The top positions in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings remained unchanged, as expected, following Tuesday’s release by the committee.
No. 1 Oregon held its spot, with Ohio State maintaining its position at No. 2 for the third straight week. Texas stayed at No. 3, followed by Penn State and Indiana, giving the Big Ten four of the top five teams for the second consecutive ranking.
The real shake-up occurred in the lower half of the top 10, as No. 6 Brigham Young and No. 7 Tennessee both suffered losses in Week 12.
Notre Dame moved up to No. 6, while Alabama jumped over Miami, taking the No. 7 spot. Mississippi and Georgia rounded out the top 10, with Tennessee dropping to No. 11.
BYU dropped eight spots to No. 14, now trailing Boise State, the leader of the Mountain West, which climbed to No. 12.
The Broncos are ranked higher than all other Big 12 teams, positioning them potentially for a first-place bye, awarded to the four highest-ranked conference champions. Other Big 12 schools in the rankings include No. 16 Colorado, No. 21 Arizona State, and No. 22 Iowa State.
Along with Boise State, No. 19 Army and No. 20 Tulane from the American Athletic Conference are the Group of Five schools included in the rankings. The highest-ranked Group of Five champion is guaranteed a spot in the playoff.
The SEC remains the top conference with the most ranked teams, featuring eight schools, although LSU dropped out after a loss.
The Big Ten follows with five teams, while the Big 12 has four. The ACC is the only other power conference with three teams ranked. The Mountain West now has two teams, with No. 24 UNLV making its debut in the rankings this week.
This marks the third release of the College Football Playoff rankings. There are two more reveals scheduled for the next two Tuesdays.
The final rankings will be announced on Dec. 8, setting the playoff bracket with 12 teams selected for the field.
What Is The College Football Playoff Schedule?
First-round games will be held on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 at campus sites, with the higher seeds hosting. The matchups are as follows:
- No. 5 seed vs No. 12 seed
- No. 6 seed vs No. 11 seed
- No. 7 seed vs No. 10 seed
- No. 8 seed vs No. 9 seed
Winners of the first-round games will move on to the quarterfinals. The Fiesta Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 31, while the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Peach Bowl will take place on Jan. 1.
The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will host the semifinals on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, respectively.
The championship game will be held on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Based on this week’s rankings, the first-round matchups would be as follows:
- No. 12 Brigham Young at No. 5 Ohio State
- No. 11 Georgia at No. 6 Penn State
- No. 10 Mississippi at No. 7 Indiana
- No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dame
Quarterfinals:
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Boise State vs. Ohio State/Brigham Young winner
- Peach Bowl: No. 3 Miami vs. Penn State/Georgia winner
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Texas vs. Indiana/Mississippi winner
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. Notre Dame/Alabama winner
College Football Playoff Rankings – Top 7:
- Oregon (11-0)
- Ohio State (9-1)
- Texas (9-1)
- Penn State (9-1)
- Indiana (10-0)
- Notre Dame (9-1)
- Alabama (8-2)
- Miami (Fla.) (9-1)
- Mississippi (8-2)
- Georgia (8-2)
- Tennessee (8-2)
- Boise State (9-1)
- SMU (9-1)
- Brigham Young (9-1)
- Texas A&M (8-2)
- Colorado (8-2)
- Clemson (8-2)
- South Carolina (7-3)
- Army (9-0)
- Tulane (9-2)
- Arizona State (8-2)
- Iowa State (8-2)
