Big Ten dominates latest College Football Playoff rankings
By Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — The Big Ten dominated the latest edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, with the conference claiming four of the top five slots in the new standings revealed Tuesday night.
Unsurprisingly, undefeated Oregon claimed the top spot for the second consecutive week just ahead of No. 2 Ohio State, another Big Ten stalwart.
Another pair of Big Ten contenders – Penn State and unblemished Indiana clocked in at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.
There is still much to be decided in the final weeks of the regular season, however, and when all the dust settles only the Big Ten champion will receive a bye straight through to the quarterfinals of the 12-team playoff.
In the CFP format, the top four highest ranked conference champions receive the top four seeds in the bracket and a bye.
Ohio State has a big showdown against Indiana on November 23, with the winner likely to play for the conference championship. Barring a shocking stumble in the coming weeks, top-ranked Oregon will be the other team to make it to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 7.
Southeastern Conference (SEC) football fans aren’t used to seeing a Top 5 like this.
SEC newcomer Texas is sitting at No. 3, but the Longhorns will have some stiff challenges down the stretch, including a road test against No. 15 Texas A&M in the final week of the regular season before potentially facing another tough opponent in the SEC championship game in Atlanta.
After a sound defeat against Ole Miss on Saturday, Georgia dropped from No. 3 all the way to No. 12, finding themselves the first team outside the current projected bracket. Due to CFP rules, No. 13 Boise State would currently slot into the bracket ahead of Georgia as the highest ranked conference champion outside of the Power 4 conferences.
The Bulldogs have a chance to redeem themselves and play their way back into contention on Saturday as UGA hosts No. 7 Tennessee.
Undefeated Big 12 leaders BYU check into the latest rankings at No. 6 after a controversial win over Utah last weekend. The Cougars are in a position to nab a bye through to the quarterfinals if they can go on to win their conference championship.
Despite a surprising loss to Georgia Tech over the weekend, No. 9 Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team in the field. Even with the recent setback, Miami still has the inside track to reach the ACC championship game in Charlotte, where they are likely to face either No. 14 SMU or No. 20 Clemson.
Independent powerhouse Notre Dame clocked in at No. 8 this week, firmly in control of its own destiny. The Fighting Irish look forward to a clash with unbeaten No. 24 Army on November 23 ahead of their season finale against rival Southern Cal the following week.
The SEC, which has produced 13 of the last 18 national champions, adds two more contenders to the current CFP bracket, each coming off an impressive win.
No. 10 Alabama blew out No. 22 LSU on the road on Saturday, while No. 11 Ole Miss authored a comprehensive victory against Georgia. Both Alabama and Ole Miss boast favorable schedules in the season’s final weeks, though each team will have to end their regular season against an archrival.
The committee ranks Colorado at No. 17. Head coach Deion Sanders told reporters before the rankings were released Tuesday that the Buffaloes weren’t paying attention to the recent accolades the 7-2 Buffs were receiving in the national media.
“Why would we listen? We don’t have time for that, honestly because we know who we are, what we are, how we are, where we’re going and we know how to get there,” he said.
Colorado hosts Utah on Saturday with a clear path to the Big 12 title game and a potential automatic CFP berth.
The-CNN-Wire
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