Last week, we got to see for the first time how the College Football Playoff committee ranks teams. The reaction was generally positive, with the committee’s focus on strength of schedule above all else becoming clear. This week, we got to see for the first time how the committee handles a single weekend’s worth of impact.
Updated College Football Playoff rankings, with Oregon joining top group
The first-ever update to the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings is here, and Ole Miss’ loss to Auburn clears room for a new team in the top four. Full rankings below.
With No. 4 Ole Miss losing, Tuesday night’s biggest questions were which team would jump up to replace the Rebels and how far those Rebels would fall. The Ducks beat out Alabama and TCU for one spot in the if-the-season-ended-right-now Playoff picture. Ole Miss landed at No. 11 and among the one-loss teams, likely since its losses were to ranked teams and very close (though the committee intends to discount margin of victory).
Another important question was which, if any, non-power team would replace No. 23 East Carolina, which lost. ECU was the highest-ranked non-power, and the conference champion that finishes the season with that description gets an automatic New Year’s bowl spot. This week, no non-power team is ranked.
3 takeaways
Here’s the full Top 25, plus the current postseason picture and the toughest opponent left, according to Football Outsiders’ F/+:
| Rank | Team (click for SB Nation team blog) | Last week | Week 10 result | Toughest opponent left (per F/+) | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Mississippi State (8-0) | 1 | Won 17-10 vs. Arkansas | Ole Miss | Sugar Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 2 | Florida State (8-0) | 2 | Won 42-31 at No. 25 Louisville | Miami | Rose Bowl vs. Auburn |
| 3 | Auburn (7-1) | 3 | Won 35-31 at No. 4 Ole Miss | Alabama | Rose Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 4 | Oregon (8-1) | 5 | Won 45-16 vs. Stanford | Utah | Sugar Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
| 5 | Alabama (7-1) | 6 | Idle | Auburn | Orange Bowl |
| 6 | TCU (7-1) | 7 | Won 31-30 at No. 20 WVU | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 7 | Kansas State (7-1) | 9 | Won 48-14 vs. Oklahoma St. | TCU | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | Michigan State (7-1) | 8 | Idle | Ohio State | New Year's bowl |
| 9 | Arizona State (7-1) | 14 | Won 19-16 vs. No. 17 Utah | Notre Dame | New Year's bowl |
| 10 | Notre Dame (7-1) | 10 | Won 49-39 at Navy | Louisville | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Ole Miss (7-2) | 4 | Lost 35-31 vs. No. 3 Auburn | Mississippi State | New Year's bowl |
| 12 | Baylor (7-1) | 13 | Won 60-14 vs. Kansas | Oklahoma | |
| 13 | Nebraska (8-1) | 15 | Won 35-14 vs. Purdue | Wisconsin | |
| 14 | Ohio State (7-1) | 16 | Won 55-14 vs. Illinois | Michigan State | |
| 15 | Oklahoma (6-2) | 18 | Won 59-14 at Iowa St. | Baylor | |
| 16 | LSU (7-2) | 19 | Idle | Alabama | |
| 17 | Utah (6-2) | 17 | Lost 19-16 at No. 14 Arizona St. | Oregon | |
| 18 | UCLA (7-2) | 22 | Won 17-7 vs. No. 12 Arizona | USC | |
| 19 | Arizona (6-2) | 12 | Lost 17-7 at No. 22 UCLA | Arizona State | |
| 20 | Georgia (6-2) | 11 | Lost 38-20 vs. Florida | Auburn | |
| 21 | Clemson (6-2) | 21 | Idle | Georgia Tech | Orange Bowl |
| 22 | Duke (7-1) | 24 | Won 51-48 at Pittsburgh | Virginia Tech | |
| 23 | West Virginia (6-3) | 20 | Lost 31-30 vs. No. 7 TCU | Kansas State | |
| 24 | Georgia Tech (7-2) | NR | Won 35-10 vs. Virginia | Clemson | |
| 25 | Wisconsin (6-2) | NR | Won 37-0 at Rutgers | Nebraska |
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