Rivalry Week delivered a mighty jolt to the College Football Playoff picture, with Utah, Oklahoma and Baylor remaining in contention for a top-four spot, while Alabama will miss out on the playoff for the first time since its inception in 2014.
The Crimson Tide's hopes of keeping its playoff bid alive came to an end as Joseph Bulovas' 30-yard field goal hit the upright, condemning Alabama to a 48-45 road loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
Alabama dropped to 10-2 after the loss and were the big loser in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, falling from No. 5 to No. 9.
Baylor, Utah and Oklahoma, meanwhile, went the opposite way. The Bears climbed up three spots to No. 8 after a 61-6 thumping of Kansas, while the Sooners rose one spot to No. 7 after a 34-16 road win over Oklahoma State.
Baylor and Oklahoma both finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and will collide in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday.
Utah, meanwhile, climbed up one spot to No. 5 in the AP poll and kept its hopes of reaching the CFP alive after thrashing Colorado 45-15 on Saturday. The Utes improved to 11-1 with the win and will face No. 13 Oregon in the Pac-12 title game on Friday.
The top four teams in the AP poll, meanwhile, remained unchanged. LSU held on to its No. 1 ranking after 50-7 shellacking of Texas A&M, while Ohio State remained in second place after a dominant 56-27 win over Michigan.
Joe Burrow and Justin Fields both strengthened their Heisman Trophy credentials, with the former throwing for 352 yards and three touchdown passes, while the latter finished with 302 passing yards and four touchdowns passes.
Clemson went unbeaten in the regular season for the second consecutive year after defeating South Carolina 38-3, while Georgia's offense finally came to life as the Bulldogs consolidated fourth spot with a dominant 52-7 win over Georgia Tech.
As shown by this graphic provided by Statista, LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia occupied the top four spots in last week's CFP rankings and the quartet is expected to hold onto their spots when the latest rankings are published on Tuesday.
The picture, however, could change considerably ahead of Selection Sunday on December 8.
Georgia's hopes of reaching the playoff rest on the SEC Championship Game against LSU on Saturday, while Ohio State and Clemson are heavy favorites to clinch their respective conference titles against Wisconsin and Virginia.
Here's all you need to know ahead of Championship Week.
When does Championship Week start?
As far as the FBS is concerned, Championship Week begins on Friday, December 6 when Utah and Oregon go head-to-head for the Pac-12 title.
Nine other championship games are scheduled for Saturday, beginning with the Big 12 title game between Baylor and Oklahoma.
TV coverage
The conference championship games will be broadcast across ABC, ESPN, CBSSN and FOX.
Live stream
Live streams throughout the season will be available via the broadcasters' digital platforms, as well as fuboTV and DirecTV.
FBS Championship Week TV schedule (All times ET)
Friday, December 6
- Utah vs Oregon—8 p.m., ABC, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Saturday, December 7
- Baylor vs. Oklahoma—12 p.m., ABC, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Louisiana @ Appalachian State—12 p.m., ESPN
- Miami (OH) vs. Central Michigan—12 p.m., ESPN 2, Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- UAB @ Florida Atlantic—1:30 p.m., CBSSN
- Cincinnati @ Memphis—3:30 p.m., ABC
- Georgia vs. LSU—4 p.m., CBS, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hawaii @ Boise State—4 p.m., ESPN
- Virginia vs. Clemson—7:30 p.m., ABC, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Ohio State vs. Wisconsin—8 p.m., FOX, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
