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11/25 20:41 CST College football rankings start juggling act at 6-7, while top
5 remain the same
College football rankings start juggling act at 6-7, while top 5 remain the same
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
The College Football Playoff rankings placed the spotlight on, where else this
year, "6-7" --- flip-flopping Oregon and Ole Miss in those spots while keeping
their top five teams the same in Tuesday night's reveal.
Oregon's impressive victory over Southern California in one of last week's few
games between ranked teams accounted for the biggest change, moving the Ducks
ahead of Mississippi, which didn't play.
The other meaningful shift was Miami's move to No. 12, in a switch with Utah
after the Utes gave up 472 yards rushing in a tight win over Kansas State.
There are two more rankings to be revealed --- next Tuesday, then Dec. 7 when
the final top 25 will set the bracket for the 12-team playoff to start Dec. 19,
Pitt's return to the rankings --- at No. 22 --- after falling out for a week
impacts the meaning of its key Atlantic Coast Conference game this week against
the Hurricanes, who need a win and some help to make the conference title game
but still have hopes of grabbing one of the playoff's seven at-large berths.
"Miami is a team that it really appears is starting to look like the Miami team
that started 5-0," said Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee.
Following the Buckeyes for the fourth time in four rankings were fellow
undefeated teams Indiana and Texas A&M. Georgia stayed at No. 4, followed by
Texas Tech. After Oregon and Mississippi came Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and
BYU at No. 11 and first team out on this week's proverbial bubble.
Ohio State and Indiana will play in what should be a 1 vs. 2 Big Ten title game
if both win rivalry showdowns on the road over Thanksgiving weekend. Ohio
State's task is more difficult --- against Michigan, which moved up three spots
to No. 15. Indiana plays Purdue.
No. 10 Alabama plays at Auburn with a spot in the Southeastern Conference title
game on the line. The Tide's opponent would be Texas A&M if the Aggies win at
No. 16 Texas.
Notre Dame and Miami were compared this week After some confusion last week about the weight given to Miami's opening-week win over Notre Dame, Yurachek said those teams were, indeed, close enough in the rankings this week to be compared head-to-head. But still, that victory was not enough to push the Hurricanes past Notre Dame. "We compare a number of things when looking at teams closely ranked together," Yurachek said. "We've got some teams ranked between Miami and Notre Dame, such as Alabama and BYU, who we're also comparing Miami to." Could Kiffin's job status impact Ole Miss? Among the factors the committee can consider is the availability of players and coaches, which has potential to bring Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's job status into play. Word from Oxford is that a decision will come on Kiffin's potential move to LSU or Florida after this week's game against Mississippi State. An Ole Miss team without one of the most sought-after coaches in the game wouldn't seem as good as one with him. Still, Yurachek wouldn't tip his hand on how that evaluation might go. "We'll take care of that when it happens," Yurachek said. "We don't look ahead. The loss of player, loss of a key coach, is in the principles of how we rank teams, but we don't have a data point for how we look at Ole Miss without their coach." Ducks move to ?where they need to be' After Oregon's 42-27 win over USC, coach Dan Lanning said his team deserves credit for the schedule it plays --- which included a tough conference game during a week in which many in the SEC were going against non-ranked, double-digit underdogs. The committee agreed. "We've been waiting for them to have that signature win to really put them where they need to be," Yurachek said. Conference watch ACC -- No. 18 Virginia and No. 21 SMU are the favorites to reach the title game, which means one of them has an inside edge to be in the playoff. The Hurricanes are likely in an at-large showdown with the likes of BYU, Vanderbilt and maybe Alabama. Big 12 -- BYU is angling for another crack at Texas Tech in the title game. Hard to see the Cougars getting there, losing to the Red Raiders again and still making the playoff. Big Ten -- Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon are locks. Michigan's move up three to No. 15 gives the Wolverines a chance at an at-large bid (or maybe the conference title) with a win this week over the Buckeyes. SEC -- Texas A&M, Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma should all be in. Alabama can't really afford a third loss, but what if that loss comes in the SEC title game? The Tide makes it by beating Auburn. Vanderbilt would strengthen its case with a win at No. 19 Tennessee this week. Group of 5 -- No. 24 Tulane of the American is still the only team from a non-power conference in the rankings. One problem. BetMGM Sportsbook has North Texas as the favorite to win the league title. That, in turn, could bring someone like James Madison back into the conversation. Projected first-round playoff matchups No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech: Could the Red Raiders, a deep-pocketed disruptor in the college football space, also turn into one of the sport's powerhouses? No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Oregon: The Mario Cristobal Bowl -- Hurricanes coach left Ducks suddenly in 2021 to return home. No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi: Kiffin, the old offensive coordinator at Alabama, is 0-4 vs. Tide with Ole Miss. No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma: Notre Dame's first televised game was a 27-21 win over OU in 1952. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football |
