been No. 1 in each of the CFP committee's rankings.
No. 2 Michigan jumped three spots after a 42-27 win over Ohio State in "The Game", while No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati held serve with wins over Auburn and East Carolina, respectively.
No. 5 Oklahoma State moved up two spots, and jumped No. 6 Notre Dame, after a win over Oklahoma in the annual "Bedlam" game. The Fighting Irish had a lopsided win over Stanford, but received crushing news early Tuesday morning when head coach Brian Kelly accepted a job offer from LSU.
No. 7 Ohio State fell five spots following the loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes are followed by No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 9 Baylor, who swapped positions from last week, and No. 10 Oregon to round out the Top 10.
This Saturday is Championship Week, and features several marquee matchups including No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama; No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 13 Iowa; No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Baylor; No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 21 Houston; No. 10 Oregon vs. No. 17 Utah and No. 15 Pittsburgh vs. No. 16 Wake Forest.