CFP Rankings: Georgia Takes Over at No. 1, Utah Climbs to No. 2, UCLA Cracks the Top Four
The College Football Playoff committee has a new leader. One week after putting Miami on top of its first rankings, it moved Georgia to No. 1, ahead of Utah, Alabama and UCLA. Beaten 31-24 at Notre Dame, the Hurricanes slide to No. 7, while the Fighting Irish jump from No. 11 to No. 5. Seven Western teams are in this Top 25, two of them in the top four. Here is what matters in the second rankings of the season.
Georgia on Top, Miami Pays for Its Loss in South Bend
Georgia (8-1) left no room for debate. The Bulldogs routed Ole Miss 42-7 in Oxford, with four touchdown passes from Gunner Stockton, and move up one spot as Miami falls. Their only loss, at home to Auburn, weighs less than their win at Alabama.
Miami (8-1) drops six places. Without star receiver Malachi Toney, the Hurricanes chased the game in South Bend and their second-half rally came up short. Notre Dame (8-1) finally has the signature win its resume was missing: Marcus Freeman's team climbs six spots and is now in position to host a first-round game.
Alabama (7-2) is the other winner near the top. After a 31-13 win at LSU, the Crimson Tide go from No. 5 to No. 3 and are the highest-ranked two-loss team in the country. Texas (7-2), now No. 6, also gains a spot after winning at Missouri.
Utah and UCLA: The West Moves Into the Top Four
Seen from the Pacific coast, this is the headline. Utah (9-0) climbs to No. 2, the best ranking in program history in the Playoff era, after its 28-20 win over BYU in the Holy War. UCLA (9-0), the other unbeaten team, jumps from No. 8 to No. 4: Bob Chesney's Bruins, in his first season in Westwood, won at Minnesota and lead the Big Ten race.
Behind them, BYU (7-2) limits the damage: the Cougars lose only one spot and sit at No. 10. Oregon (6-3) makes the biggest climb of the week, up seven spots to No. 16 after its win at Ohio State. USC (7-2) moves up to No. 18, Arizona (7-2) slips one place to No. 23 and Boise State (8-1) edges up to No. 24.
Indiana, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Ohio State: The Big Drops
Indiana (8-1) did not play and still lost five spots, from No. 4 to No. 9: the committee chaired by Hunter Yurachek moved teams with big wins past the Hoosiers. Tennessee (7-2) is one of them: its 34-6 win over Kentucky is worth a five-spot climb to No. 8, while the Wildcats fall from No. 6 to No. 11.
Further down, the punishment is heavy for Ole Miss (6-3), which tumbles nine spots to No. 19, for Ohio State (6-3), No. 20 after a second straight loss, and for LSU (6-3), No. 21. Florida drops out of the Top 25, replaced by Oklahoma State (6-3) at No. 25. New Mexico (8-1), on the other hand, is still left out: ranked No. 23 in the AP poll and leading the Mountain West, the Lobos have lost only once, 14-6 at Oklahoma, but the committee still does not rank them.
Nine Teams for the SEC, Six Each for the Big Ten and Big 12
The SEC remains the best-represented conference with nine ranked teams, five of them in the top 12: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Big Ten has six (UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, USC and Ohio State), as does the Big 12 (Utah, BYU, Texas Tech, Houston, Arizona and Oklahoma State). The ACC has only two, Miami and No. 13 Wake Forest (8-1). Notre Dame is the lone independent, and Boise State the only team from outside the four major conferences.
What the Playoff Bracket Would Look Like
The Playoff has 12 teams for the last time before it grows to 24 next season. The five highest-ranked conference champions qualify automatically and the top four teams in the rankings get a first-round bye. With these rankings, Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA would wait in the quarterfinals.
The first round would send Boise State to Notre Dame, Kentucky to Texas, BYU to Miami and Indiana to Tennessee, each game on the higher-ranked team's field. No. 24 Boise State would get in as the highest-ranked champion from outside the four major conferences, which would leave No. 12 Texas Tech (8-1) out.
Nothing is settled. Georgia hosts No. 22 Missouri this week, and Tennessee still has a trip to Texas A&M. Four rankings remain, including the final selection.
The Committee's Full Top 25
Georgia (8-1)
Utah (9-0)
Alabama (7-2)
UCLA (9-0)
Notre Dame (8-1)
Texas (7-2)
Miami (8-1)
Tennessee (7-2)
Indiana (8-1)
BYU (7-2)
Kentucky (7-2)
Texas Tech (8-1)
Wake Forest (8-1)
Houston (7-2)
Iowa (7-2)
Oregon (6-3)
South Carolina (6-3)
USC (7-2)
Ole Miss (6-3)
Ohio State (6-3)
LSU (6-3)
Missouri (6-3)
Arizona (7-2)
Boise State (8-1)
Oklahoma State (6-3)
