CFP Rankings Reveal Top Three Contenders, and This Slew of Teams Playing for The Final Spot
The top seven spots did not change in this week's College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, but the teams jockeying for the coveted final spot has shifted. LSU, Ohio State and Clemson are now the only undefeated teams remaining in college football's top tier, and they're listed in that order in the newest playoff rankings.
Georgia held down the No. 4 spot after a win at Auburn. Alabama, which lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a season-ending hip injury in a win at Mississippi State, stayed put at No. 5. Oregon remained at No. 6 while its Pac 12 counterpart, Utah, stayed at No. 7.
The rest of the field shuffled up and down the list with wins and losses among the group. Here's the CFP top 25 rankings this week.
| 1 | LSU | 10-0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 10-0 |
| 3 | Clemson | 11-0 |
| 4 | Georgia | 9-1 |
| 5 | Alabama | 9-1 |
| 6 | Oregon | 9-1 |
| 7 | Utah | 9-1 |
| 8 | Penn State | 9-1 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 9-1 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 9-1 |
| 11 | Florida | 9-2 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 8-2 |
| 13 | Michigan | 8-2 |
| 14 | Baylor | 9-1 |
| 15 | Auburn | 7-3 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 8-2 |
| 17 | Iowa | 7-3 |
| 18 | Memphis | 9-1 |
| 19 | Cincinnati | 9-1 |
| 20 | Boise State | 9-1 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 7-3 |
| 22 | Iowa State | 6-4 |
| 23 | Southern Cal | 7-4 |
| 24 | Appalachian State | 9-1 |
| 25 | SMU | 9-1 |
Whereas the top three teams remain undefeated, it seems LSU, Ohio State and Clemson would be locks to make the CFP top four if they remain on course. LSU has home games against Arkansas and Texas A&M, Ohio State plays Penn State and Michigan, and Clemson has a road game at South Carolina. Then, if each should remain undefeated, they would play conference championship games.
Should they prevail and still be perfect, then the battle for fourth be between a handful of teams.
No. 4 Georgia would most likely be a lock for the playoff if it wins the next two regular-season games and then beats LSU in the SEC Championship.
No. 5 Alabama would need to win its final two games against Western Carolina and at Auburn, then hope for an LSU win over Georgia in the SEC title game and maybe multiple losses by teams trailing them in the current rankings.
No. 6 Oregon needs to win out, including a win over Utah in the Pac 12 Championship, coupled with a poor showing by Alabama and Georgia loss in the SEC championship.
No. 7 Utah needs the same things to happen as No. 6 Oregon.
No. 8 Penn State would need a win this weekend at Ohio State and win the Big Ten Championship, combined with a Georgia loss and chaos in the Pac 12.
No. 9 Oklahoma would need to win out, including wins over Oklahoma State and a rematch win over Baylor in the conference championship. It would also probably need losses by multiple teams ahead of them.
No.10 Minnesota would need to run the table, including a win over Ohio State in the conference championship. The Gophers might need even more losses from teams ahead of them in the latest rankings.
There are two weekends of regular season remaining, plus the conference championship weekend before the final rankings are released, and anything can still happen.
