College Football Playoff ranking: Georgia cracks the top four while Ohio State jumps within playoff contention
Michigan’s loss to rival Ohio State shook things up this week in the College Football Playoff ranking.
The Wolverines’ 62-39 blowout loss to the Buckeyes allowed Georgia to crack the top four, setting up a No. 1 vs. No. 4 showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday in Atlanta.
The top three remained the same — No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame. Georgia moved up a spot to No. 4, followed by Oklahoma and Ohio State.
Notre Dame (12-0) finished the regular season undefeated after beating USC 24-17 and should be a lock for the playoff unless chaos ensues this weekend during the conference championships. The Fighting Irish are not affiliated with a conference in football.
Washington made the biggest jump from No. 16 to No. 11 after defeating Washington State. The Cougars had the biggest drop, from No. 8 to No. 13.
With Missouri at No. 24, the SEC is the first conference with eight teams in a College Football Playoff ranking.
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Central Florida
9. Florida
10. Louisiana State
11. Washington
12. Penn State
13. Washington State
14. Texas
15. Kentucky
16. West Virginia
17. Utah
18. Mississippi State
19. Texas A&M
20. Syracuse
21. Northwestern
22. Boise State
23. Iowa State
24. Missouri
25. Fresno State
If the season ended today, this would be the projected New Year’s Six Bowls:
Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas (College Football Playoff semifinal game)
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Georgia
Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. (College Football Playoff semifinal game)
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Rose Bowl in Pasadena
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Washington
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Florida
Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Louisiana State
Peach Bowl in Atlanta
No. 8 Central Florida vs. No. 12 Penn State
The last College Football Playoff Rankings for the season will be released on Sunday.
Twitter: @edmgonzalez
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