The top five groups in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday, stayed unaltered, while Iowa State’s playoff finisher trusts got a lift and Cincinnati’s assimilated another blow.
Alabama keeps on opening the rankings at No. 1, trailed by No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Texas A&M. Notre Dame and Clemson are booked to meet for the second time this season in Saturday’s ACC title game.
Scratch Saban’s Crimson Tide (10-0) head into the SEC title game to confront No. 7 Florida, which dropped just one spot after a 37-34 home misfortune to 3-5 LSU. Ohio State, which most as of late played Dec. 5 and has logged just five games this season, takes on No. 14 Northwestern for the Big Ten title.
Iowa State, which was inert this previous end of the week, climbs a spot to No. 6 entering the Big 12 title game against No. 10 Oklahoma. The Cyclones, Gators and No. 8 Georgia all have two misfortunes, however sit in front of undefeated No. 9 Cincinnati (8-0), which has dropped one spot in every one of the previous two rankings notwithstanding not playing since Nov. 21 at UCF.
The Bearcats at last get an opportunity to dazzle the board of trustees in the American Athletic Conference title game against No. 23 Tulsa, which climbs a spot. Yet, even a triumph could keep them behind the Big 12 boss and conceivably Texas A&M, which is planned to confront unranked Tennessee this week. Georgia is inert after its game against Vanderbilt was dropped as a result of COVID-19 and other program accessibility issues with the Commodores.
Neither Notre Dame nor Clemson played a weekend ago, yet Notre Dame’s CFP chances improved after North Carolina whipped Miami 62-26 out and about. The Tar Heels climb two spots to No. 15, while Miami falls eight spots to No. 18. Notre Dame beat North Carolina 31-17 on Nov. 27 in Chapel Hill. Regardless of whether the Fighting Irish lose to Clemson, their profile seems sufficiently able to stay in the main four.
Waterfront Carolina (11-0) required a late score at Troy to turn into the primary FBS group to 11 successes. The Chanticleers climb a spot to No. 12 entering the Sun Belt title game against No. 19 Louisiana.
USC (5-0) remains the most elevated appraised Pac-12 group at No. 13, climbing two spots, however the Trojans come up short on a mark win in the wake of dropping a game with Colorado, which dropped to No. 25 after its first loss of the period. Dirt Helton’s group plays unranked Oregon on Friday in the Pac-12 title game.
College Football Playoff Rankings — Dec. 15
- Alabama (10-0)
- Notre Dame (10-0)
- Clemson (9-1)
- Ohio State (5-0)
- Texas A&M (7-1)
- Iowa State (8-2)
- Florida (8-2)
- Georgia (7-2)
- Cincinnati (8-0)
- Oklahoma (7-2)
- Indiana (6-1)
- Coastal Carolina (11-0)
- USC (5-0)
- Northwestern (6-1)
- North Carolina (8-3)
- Iowa (6-2)
- BYU (10-1)
- Miami (8-2)
- Louisiana (9-1)
- Texas (6-3)
- Oklahoma State (7-3)
- NC State (8-3)
- Tulsa (6-1)
- San Jose State (6-0)
- Colorado (4-1)
San Jose State makes its CFP rankings debut at No. 24 after a 6-0 beginning, the group’s best since 1939. The Spartans will confront unranked Boise State in the Mountain West title game Saturday in Las Vegas.
BYU and NC State are among nine groups that climb a solitary spot in the current week’s rankings, checking in at No. 17 and No. 22, separately.
The CFP selection committee group uncovers its last rankings, including the four elimination round groups, on Sunday.
