SEC losses help SMU, Indiana in latest College Football Playoff rankings
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
The Southeastern Conference’s losses were almost everyone else’s gain in the College Football Playoff rankings, with SMU nudging its way into the top 12 and Indiana staying in the mix at No. 10 despite a lopsided loss of its own.
The 12-team bracket released Tuesday placed undefeated Oregon on top for the fourth straight week. It did not include Alabama or Mississippi of the SEC, both of which suffered their third losses of the season last week.
That helped place SMU in the ninth spot, joining No. 6 Miami to give the Atlantic Coast Conference two teams in the 12-team bracket.
“We’ve been in that position where, so far, our resume hadn’t been good enough, so we needed some help,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said a few hours before the rankings were released.
No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State again followed Oregon in the top four. Indiana (10-1) dropped five spots to No. 10 following its 38-15 loss at Ohio State but remains in position to earn a CFP bid with a win over Purdue (1-10).
“We viewed Indiana, they played well at times against Ohio State,” Warde Manuel, chair of the CFP committee, said on ESPN’s rankings release show Tuesday night.
“We were impressed with some of the things that Indiana did. And they dropped five, but we still felt that their body of work was strong enough to remain in the top 10.”
Notre Dame replaced the Hoosiers at No. 5 following its 49-14 rout of undefeated Army, which dropped out of the committee’s Top 25 this week. Miami (No. 6), Georgia (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 8) and SMU (No. 9) join Indiana in rounding out the top 10.
Using the current CFP rankings, Oregon (Big Ten), Texas (SEC), Miami (ACC) and No. 11 Boise State (Mountain West) would be the four highest-rated conference champions and would earn first-round byes in the 12-team bracket. No. 16 Arizona State (Big 12) would earn a playoff bid as the fifth-highest-rated conference champion but would be the No. 12 seed and would play a first-round game. ASU is merely the highest ranked team in a Big 12 that features a four-way tie at the top.
The seedings for the first-round matchups would look like this: No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Ohio State; No. 11 Indiana at No. 6 Penn State; No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Notre Dame; No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Georgia.
When asked Saturday whether the Hoosiers still belong in the 12-team field based on their body of work, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti replied, “Is that a serious question? I’m not even gonna answer that one. The answer’s so obvious.” The first-year coach then smiled and nodded yes with a wink.
No. 12 Clemson would be the first team left out of the playoff, with the Tigers ranked ahead of three-loss SEC bubble teams Alabama (No. 13), Mississippi (No. 14) and South Carolina (No. 15). But the ACC landing three teams in the top 12 this week could be an encouraging sign that the conference has an opportunity to earn two bids in the final bracket.
A trio of road upsets Saturday shook up the SEC’s playoff picture. Alabama slid six spots after a stunning 24-3 loss at Oklahoma. Mississippi dropped five spots after falling, 24-17, at Florida. And Texas A&M dropped five spots after losing, 43-41, at Auburn in four overtimes. Georgia and Tennessee benefited by moving up three spots each this week.
Alabama or Mississippi rejoining the mix is not completely out of the question as the committee wrestles over the next two weeks with whether a three-loss team belongs in the playoff.
Arizona State climbed five spots to No. 16 thanks to its 28-23 victory over BYU, while Iowa State moved up four spots to No. 18 after a 31-28 win at Utah. But the committee continues to rank No. 11 Boise State ahead of the Big 12 frontrunners, raising the possibility that the Big 12’s eventual champion could miss out on earning a top-four seed and a first-round bye.
The Big 12 currently has a four-way tie atop its standings with the Sun Devils, Cyclones, BYU (No. 19) and Colorado (No. 25) all hoping to play their way into next week’s conference championship game in Arlington, Texas.
Tulane continues to rise into contention for the fifth conference champion bid if Boise State loses again or the Big 12 ends up with a three-loss champ. The Green Wave climbed to No. 17 this week and have won eight in a row since losing to Power 4 conference foes Kansas State and Oklahoma in nonconference play. They’ll face Memphis on Thursday before playing Army in the AAC championship game on Dec. 5.
“It is a balance,” Manuel said. “We have to look at what teams do throughout the season. And obviously as we watch film and take a look at what teams are doing against the opponents they have to face, we see a Tulane team that is really playing great football right now. … They’re really one of the teams that has surged up in our mind as it relates to how they’re playing at this time.”
No. 20 Texas A&M hosts No. 3 Texas on Saturday night, renewing their rivalry game for the first time since 2011, with the winner advancing to the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Missouri (No. 21), UNLV (No. 22), Illinois (No. 23), Kansas State (No. 24) and Colorado round out the top 25.
Eight SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 again this week, along with five Big Ten teams, five Big 12 teams, three ACC teams, two Mountain West teams and one AAC team.
There are two more rankings to come out – next week, then the last one on Dec. 8, which will set the pairings for the playoffs.
The four first-round games will be played at the home campus of the higher-seeded teams on Dec. 20 and 21. The four quarterfinal games will be staged at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
The two semifinal games will take place at the Orange Bowl in Miami and the Cotton Bowl in Arlington on Jan. 9 and 10.
The CFP national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
GAMES TO WATCH
Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State: A Buckeyes win sets up a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten title game (with a third meeting possible in the playoffs).
No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M: The winner plays Georgia for the SEC title. The Longhorns would presumably make the 12-team bracket either way.
No. 15 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson: The Palmetto Bowl for a chance to stay on the fringes of consideration for the CFP.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS (Nov. 26)
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (10-1)
3. Texas (10-1)
4. Penn State (10-1)
5. Notre Dame (10-1)
6. Miami (10-1)
7. Georgia (9-2)
8. Tennessee (9-2)
9. SMU (10-1)
10. Indiana (10-1)
11. Boise State (10-1)
12. Clemson (9-2)
13. Alabama (8-3)
14. Mississippi (8-3)
15. South Carolina (8-3)
16. Arizona State (9-2)
17. Tulane (9-2)
18. Iowa State (9-2)
19. BYU (9-2)
20. Texas A&M (8-3)
21. Missouri (8-3)
22. UNLV (9-2)
23. Illinois (8-3)
24. Kansas State (8-3)
25. Colorado (8-3)
News services contributed to this story.