The latest College Football Playoff rankings show Oregon maintaining its top position, while Alabama and Miami vie for crucial spots in the expanded 12-team playoff structure. Key games in the upcoming conference championships could drastically alter the final playoff landscape, particularly for teams like SMU and Boise State who are at risk depending on their performance.
As the college football season heads into its climactic phase, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee has released its penultimate rankings, revealing a fiercely competitive race for the top 12 spots. Oregon remains undefeated and holds the number one spot, while other teams like Alabama and Miami find themselves on the brink, needing strong performances and perhaps a bit of luck to secure their playoff positions.
Oregon continues to dominate the CFP rankings, holding the number one spot as the only undefeated team in the FBS. The Ducks are followed by Texas, Penn State, and Notre Dame, rounding out the top four. This year's playoff format, expanded to include 12 teams, offers first-round byes to the highest-ranked conference champions, which currently include Oregon, Texas, SMU, and Boise State. The upcoming conference championship games are crucial, as they could shuffle the current standings, particularly for teams like SMU and Boise State, who risk losing their byes with a defeat.
Alabama, currently ranked 11th, finds itself just inside the projected playoff field, while Miami, at 12th, is on the cusp of exclusion. Both teams did not qualify for their conference championships, which limits their ability to improve their standings. The final decisions will hinge on the outcomes of the conference championship games, where teams currently ranked below them could leapfrog into playoff contention with key victories. The tension between these teams underscores the competitive nature of the expanded playoff format, where a single game can alter the trajectory of a season.
The stakes are high in the upcoming conference championships, with several matchups poised to influence the final playoff rankings significantly. Notably, if SMU loses in the ACC championship against Clemson, it could open the door for teams like Alabama to secure a higher seed or for Miami to sneak into the playoffs. Similarly, a loss for Boise State against UNLV could reshuffle the lower seeds. These games not only determine conference champions but also have the potential to create significant upheaval in the playoff landscape.
As the final games of the college football season approach, the CFP rankings set the stage for a dramatic finish. Oregon looks to maintain its lead and secure the top playoff seed, while teams like Alabama and Miami face critical challenges in securing their playoff spots. The outcomes of the upcoming conference championships will be pivotal in determining which teams will get the chance to compete for the national championship.
"Any team that is not playing right now, we don't have a data point to rearrange where we have those teams ranked, and so that is set in terms of how we see them going into the final week of championship week." - CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel