After a few weeks of seeing the rankings shuffle at the top of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s top 25, things finally slowed down a little bit heading into rivalry week, the last week of the regular season for most teams. This past week, few of the nation’s top teams played anyone of significance, and there were only a handful of top 25 games total.
New College Football Playoff rankings, Alabama and Oregon still on top
The two most noteworthy gains: UCLA into the top eight and Arizona vaulting from No. 15 to No. 11. Oh, and two non-power-conference teams are finally ranked.
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There was still a bit more shuffling after what we saw this weekend. The most obvious question entering Tuesday night was whether the selection committee saw enough merit in Baylor’s win over Oklahoma State to move the Bears over TCU, who they have beaten head-to-head, in the rankings. What about Florida State? After yet another close call, this time against Boston College, would the Seminoles fall yet again in the rankings, despite their undefeated record? Would Ohio State be punished for its lack of “game control” against Indiana, and would fellow Big Ten upstart Minnesota ascend into the top 20?
Here are the answers to those questions, along with some more information:
| Rank | Team | Last week | Week 13 result | Toughest opponent left (per F/+) | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Alabama (10-1) | 1 | Won 48-14 vs. Western Carolina | Auburn | Sugar Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
| 2 | Oregon (10-1) | 2 | Won 44-10 vs. Colorado | Oregon State | Rose Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 3 | Florida State (11-0) | 3 | Won 20-17 vs. Boston College | Florida | Rose Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 4 | Mississippi State (10-1) | 4 | Won 51-0 vs. Vanderbilt | Ole Miss | Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama |
| 5 | TCU (9-1) | 5 | Idle | Texas | New Year's bowl |
| 6 | Ohio State (10-1) | 6 | Won 42-27 vs. Indiana | Michigan | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech |
| 7 | Baylor (9-1) | 7 | Won 49-28 vs. Oklahoma State | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | UCLA (8-3) | 9 | Won 38-20 vs. No. 19 USC | Stanford | New Year's bowl |
| 9 | Georgia (9-2) | 10 | Won 55-9 vs. Charleston Southern | Georgia Tech | New Year's bowl |
| 10 | Michigan State (9-2) | 11 | Won 45-3 vs. Rutgers | Penn State | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Arizona (9-2) | 15 | Won 42-10 at No. 17 Utah | Arizona State | |
| 12 | Kansas State (9-2) | 12 | Won 26-20 at West Virginia | Baylor | |
| 13 | Arizona State (9-2) | 13 | Won 52-31 vs. Washington State | Arizona | |
| 14 | Wisconsin (8-2) | 16 | Won 59-24 vs. No. 16 Nebraska | Minnesota | |
| 15 | Auburn (8-3) | 14 | Won 31-7 vs. Samford | Alabama | |
| 16 | Georgia Tech (9-2) | 18 | Idle | Georgia | Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State |
| 17 | Missouri (9-2) | 20 | Won 29-21 at Tennessee | Arkansas | |
| 18 | Minnesota (8-3) | 25 | Won 28-24 at No. 23 Nebraska | Wisconsin | |
| 19 | Ole Miss (8-3) | 8 | Lost 30-0 at Arkansas | Mississippi State | |
| 20 | Oklahoma (8-3) | 21 | Won 44-7 vs. Kansas | Oklahoma State | |
| 21 | Clemson (8-3) | 22 | Won 28-0 vs. Georgia State | South Carolina | |
| 22 | Louisville (8-3) | 24 | Won 31-28 at Notre Dame | Kentucky | |
| 23 | Boise State (9-2) | NR | Won 63-14 at Wyoming | Utah State | New Year's bowl |
| 24 | Marshall (11-0) | NR | Won 23-18 at UAB | Western Kentucky | |
| 25 | Utah (7-4) | 17 | Lost 42-10 vs. No. 15 Arizona | Colorado |
Here’s a look at everything that’s at stake during rivalry week.
Note: This post is an adapted version of one from earlier Tuesday.
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