A shuffle was expected to occur in the penultimate college football playoff standings with Rivalry Week preceding the release of the final top 25. And that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night as Michigan and TCU all two moved up one space with USC entering the four-team field and Georgia retaining the top spot.
The reshuffle came amid Michigan’s deep loss to the then No. 1. 2 Ohio State in the 2022 edition of The Game. The loss eliminated the Buckeyes from the top four, although they sit at No. 5 with the best chance of entering the playoffs of any team not already in the projected field.
USC had long been expected to enter the top four this week if they passed their final test, and they did just that (with flying colors) by virtue of a clean win at home against the then No. 1. 15 Notre Dame. It was the second straight victory over a ranked opponent for the Trojans, who now win a Pac-12 championship game against No. 11 Utah a long way from becoming the first team in this conference to participate in the CFP during of the last six seasons (2016-17). Utah is the only team to defeat USC this year, giving the Trojans a chance to overcome that negative head-to-head data point in the final week of the season.
The most notable tumbler in this week’s standings was LSU, which lost its third game of the season to a Texas A&M squad that entered with just four wins. The Bayou Bengals fell nine spots in the hunt for a long playoff entry at No. 14. Clemson only dropped one spot after losing to South Carolina as it was only the Tigers’ second loss of the season, but they also hit each other. out of a playoff bid. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks saw the biggest increase of the week, rising from unranked to No. 19 after beating the top 10 teams in consecutive weeks for the first time in program history.
Let’s take a look at the entire top 25 of the CFP rankings with more analysis from ball expert Jerry Palm to come.
College football playoff standings, Nov. 29
- Georgia (12-0)
- Michigan (12-0)
- TCU (12-0)
- USC (11-1)
- Ohio State (11-1)
- Alabama (10-2)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- Penn State (10-2)
- Clemson (10-2)
- Kansas State (9-3)
- Utah (9-3)
- Washington (10-2)
- Florida State (9-3)
- USL (9-3)
- Oregon State (9-3)
- Oregon (9-3)
- UCLA (9-3)
- Tulane (10-2)
- South Carolina (8-4)
- Texas (8-4)
- Our Lady (8-4)
- UCF (9-3)
- North Carolina (9-3)
- Mississippi State (8-4)
- NC state (8-4)
Analysis by bowl expert Jerry Palm
Overall, there were no surprises at the top of the CFP rankings. The only question that needed to be answered was which team would be No. Troy will probably fall from the CFP. conflict with the State of Ohio taking their place.
Losses to LSU, Clemson and Oregon sucked much of the drama out of the race for the CFP as the top three undefeated teams — Georgia, Michigan, TCU — will be in the playoffs, win or lose. This is an indication of the strength of their performances from start to finish this season.
Although some have questioned TCU, just look at which team is sitting at No. 10. It’s the Horned Frogs’ opponent in the Big 12 Championship game at Kansas State. It shows the level of respect the CFP selection committee has for the Wildcats. Also, out of those three undefeated teams, TCU will face the highest-ranked team in their league title match.
Rankings are not only important for the selection of CFP participants, as they often play a role in the selection of teams for the New Year’s six games. Rankings can be used to choose replacements for bowls that lose a champion of conference for the benefit of the CFP, and they also determine the general places.
For example, Georgia’s opponent in the SEC championship game, LSU, was hammered by the committee for its loss to moribund Texas A&M. The Tigers have dropped all the way to 14th and are out of reach for selection for a New Year’s Six game. LSU’s only chance now is to win its way into the Sugar Bowl. The SEC could have placed four teams in the New Year’s Six if the Tigers had defeated the Aggies.
Penn State is the likely beneficiary of dropping LSU. The Nittany Lions are now in eighth place and are in a good position to play in the Cotton Bowl.
