Georgia leads 2nd CFP rankings as Tennessee drops to No. 5
Georgia moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the second edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Bulldogs beat previous No. 1 Tennessee 27-13 on Saturday. The Volunteers dropped to No. 5 and are the top one-loss team in the rankings. Ohio State, Michigan and TCU make up the top four. Michigan moved up two spots and TCU moved up three.
Alabama dropped to No. 9 after losing to LSU and Clemson dropped to No. 10 after losing to Notre Dame. LSU is at No. 7 and the top two-loss team in the rankings behind Oregon at No. 6 and No. 8 USC, both at 8-1. Tuesday's rankings are the first playoff rankings since 2014 to not feature Alabama or Clemson in the top four and the first ever rankings to not have either team in the top six.
The SEC has four teams in the top 12 with Ole Miss at No. 11 and the Pac-12 has three teams in the top dozen and four in the top 13. UCLA and Utah are right behind the Rebels with Penn State at No. 14 ahead of North Carolina.
Only three teams can finish the season undefeated
With Ohio State and Michigan set to meet in the final week of the regular season, only three of the top four teams in the rankings can finish the season undefeated. It’s very possible that both Tennessee and the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game will be at 11-1 and hoping for chaos on conference championship Saturday to sneak into the playoff.
A two-loss team’s chances of making the playoff could hinge on LSU. The Tigers would need to win their final three games of the regular season and take down Georgia in the SEC title game to have a chance to be the first two-loss team to make the final four. It’s far more likely at this point that the playoff will be comprised of undefeated and one-loss teams, especially considering the depth of the Pac-12. And if Ole Miss beats Alabama and LSU loses to Arkansas, the one-loss Rebels are suddenly in control of the SEC West.
College Football Playoff rankings
1. Georgia (9-0)
2. Ohio State (9-0)
3. Michigan (9-0)
4. TCU (9-0)
5. Tennesse (8-1)
6. Oregon (8-1)
7. LSU (7-2)
8. USC (8-1)
9. Alabama (7-2)
10. Clemson (8-1)
11. Ole Miss (8-1)
12. UCLA (8-1)
13. Utah (7-2)
14. Penn State (7-2)
15. North Carolina (8-1)
16. NC State (7-2)
17. Tulane (8-1)
18. Texas (6-3)
19. Kansas State (6-3)
20. Notre Dame (6-3)
21. Illinois (7-2)
22. UCF (7-2)
23. Florida State (6-3)
24. Kentucky (6-3)
25. Washington (7-2)
