Michigan Jumps To No. 2 In The Penultimate CFP Rankings
Michigan’s 42-27 win Ohio State launched the Wolverines from No. 5 into the No. 2 spot in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings that were released Tuesday night.
The loss dropped Ohio State to No. 7 and basically knocked the Buckeyes out of the running for the playoffs.
The new rankings set the stage for Championship Weekend and the final rankings which will select the four-team field for the CFP. Those rankings will be released Sunday at Noon on ESPN.
It looks like six teams are still in the running for the playoffs. Here is what you need to know about each as we head into the final weekend of the regular season:
1—Georgia (12-0) remained at No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week after a 45-0 win over Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs will play No. 3 Alabama (11-1) on Saturday for the SEC championship in Atlanta. Georgia is expected to make the playoffs whether or not it wins against the Crimson Tide. A win would give Georgia the No. 1 overall seed and spot in the semifinals, probably in the Orange Bowl.
2—Michigan (11-1), whose only loss was to Michigan State on Oct. 30, will play No. 13 Iowa (10-2) for the Big Ten championship on Saturday. A win puts the Wolverines into the playoffs, probably as the No. 2 seed.
3—Alabama (11-1) remained No. 3 after a 24-22 win in four overtimes against unranked Auburn. If the Crimson Tide beats Georgia, both SEC teams are expected get into the playoffs. If Alabama loses and drops to 11-2 it will be unlikely that the Tide will get in. Alabama is going for its seventh appearance in the eight years of the College Football Playoffs.
4—Cincinnati (12-0) remained at No. 4 after a 35-13 win at East Carolina. The Bearcats are trying to become the first Group of Five team to reach the playoffs. They play No. 21 Houston on Saturday for the American Athletic Conference championship.
If Alabama loses and Cincinnati wins, the Bearcats should be in pretty good shape. In fact, they could be ranked as high as No. 3 in that scenario. But if Alabama beats Georgia and both SEC teams get in along with Michigan, there could be a big argument for the fourth spot between Cincinnati and Oklahoma State. Here’s the argument:
5—Oklahoma State (11-1) knocked off previously No. 10 Oklahoma 37-33 last Saturday to advance to the Big 12 championship game against No. 9 Baylor (10-2). Should Oklahoma State win that game, the Cowboys would be 12-1 with a conference championship and back-to- back wins over two Top 10 teams. Cincinnati would be 13-0 with only two Power Five wins over No. 6 Notre Dame and 2-10 Indiana. Oklahoma State’s only loss was to unranked Iowa State (7-5), a 24-21 decision in Ames.
6—Notre Dame (11-1): The Irish beat a bad Stanford team 45-14 last week which completed their season. The concern for Notre Dame is that Tuesday night the selection committee moved Oklahoma State ahead of the Irish. If it comes down to a debate between Oklahoma State and Notre Dame, the Cowboys would have an extra win plus a conference championship. Notre Dame is not a member of a conference.
Notre Dame’s best hope of getting in is for both Alabama and Oklahoma State to lose.
Also on Tuesday Notre Dame lost its head coach, Brian Kelly, who was introduced as the new head coach at LSU. If Notre Dame makes the playoffs, it is not known if Kelly would coach the Irish. Kelly's absence, just like the absence of an injured player, could be a factor in how the committee views Notre Dame, selection committee chairman Gary Barta said Tuesday night.
But given the fact that the committee has gone ahead and moved Oklahoma State ahead of Notre Dame can not be a good sign for the Irish.
The rest of the Top Ten were: No. 7 Ohio State (10-2), No. 8 Ole Miss (10-2), No. 9 Baylor (10-2), and No. 10 Oregon (10-2).
The CFP national semifinals will be played on Dec. 31 at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Tex., and Orange Bowl in Miami Lakes, Fla. The national championship will be played on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.
Here is the newest CFP Top 10 and the games each team has remaining.
Team…………….….Games remaining
1—Georgia (12-0): vs. Alabama, SEC Champ game
2—Michigan (11-1): vs. Iowa, Big Ten Champ game
3—Alabama (11-1): vs. Georgia, SEC Champ game
4—Cincinnati (12-0): vs. Houston, AAC Champ game
5—Oklahoma State (11-1): vs. Baylor, Big 12 Champ game
6—Notre Dame (11-1): Season over
7—Ohio State (10-2): Season over
8—Ole Miss (10-2): Season over
9—Baylor (10-2): vs. Oklahoma State, Big 12 Champ Game
10—Oregon (10-2) vs. Utah, Pac-12 championship game